Table Of Contents
Asbestos Uses
Asbestos is not a single product. Asbestos is the generic term used to refer to six different fibrous minerals that occur naturally. What then is a fibre? A fibre refers to a particle with a length of more than five micrometres and a length-to-width ratio of 3:1. It has also been established that an asbestos fibre must be of a length less than three micrometres. This article is an all-you-need-to-know about asbestos so keep reading!
Asbestos Categories
Asbestos is grouped into two primary classifications depending on its physical and chemical properties. These classifications are serpentine and amphibole.
Serpentine
The fibres of serpentine are long, flexible, and curved. These features make it possible to weave together the fibres of serpentine. Under this classification of asbestos exists chrysotile as the primary type. Chrysotile is also referred to as white asbestos, the primary type of asbestos used in manufacturing.
Amphibole
As opposed to serpentine, the fibres of amphibole are straight and hard. They cannot be woven together. Amphibole fibres are rarely used for commercial purposes since they are brittle and needle-shaped. Under the amphibole classification of asbestos, there are five sub-types. These are tremolite, anthophyllite, actinolite, amosite (also known as brown asbestos), and crocidolite (also known as blue asbestos).
Where Was Asbestos Mined In Australia?
Wittenoom
Previously, Australia had several asbestos mining hubs. For instance, crocidolite, which is mainly referred to as blue asbestos, was mined in Western Australia in Wittenoom between the 1930s and 1966. With blue asbestos being one of the most poisonous types of asbestos, it's mining at Wittenoom was closed down in 1966.
Eventually, in 1967, the government of Australia banned the use of blue asbestos. Come the late 1970s, the government of Australia formulated regulations concerning asbestos products. Although the use of amosite (brown asbestos) continued until the mid-1980s, the government of Australia banned the use of chrysotile, also known as white asbestos, twenty years later, at the end of 2003.
Due to the aftermath effects of closing down asbestos mining at Wittenoom, the indigenous elders residing close to Karijini National Park requested the government of Australia to clean and clear up the town of Wittenoom. This happened around February 2019. One of the primary reasons why the indigenous residents asked the government of Australia to clean up Wittenoom was due to high mortality rates caused by mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is a type of lung cancer among the Aboriginal families living close to the town of Wittenoom. The effects of asbestos became even more dire when rain causing erosion carried asbestos waste products down into Fortescue River. The government of Australia had assured the community that it was working to remedy the problem.
Woodsreef
Additionally, in Australia, asbestos was mined from the Woodsreef mines found close to the township of Barraba located in New South Wales. Before the mine operators abandoned it in the 1980s, Woodsreef mine primarily produced white chrysotile asbestos.
However, despite the Woodsreef operators abandoning the mine, it was reported that almost twenty-five million tons of asbestos waste products were left behind at the mining site. Similarly, the asbestos fibres remained visible for more than twenty-five years after the mining at Woodsreef mine had stopped. As a result, Woodsreef mine has obtained a legacy of asbestos exposure.
Uses Of Asbestos
One of the most predominant uses of asbestos is in manufacturing. In the early 20th century, Australia had a large asbestos market that James Hardie Industries primarily led. James Hardie Industries was a company that engaged in manufacturing a variety of building and insulation products.
The company was involved in asbestos production, distributing, and manufacturing asbestos and other asbestos-containing products. James Hardie Industries had asbestos mines in Australia, Canada, and Zimbabwe. Even though the management of James Hardie Industries was well aware of the health risks of asbestos mines, products, and exposure to the airborne asbestos fibres, they never warned their workers or the public.
The James Hardie Industries distributed wastes from asbestos widely in the community. These waste products were used in driveways and park paths, and playgrounds. Moreover, waste products from asbestos were used to manufacture 'Hessian' burlap bags that are used to carry vegetables and fruits. More specific uses of asbestos include:
Asbestos used to manufacture cement pipes
Asbestos was also used to manufacture asbestos cement pipes. An asbestos cement pipe, also known as the transite pipe, refers to a tubular vessel used to transport cement liquid. Asbestos was used to enhance the mechanical properties of asbestos cement pipes.
The asbestos cement pipe was used mainly in the 20th century; however, its use has been stopped due to the adverse health effects of asbestos. Initially, asbestos cement pipes were primarily used to transport gases, fumes, wastewater, and drinking water.
Asbestos cement pipes were known to have a high resistance to erosion. However, the asbestos cement pipes would still erode and become thin, thus necessitating a replacement of the existing asbestos cement pipes. Due to the ban on asbestos use, most people have shifted to using polyvinyl chloride pipes.
Asbestos used in manufacturing filters
Asbestos was used to make filters that were widely used industrially in the manufacture of fruit juices, cider, wine, and filters used in medicine, heart surgery, and sewage treatment to filter fine materials from liquids and gases. The chrysotile and amphibole forms of asbestos were used in powder and fibre forms for filtration purposes.
Chrysotile fibres mainly were used where more resistance to acids was required. Chrysotile has been previously used to filter beers, liquids, gases, blood plasma, sugar, wines, and fruit juices. Through filtration processes, asbestos was recleaned, washed in acid, and purified to remove any soluble substances that might be present in the fibres.
Asbestos may be used together with other fibres such as diatomaceous earth and cellulose in such processes. It is possible to retain very fine precipitates during filtration while using asbestos because of asbestos's surface per unit weight being ten times more than that of both inorganic and organic substances.
Specific filtration uses of asbestos included:
• To filter acids, caustic and corrosive fluids, and leaking solutions in the chemical industries.
• In refineries and sugar mills to filter juices.
• In the electrochemical industries in electrolytic procedure diaphragms.
• In heart surgeries to prevent heart damage. Dusting asbestos powder is applied over the surface of the heart to stimulate new channels of blood flow.
• In the filtration of wine to improve their appearance. The asbestos loose-filtering beds enable much clear wine to go through within half a day instead of old cellulose, which would carry out the same process in a week.
• Asbestos fibres produce a great sense of attraction for sludge and dust when made into cloth or felt. This feature has made it possible to use asbestos in fur cleaning establishments. Asbestos felt, or asbestos curtains are used to line cleaning rooms for fur. This ensures that the rough surfaces catch and retain the lint better than most known agents. The same applies to the linings of places maintained for seed treatment or fumigation.
• Asbestos felt is used in accumulating dust and any other foreign substances.
• Asbestos filters are also used in sewage treatment to catch the sludge. Research has also shown that the suspension of asbestos in water leads to the production of a large surface to which microorganisms found in the water will attach themselves.
Asbestos used in air filtration
Filtration of fine air particles is essential for human breathing. Although humans naturally have absorbent and screening surfaces in their nasal passages, some small particles may still pass through to the lungs and cause problems.
Further, the discharge of aerosols in the form of smoke and fumes into the air is a great challenge. As a result, fans have used filters to purify the air drawn into houses, thus offering a certain kind of protection to humans.
Asbestos filters
Asbestos filters are used in gas masks to offer protection against aerosols and other toxic substances that are produced during war. The development of the atomic age has called for the development of highly efficient filters to help in conserving the environment from radioactive particles. It is important to note that radioactive particles cause grave problems than the contaminants encountered in the past years.
Asbestos fibres
Asbestos fibres are used to manufacture various wet and dry filters, electric precipitators, and air washers that help get rid of large percentages of dust in the air. These products are known to exhibit the ability to separate particles from the size of a micron and larger particles, and even small particles with high density.
Cotton and asbestos combo
In early 1941, research indicated that a combination of cotton and asbestos fibres could produce a hand sheet of filter paper with good properties when dispersed in water. As a result, most industries tried to mass-produce similar papers using commercial paper making equipment.
However, no success was met since the existing equipment could not produce adequate dispersion of the fine asbestos fibres, which is essential for forming a highly retentive sheet.
Furthermore, it was discovered that a combination of certain types of asbestos with cellulose would form a sheet that readily passes air while retaining almost all of the extremely fine materials suspended, 99.95% by particle count. The research had indicated that these types of asbestos were the blue Bolivian and blue African asbestos.
Asbestos used in textiles
Before the ban placed on the use of asbestos, asbestos was used in textile industries. We have previously looked at the classifications of asbestos and its characteristics. Asbestos is preferred due to its resistance to fire, high temperatures, and destruction. Other forms of asbestos are also flexible and can thus be woven together.
Raw asbestos has the ability to be spun and woven together. Due to this feature, and the fact that asbestos is resistant to fire, asbestos was used to manufacture protective clothes such as protective jackets for firefighters, mitts, and aprons for foundry workers. Asbestos strands were woven together with other fibres to improve the tensile strength of the fabric products.
Since asbestos is woven in the same manner as cotton, many industries came up to replace the cotton textile industries. According to the requirements of certain products, the textile industries blended different grades of asbestos strands using a fibre blender. The filaments were then made into a fibre mat which was subsequently pressed and layered to form a lap.
A lap refers to an arrangement of several fibre mats. A lap was then used to make thin ribbons that formed what is known as roving. You would then spin the roving to form a yarn. Before spinning the roving, you could add other strands of fibre, such as rayon or cotton. The yarn then produces threads. The threads are processed to make various products such as ropes, tape, wicking, and clothing.
The use of asbestos in textile industries has dramatically declined due to the ban on the use of asbestos. Asbestos has been found to cause serious health risks in Australia. As a result, other fire-resistant products are used to make protective clothing as opposed to the use of asbestos.
Asbestos used in construction
Asbestos was known to make products more durable and heat resistant. As a result, it was used in manufacturing various construction materials. For instance, asbestos was used to manufacture ceiling, roofing, and flooring tiles. Similarly, asbestos was used to manufacture cement used in building materials since the asbestos fibres provided strength to the materials without adding more weight.
It was also preferred in manufacturing cement due to its fire resistance and insulating properties. Asbestos was also used to strengthen concrete, bricks, pipes, fireproof materials, and for insulation purposes.
Why Asbestos Is Preferred For Certain Products
The use of asbestos continued even after the ban by the government of Australia. This raises a question about why many people still prefer products containing asbestos. To begin with, it is essential to note that all forms of asbestos are resistant to biological breakdown, chemicals, fire, and heat.
Similarly, all forms of asbestos are insoluble in water, and they do not evaporate. Since most forms of asbestos do not react with chemicals, do not burn, and cannot break down biologically, it was believed that products made from asbestos would have a long-life span.
In the commercial sphere, asbestos attained wide recognition due to its friction, wear, tensile strength, adsorption capacity, heat, sound insulation, and electrical capabilities. Due to these unique features, asbestos was used commercially to manufacture heat-resistant fabrics, friction products, and building materials, among others.
Is It Safe To Use Asbestos?
So far, we have looked at some of the most prevalent uses of asbestos in the early times. This raises the question of whether asbestos is still used in the modern world and whether such use is safe. Most countries, including Australia, have banned the use of asbestos.
For instance, by 2003, almost all forms of asbestos were banned by the government of Australia. This is due to the increase in asbestos-related diseases. The use of asbestos drew much attention due to its adverse effects. Several studies revealed that asbestos exposure was fatal. It is known that exposure to asbestos often causes several health risks including but not limited to mesothelioma.
Recent research shows that Australia is the second country after the United Kingdom with the highest mesothelioma mortality rates. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that is commonly caused by exposure to asbestos. Cancer experts state that almost 25,000 people are expected to die from mesothelioma over the coming four decades.
A study conducted by the Australian Faculty of Occupational Medicine guide on Occupational Cancer revealed that almost all mesothelioma cases are linked to asbestos, with the possibility of occurring from asbestos levels close to the background levels in urban areas. The Australian Mesothelioma Registry indicated that 641 Australians died from mesothelioma in 2014.
The report showed that the deaths were increasing, and a peak was expected between 2014 and 2021. Previously, several industries shut down, having experienced most of their workers suffering from asbestos exposure. Similarly, communities living close to asbestos mines suffered high death rates caused by exposure to asbestos.
A good example is the Aboriginal families that lived close to Wittenoom mines. It has been established that products made from asbestos are detrimental to the safety and health of the users. Therefore, despite asbestos's efficiency and good properties, most governments had to ban the mining and use of asbestos.
Asbestos Removal
While the Australian government has banned the use of asbestos, it is still common to find asbestos in homes and commercial buildings in certain parts of the country. Generally, buildings built before the mid-1980s, when asbestos was widely used in construction, still have some form of asbestos present in these buildings. This is highly hazardous and needs to be removed. If you're not sure about the presence of asbestos, contact a professional asbestos removal company to do an asbestos inspection and asbestos removal if need be.
David
