{{Otheruses}}
[[Image:Asbestos with muscovite.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Fibrous asbestos on [[muscovite]]]]
[[Image:Asbestos2USGOV.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Asbestos]]
[[Image:Asbestos3USGOV.jpg|thumb|200px|Asbestos]]
[[Image:Blue asbestos.jpg|thumb|Blue asbestos (crocidolite) from [[Wittenoom, Western Australia]]. The ruler is 1 cm.
[[Image:Blue asbestos (teased).jpg|thumb|Blue asbestos showing the fibrous nature of the mineral]]]]

'''Asbestos''' is composed of [[mineral]]s, known since antiquity, with long, thin fibrous [[crystal]]s. The word "asbestos" is derived from a [[Greek language|Greek]] adjective meaning inextinguishable. The [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]] termed asbestos the "miracle mineral" because of its soft and pliant properties, as well as its ability to withstand heat.

Asbestos became increasingly popular among manufacturers and builders in the late 19th century due to its resistance to heat, electricity and chemical damage, sound absorption and tensile strength. When asbestos is used for its resistance to fire or heat, the fibers are often mixed with [[cement]] or woven into fabric or mats. Asbestos is used in [[brake]] shoes and [[gasket]]s for its heat resistance, and in the past was used on electric oven and hotplate wiring for its [[electrical insulation]] at elevated temperature, and in buildings for its [[Flame retardant|flame-retardant]] and insulating properties, [[tensile strength]], flexibility, and resistance to chemicals.

The [[inhalation]] of [[asbestos fibers]] can cause serious illnesses, including [[mesothelioma]] and [[asbestosis]]. Since the mid 1980s, many uses of asbestos are banned in many countries.

==Types of asbestos and associated fibres==
[[Image:Asbestos1USGOV.jpg|thumb|200px|Chrysotile asbestos]]
[[Image:Asbestos fibres.jpg|thumb|200px|Asbestos fibers]]

Six minerals are defined as "asbestos" including: [[chrysotile]], [[amosite]], [[crocidolite]], [[tremolite]], [[anthophyllite]] and [[actinolite]].

===White asbestos===
[[Chrysotile]], [[CAS registry number|CAS No.]] 12001-29-5, is obtained from [[serpentine]] rocks which is common throughout the world. The rocks are called serpentine because their fibers curl; chrysotile fibers are curly as opposed to fibers from amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, actinolite, and anthophyllite which are needlelike.<ref>[http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_1_3X_Asbestos.asp?sitearea=PED American Cancer Society]</ref> Chrysotile, along with other types of asbestos, has been banned in dozens of countries and is only allowed in the [[United States]] and [[Europe]] in very limited circumstances. Chrysotile is used more than any other type and accounts for about 95% of the asbestos found in buildings in America.<ref name="wdnr">[http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/aw/air/reg/asbestos/asbes3.htm Wisconson Department of Natural Resources]</ref> Applications where chrysotile might be used include the use of [[joint compound]]. It is more flexible than amphibole types of asbestos; it can be spun and woven into [[fabric]].

===Brown asbestos===
[[Amosite]], CAS No. 12172-73-5, is a [[trade name]] for the [[amphibole]]s belonging to the ''[[Cummingtonite]]'' - ''Grunerite'' [[solid solution]] series, commonly from [[Africa]], named as an [[acronym]] from Asbestos Mines of South Africa. One formula given for amosite is [[Iron|Fe]]₇Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂. It is found most frequently as a fire retardant in thermal insulation products and ceiling tiles.<ref name="wdnr"/>

===Blue asbestos===
[[Crocidolite]], CAS No. 12001-28-4 is an amphibole from Africa and [[Australia]]. It is the fibrous form of the amphibole [[riebeckite]]. One formula given for crocidolite is [[Sodium|Na]]₂[[Iron|Fe]]²⁺₃Fe³⁺₂[[Silicon|Si]]₈[[Oxygen|O]]₂₂([[Hydroxyl|OH]])₂.
Notes: chrysotile commonly occurs as soft friable [[fibers]]. [[Asbestiform]] amphibole may also occur as soft friable fibers but some varieties such as [[amosite]] are commonly straighter. All forms of asbestos are fibrillar in that they are composed of fibers with widths less than 1 [[micrometre]] that occur in bundles and have very long lengths. Asbestos with particularly fine fibers is also referred to as "amianthus".
Amphiboles such as tremolite have a [[crystal]] [[structure]] containing strongly bonded ribbonlike [[silicate]] [[anion]] [[polymer]]s that extend the length of the crystal. Serpentine ([[chrysotile]]) has a sheetlike silicate anion which is curved and which rolls up like a carpet to form the fiber.<ref>{{cite book|author=WA Deer, RA Howie, J Zussman|title=An Introduction to the Rock-Forming Minerals|edition=2nd Edition|publisher=Longman|year=1992|id= }}</ref>

===Other asbestos===
Other regulated asbestos minerals, such as tremolite asbestos, CAS No. 77536-68-6, [[Calcium|Ca]]₂Mg₅Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂; actinolite asbestos (or ''smaragdite''), CAS No. 77536-66-4, Ca₂(Mg, Fe)₅(Si₈O₂₂)(OH)₂; and anthophyllite asbestos, CAS No. 77536-67-5, (Mg, Fe)₇Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂; are less commonly used industrially but can still be found in a variety of construction materials and insulation materials and have been reported in the past to occur in a few [[Product (business)|consumer products]].

Other natural and not currently regulated asbestiform minerals, such as richterite, Na(CaNa)(Mg,Fe⁺⁺)₅(Si₈O₂₂)(OH)₂, and winchite, (CaNa)Mg₄(Al,Fe³⁺)(Si₈O₂₂)(OH)₂, may be found as a contaminant in products such as the [[vermiculite]] containing [[zonolite]] insulation manufactured by [[W.R. Grace and Company]]. These minerals are thought to be no less harmful than tremolite, amosite, or crocidolite, but since they are not regulated, they are referred to as "asbestiform" rather than asbestos although may still be related to diseases and hazardous.

==Production trends==
[[Image:Asbestos output2.PNG|thumb|right|Asbestos output in 2005]]
In 2005, 2.2 million tons of asbestos were mined worldwide. Russia was the largest producer with about 40% world share followed by China and Kazakhstan.<ref>{{cite web
| last =
| first =
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title =World Mineral Production 2001-2005
| work =
| publisher =British Geological Survey
| date =
| url =http://www.mineralsuk.com/britmin/wmp_2001_2005.pdf
| pages =
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = 2007-08-03 }}</ref>

==Uses==
===Historic usage===
Asbestos was named by the ancient Greeks who also recognized certain hazards of the material. The Greek geographer [[Strabo]] and the Roman naturalist [[Pliny the Elder]] noted that the material damaged lungs of slaves who wove it into cloth.<ref name="Env_Chem">[http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/environmental/asbestoshistory2004.html History of Asbestos]</ref><ref name="resource_center">[http://www.asbestosresource.com/history/ Asbestos Resource Center]</ref> [[Charlemagne]], the first Holy Roman Emperor, is said to have had a tablecloth made of asbestos.<ref name="TIME">[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,729732,00.html Time Magazine]</ref><ref name="MC">[http://www.mesothelioma-center.com/information/asbestos/history-of-asbestos.html Mesothelioma Center]</ref><ref name="MARC">[http://www.marf.org/Resources/UnderstandingMeso/UnderstandingAsbestos.html Understanding Asbestos Mesothelioma Applied Research Center]</ref>

Wealthy [[Persian people|Persian]]s, who bought asbestos imported over the [[Hindu Kush]], amazed guests by cleaning the cloth by simply exposing it to fire. According to [[Biruni# ref-16|Biruni]] in his book of ''Gems'', any cloths made of asbestos ({{lang-fa|آذرشست}}, ''āzarshast'' or {{lang-fa|آذرشب}}, ''āzarshab'') were called ({{lang-fa|شستكه}}) ''shastakeh''<ref> [[Dehkhoda Dictionary|Dehkhoda Persian Dictionary]]</ref>. Some of the Persians believed the fiber was fur from an animal (named ''samandar'', {{lang-fa|سمندر}}) that lived in fire and died when exposed to water.<ref name="Ucalgary">[http://www.iras.ucalgary.ca/~volk/sylvia/Asbestos.htm University of Calgary]</ref><ref>[http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/environmental/asbestoshistory2004.html A Brief History of Asbestos Use and Associated Health Risks] EnvironmentalChemistry.com website</ref>

Some archeologists believe that ancients made shrouds of asbestos, wherein they burned the bodies of their kings, in order to preserve only their ashes, and prevent their being mixed with those of wood or other combustible materials commonly used in funeral pyres.<ref name=histsci>[http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/HistSciTech/HistSciTech-idx?type=turn&entity=HistSciTech000900240192&isize=L History of science] This article incorporates content from the 1728 Cyclopaedia, a publication in the public domain.</ref>
Others assert that the ancients used asbestos to make perpetual wicks for [[Sepulchre|sepulchral]] or other lamps.<ref name="MARC"/><ref name="Ucalgary"/> In more recent centuries, asbestos was indeed used for this purpose. Although asbestos causes skin to itch upon contact, [[ancient literature]] indicates that it was prescribed for diseases of the skin, and particularly for the itch. It is possible that they used the term ''asbestos'' for [[alumen plumosum]], because the two terms have often been confused throughout history.<ref name=histsci/>

Asbestos became more widespread during the industrial revolution, in the 1860s it was used as insulation in the U.S. and Canada. [[Development]] of the first commercial asbestos mine began in 1879 in the [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian]] foothills of [[Quebec]].<ref name=hamptonroads>[http://hamptonroads.com/pilotonline/special/asbestos/history.html Shipyards, a Crucible for Tragedy]</ref> By the mid 20th century uses included fire retardant coatings, concrete, bricks, pipes and fireplace cement, heat, fire, and acid resistant gaskets, pipe insulation, ceiling insulation, fireproof drywall, flooring, roofing, lawn furniture, and drywall joint compound.<ref name="MARC"/>

Approximately 100,000 people have died, or will die, from asbestos exposure related to ship building. In the [[Hampton Roads]] area, a shipbuilding center, [[mesothelioma]] occurrence is seven times the national rate.<ref>[http://hamptonroads.com/pilotonline/special/asbestos/intro.html Horrible Toll Could Have Been Avoided]</ref> Thousands of metric tons of asbestos were used in [[World War II]] ships to wrap the pipes, line the boilers, and cover engine and turbine parts. There were approximately 4.3 million shipyard workers during WWII, for every thousand workers about 14 died of mesothelioma and an unknown number died from [[asbestosis]].<ref name=hamptonroads/>

Asbestos fibers were once used in automobile [[brake pads]] and shoes. Since the mid-1990s, a majority of brake pads, new or replacement, have been manufactured instead with [[Aramid|Aramid fiber]] ([[Twaron]] or [[Kevlar]]) linings (the same material used in [[bulletproof vest]]s).

[[Kent (cigarette)|Kent]], the first [[cigarette filter|filtered cigarette]] on the market, used crocidolite asbestos in its "Micronite" filter from 1952 to 1956.<ref>[[Cancer Research]] </ref>

The first documented death related to asbestos was in 1906.<ref name="MC"/> In the early 1900s researchers began to notice a large number of early deaths and lung problems in asbestos mining towns. The first diagnosis of [[asbestosis]] was made in England in 1924.<ref name="resource_center">[http://www.asbestosresource.com/history/ History of Asbestos]Asbestos Resource Center</ref> By the 1930s, England regulated ventilation and made asbestos an excusable work related disease, about ten years sooner than the U.S.<ref name="resource_center"/><ref name="ACS">[http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_1_3X_Asbestos.asp?sitearea=PED American Cancer Society]</ref> The term [[Mesothelioma]] was not used in medical literature until 1931, and was not associated with asbestos until sometime in the 1940s.<ref name="MC"/>

The United States government and asbestos industry have been criticized for not acting quickly enough to inform the public of dangers, and to reduce public exposure. In the late 1970s court documents proved that asbestos industry officials knew of asbestos dangers and tried to conceal them.<ref name=hamptonroads/>

In Japan, particularly after [[World War II]], asbestos was used in the manufacture of [[ammonium sulfate]] for purposes of rice production, sprayed upon the ceilings, iron skeletons, and walls of railroad cars and buildings (during the 1960s), and used for energy efficiency reasons as well. Production of asbestos in Japan peaked in 1974 and went through ups and downs until about 1990, when production began to drop severely.<ref>[http://www.hvbg.de/e/asbest/konfrep/konfrep/repbeitr/morinaga_en.pdf Asbestos in Japan]</ref>

===Specific products===
====Serpentine group====

Serpentine minerals have a sheet or layered structure. Chrysolite is the only asbestos mineral in the serpentine group. In the [[United States]], chrysotile has been the most commonly used type of asbestos. According to the U.S. EPA Asbestos Building Inspectors Manual, chrysotile accounts for approximately 95% of asbestos found in buildings in the United States. Chrysotile is often present in a wide variety of materials, including :
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
* joint compound
* mud and texture coats
* vinyl floor tiles, sheeting, adhesives
* roofing tars, felts, siding, and shingles
* "transite" panels, siding, countertops, and pipes
* [[fireproofing]]
* [[caulk]]
* [[gasket]]s
* [[brake]] pads and shoes
* [[clutch]] plates
* stage curtains
* fire blankets
* interior fire doors
* fireproof clothing for firefighters
* thermal pipe insulation
</div>
In the [[European Union]] and [[Australia]] it has recently been banned as a potential health hazard<ref>[http://www.ascc.gov.au/ascc/NewsEvents/MediaReleases/2001/NOHSCdeclaresprohibitiononuseofchrysotileasbestos.htm Australian prohibition on use of chrysotile asbestos]</ref> and is not used at all. [[Japan]] is moving in the same direction, but more slowly. Revelations that hundreds of workers had died in Japan over the previous few decades from diseases related to asbestos sparked a scandal in mid-2005.<ref name=Iceberg>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/member.html?nn20050722f1.htm Asbestos deaths just the tip of the iceberg] Japan Times Online</ref> Tokyo had, in 1971, ordered companies handling asbestos to install ventilators and check health on a regular basis; however, the Japanese government did not ban crocidolite and amosite until 1995, and a full-fledged ban on asbestos was implemented in October 2004.<ref name=Iceberg/>

====Amphibole group====
Five types of asbestos are found in the amphibole group: amosite, crocidolite, anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite. Amosite, the second most likely type to be found in buildings, according to the U.S. EPA Asestos Building Inspectors Guide, is the "brown" asbestos.

Amosite and crocidolite were formerly used in many products until the early 1980s. The use of all types of asbestos in the amphibole group was banned (in much of the Western world) by the mid-1980s, and by Japan in 1995. These products were mainly:
*Low density insulation board and ceiling tiles
*[[Eternit|Asbestos-cement]] sheets and pipes for construction, casing for water and electrical/telecommunication services
*Thermal and chemical insulation (''i.e.'', fire rated doors, limpet spray, lagging and gaskets)

{{globalize/US and Canada}}

==Health issues==

Chrysotile asbestos, like all other forms of industrial asbestos, has produced tumors in animals. [[Mesothelioma]]s have been observed in people who were occupationally exposed to chrysotile, family members of the occupationally exposed, and residents who lived close to asbestos factories and mines.<ref>[http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_1_3X_Asbestos.asp?sitearea=PED American Cancer Society]</ref> Brown asbestos, like all asbestos, is hazardous. Blue asbestos is commonly thought of as the most dangerous type of asbestos. Tremolite often contaminates chrysotile asbestos, thus creating an additional hazard.


===Other asbestos-related diseases===
*'''Asbestos warts''' &ndash; caused when the sharp fibers lodge in the [[skin]] and are overgrown causing benign [[callus]]-like growths.

*'''Pleural plaques''' &ndash; discrete fibrous or partially calcified thickened area which can be seen on [[X-ray]]s of individuals exposed to asbestos. They do not become malignant or cause other lung impairment.

*'''Diffuse pleural thickening''' &ndash; similar to above and can sometimes be associated with [[asbestosis]]. Usually no symptoms shown but if extensive can cause [[lung]] impairment.

===Asbestos as a contaminant===

[[Image:Anthophyllite asbestos SEM.jpg|thumb|right|Asbestos fibres ([[:en:Scanning_electron_microscope|SEM]] picture)]]

Most respirable asbestos fibers are invisible to the unaided [[Eye|human eye]] because their size is about 3.0-20.0 [[Micrometre|µm]] in length and can be as thin as 0.01 µm. [[Hair|Human hair]] ranges in size from 17 to 181 µm in width.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1999/BrianLey.shtml| work=The Physics Factbook|title= Diameter of a Human Hair|last=Ley|first=Brian|year=1999}}</ref> Fibers ultimately form because when these minerals originally cooled and crystallized, they formed by the [[polymer]]ic molecules lining up parallel with each other and forming oriented [[crystal structure|crystal lattices]]. These crystals thus have three [[Cleavage (crystal)|cleavage planes]], just as other minerals and gemstones have. But in their case, there are two cleavage planes that are much weaker than the third direction. When sufficient force is applied, they tend to break along their weakest directions, resulting in a linear fragmentation pattern and hence a fibrous form. This fracture process can keep occurring and one larger asbestos fiber can ultimately become the source of hundreds of much thinner and smaller fibers.

As asbestos fibers get smaller and lighter, the more easily they become airborne and human respiratory exposures can result. Fibers will eventually settle but may be re-suspended by air currents or other movement.

Friability of a product containing asbestos means that it is so soft and weak in structure that it can be broken with simple finger crushing pressure. Friable materials are of the most initial concern due to their ease of damage. The forces or conditions of usage that come into intimate contact with most non-friable materials containing asbestos are substantially higher than finger pressure.

===Environmental asbestos===
Asbestos is in the air we breathe and some of the water we drink, including water from natural sources.<ref>[http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts61.html Centre for disease control article on asbestos]</ref> Studies have shown that members of general (non-occupationally exposed) population have tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of asbestos fibers in each gram of dry lung tissue, which translates into millions of fibers and tens of thousands of asbestos bodies in every person's lungs.<ref>[http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/422880 Medscape article on asbestos]</ref>

Asbestos from natural geologic deposits is known as "Naturally Occurring Asbestos" (NOA). Health risks associated with exposure to NOA are not yet fully understood, and current US federal regulations do not address exposure from NOA. Many populated areas are in proximity to shallow, natural deposits which occur in 50 of 58 California counties and in 19 other U.S. states. In one study, data was collected from 3,000 [[mesothelioma]] patients in [[California]] and 890 men with [[prostate cancer]], a malignancy not known to be related to asbestos. The study found a correlation between the incidence of mesotheliomas and the distance a patient lived from known deposits of rock likely to include asbestos, the correlation was not present when the incidence of prostate cancer was compared with the same distances. According to the study, risk of mesothelioma declined by 6 percent for every 10 kilometers that an individual had lived from a likely asbestos source.<ref name=Raloff>{{Citation
| last =Raloff
| first =Janet
| author-link =
| last2 =
| first2 =
| author2-link =
| title =Dirty Little Secret
|date=July 8, 2006
| year =
| url =http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060708/bob9.asp}}</ref>

Portions of [[El Dorado County, California|El Dorado county]] are known to contain natural asbestos formations near the surface.<ref>[http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/05/not_in_their_back_yard.html "Not in Their Back Yard"], ''Mother Jones'', May/June 2007.</ref><ref name=Raloff/> The [[USGS]] studied [[amphibole]]s in rock and soil in the area in response to an EPA sampling study and subsequent criticism of the EPA study. The study found that many amphibole particles in the area meet the counting rule criteria used by the EPA for chemical and morphological limits, but do not meet morphological requirements for commercial-grade-asbestos. The executive summary pointed out that even particles that do not meet requirements for commercial-grade-asbestos may be a health threat and suggested a collaborative research effort to assess health risks associated with "Naturally Occurring Asbestos".<ref>{{Citation
| last =Meeker
| first =G.P.
| author-link =
| last2 =Lowers
| first2 =H.A.
| last3 =Swayze
| first3 =G.A.
| last4 =Van Gosen
| first4 =B.S.
| last 5 =Stutley
| first 5 =S.J.
| last 6 =Brownfield
| first 6 =I.K.
| author2-link =
| title =Mineralogy and Morphology of Amphiboles Observed in Soils and Rocks in El Dorado Hills, California
|date=December, 2006
| year =
| url =http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1362/
| accessdate = }}</ref>

Large portions of [[Fairfax County, Virginia]] were also found to be underlain with [[tremolite]]. The county monitored air quality at construction sites, controlled soil taken from affected areas, and required freshly developed sites to lay 6 inches of clean, stable material over the ground.<ref name=Raloff/>

==History of health concerns and regulation==

{{POV-check|date=January 2008}}

===Prior to 1900===

By the first century AD, Greeks and Romans had already observed, at least in passing, that slaves involved in the weaving of asbestos cloth were afflicted with a sickness of the lungs. <ref>P. Brodeur, "Annals of Law, The Asbestos Industry on Trial, 1-A Failure to Warn, [[The New Yorker]], June 10, 1985, pp 57</ref>.

Early concern in the modern era on the health effects of asbestos exposure can be found in several sources. Among the earliest were reports in Britain. The annual reports of the Chief Inspector of Factories reported as early as 1898 that asbestos had 'easily demonstrated' health risks<ref>Chief Inspector of Factories and Workshops, "Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Factories and Workshops for the Year 1898", 1899, cited in Tweedale referenced below</ref>

At about the same time, what was probably the first study of mortality among asbestos workers was reported in France <ref>D. Auribault, "Note sur l'Hygiène et la Sécurité des Ouvriers dans les Filatures et Tissages d'Amianté (On hygiene and security of the workers in the spinning and weaving of asbestos)" in Le Bulletin de l'Inspection du Travail, 1906, pp 120 - 132. This summary was given by Broduer and roughly confirmed by Merewether & Price in the report cited below.</ref>. While the study describes the cause of death as [[chalicosis]], a generalized [[pneumoconiosis]], the circumstances of the employment of the fifty workers whose death prompted the study suggest that the root cause was asbestos or mixed asbestos-cotton dust exposure.

===1900s - 1910s===

Further awareness of asbestos-related diseases can be found in the early 1900s, when London doctor H. Montague Murray conducted a post mortem exam on a young asbestos factory worker who died in 1899. Dr. Murray gave testimony on this death in connection with an industrial disease compensation hearing. The post-mortem confirmed the presence of asbestos in the lung tissue, prompting Dr. Murray to express as an expert opinion his belief that the inhalation of asbestos dust had at least contributed to, if not actually caused, the death of the worker<ref>H. M. Murray, testimony before the Departmental Committee on Compensation for Industrial Diseases "Minutes of Evidence, Appendices and Index", 1907. pg 127 cited and summarized in Merewether & Price referenced below</ref>.

The record in the United States was similar. Early observations were largely anecdotal in nature and did not definitively link the occupation with the disease, followed by more compelling and larger studies that strengthened the association. One such study, published in 1918, noted:

:All of these processes unquestionably involve a considerable dust hazard, but the hygienic aspects of the industry have not been reported upon. It may be said, in conclusion, that in the practice of American and Canadian life insurance companies asbestos workers are generally declined on account of the assumed health-injurious conditions of the industry <ref>F. L. Hoffman, "Mortality from Respiratory Diseases in Dusty Trades", Bulletin of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Vol. 231, pp 176 - 180. Mr. Hoffman was a professional statistician, employed by Prudential with an international reputation on public health matters</ref>.

===1920s and 1930s===

Widespread recognition of the occupational risks of asbestos in Britain was reported in 1924 by a Dr. Cooke, a pathologist, who introduced a case description of a 33-year old female asbestos worker with the following: 'Medical men in areas where asbestos is manufactured have long suspected the dust to be the cause of chronic bronchitis and fibrosis...<ref>W. E. Cooke, "Fibrosis of the Lungs Due to the Inhalation of Asbestos Dust," [[British Medical Journal]], 1927, pg. 487</ref>." Dr. Cooke then went on to report on a case in 1927 involving a 33-year old male worker who was the only survivor out of ten workers in an asbestos carding room. In the report he named the disease "asbestosis<ref>W. E. Cooke, "Pulmonary Asbestosis," [[British Medical Journal]], 1927, pp. 1024 - 1025, cited in G. Peters & B. Peters, Sourcebook on Asbestos Diseases, Volume 1, 1980, pg. G1</ref>."

Dr. Cooke's second case report was followed, in the late 1920s, by a large public health investigation (now known as the Merewether report after one of its two authors) that examined some 360 asbestos-textile workers (reported to be about 15% of the total comparable employment in Britain at the time) and found that about a quarter of them suffered from pulmonary fibrosis <ref>E.R.A. Merewether & C. W. Price, "Report on Effects of Asbestos Dust on the Lung" H.M. Stationery Office, 1930</ref>. This investigation resulted in improved regulation of the manufacturing of asbestos-containing products in the early 1930s. Regulations included industrial hygiene standards, medical examinations, and inclusion of the asbestos industry into the British Workers' Compensation Act <ref>G. Tweedale, "Magic Mineral to Killer Dust, Turner & Newall and the Asbestos Hazard", Oxford University Press, 2001, page 21</ref>.

The first known US workers' compensation claim for asbestos disease was in 1927<ref>Broduer, pp 59 - 60</ref>. In 1930, the first reported autopsy of an asbestosis sufferer was conducted in the United states and later presented by a doctor at the Mayo Clinic, although in this case the exposure involved mining activities somewhere in South America<ref>R. G. Mills, "Pulmonary Asbestosis: Report of a Case", Minnesota Medicine, July 1930, pp 495 - 499</ref>.

In 1930, the major asbestos company Johns-Manville produced a report, for internal company use only, about medical reports of asbestos worker fatalities.<ref name="Castleman"/> In 1932, A letter from U.S. Bureau of Mines to asbestos manufacturer Eagle-Picher stated, in relevant part, "It is now known that asbestos dust is one of the most dangerous dusts to which man is exposed".<ref name=Brodeur>{{citebook|author=Paul Brodeur|title=Outrageous Misconduct: The Asbestos Industry on Trial|edition=1st Edition|publisher=Pantheon Books|year=1985|id=ISBN 0-394-53320-8}}</ref> In 1933, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. doctors found that 29% of workers in a Johns-Manville plant had asbestosis.<ref name="Castleman"/> Likewise, in 1933, Johns-Manville officials settle lawsuits by 11 employees with asbestosis on the condition that the employees' lawyer agree to never again "directly or indirectly participate in the bringing of new actions against the Corporation."<ref name=Brodeur/> In 1934, officials of two large asbestos companies, Johns-Manville and Raybestos-Manhattan, edited an article about the diseases of asbestos workers written by a Metropolitan Life Insurance Company doctor. The changes downplayed the danger of asbestos dust.<ref name=Brodeur/> In 1935, officials of Johns-Manville and Raybestos-Manhattan instructed the editor of Asbestos magazine to publish nothing about [[asbestosis]].<ref name=Brodeur/> In 1936, a group of asbestos companies agreed to sponsor research on the health effects of asbestos dust, but required that the companies maintain complete control over the disclosure of the results.<ref name="Castleman"/>

===1940s===

In 1942, an internal Owens-Corning corporate memo refer to "medical literature on asbestosis . . . . scores of publications in which the lung and skin hazards of asbestos are discussed."<ref name="Castleman">Barry I. Castleman, Asbestos: Medical and Legal Aspects, 4th edition, Aspen Law and Business, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 1996, p.195</ref> Either in 1942 or 1943, the president of Johns-Manville, [[Lewis H. Brown]], says that the managers of another asbestos company were "a bunch of fools for notifying employees who had asbestosis." When one of the managers asks, "do you mean to tell me you would let them work until they dropped dead?" The response is reported to have been, "Yes. We save a lot of money that way."<ref>Testimony of Charles H. Roemer, Deposition taken April 25, 1984, Johns-Manville Corp., et al v. the United States of America, U.S. Claims Court Civ. No. 465-83C, cited in Barry I. Castleman, Asbestos: Medical and Legal Aspects, 4th edition, Aspen Law and Business, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 1996, p.581</ref> In 1944, a Metropolitan Life Insurance Company report found 42 cases of asbestosis among 195 asbestos miners.<ref name="Castleman"/>

===1950s===

In 1951, asbestos companies removed all references to cancer before allowing publication of research they sponsored.<ref>Barry I. Castleman, Asbestos: Medical and Legal Aspects, 4th edition, Aspen Law and Business, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 1996, p.71</ref> In 1952,
Dr. Kenneth Smith, Johns-Manville medical director, recommended (unsuccessfully) that warning labels be attached to products containing asbestos. Later, Smith testified: "It was a business decision as far as I could understand . . . the corporation is in business to provide jobs for people and make money for stockholders and they had to take into consideration the effects of everything they did and if the application of a caution label identifying a product as hazardous would cut into sales, there would be serious financial implications."<ref>Barry I. Castleman, Asbestos: Medical and Legal Aspects, 4th edition, Aspen Law and Business, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 1996, p.666</ref> In 1953, National Gypsum's safety director wrote to the Indiana Division of Industrial Hygiene, recommending that acoustic plaster mixers wear respirators "because of the asbestos used in the product." Another company official noted that the letter is "full of dynamite" and urged that it be retrieved before reaching its destination. A memo in the files noted that the company "succeeded in stopping" the letter, which "will be modified."<ref>Barry I. Castleman, Asbestos: Medical and Legal Aspects, 4th edition, Aspen Law and Business, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 1996, p.669-70</ref>

===1960s-early 80s===

{{sect-stub}}

===Modern regulation===

In 1989 the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA) issued the Asbestos Ban and Phase Out Rule which was subsequently overturned in the case of Corrosion Proof Fittings v. [[United States|U.S.]] Environmental Protection Agency, 1991. This ruling leaves many consumer products that can still legally contain trace amounts of asbestos. For a clarification of products which legally contain asbestos read the EPA's clarification statement.<ref>[http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/asbbans2.pdf EPA clarification statement on asbestos] (PDF format)</ref>

The EPA has proposed a concentration limit of 7 million fibers per liter of drinking water for long fibers (lengths greater than or equal to 5 µm). The [[Occupational Safety and Health Administration|OSHA, (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)]] has set limits of 100,000 fibers with lengths greater than or equal to 5 µm per cubic meter of workplace air for 8-hour shifts and 40-hour work weeks.<ref>[http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts61.html Agency for toxic substances and disease registry article on asbestos]</ref>

==Contamination of other products==

===Asbestos and vermiculite===

[[Vermiculite]] is a hydrated laminar magnesium-aluminum-iron silicate which resembles mica. It can be used for many industrial applications and has been used as a replacement for asbestos. Some ore bodies of vermiculite have been found to contain small amounts of asbestos.<ref>[http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/verm.html EPA Asbestos Contamination In Vermiculite]</ref> One vermiculite mine operated by [[W. R. Grace and Company]] in [[Libby, Montana]] exposed workers and community residents to danger by mining contaminated vermiculite, in 1999 the EPA began cleanup efforts and now the area is a superfund cleanup area.<ref>[http://www.epa.gov/region8/superfund/libby/ Libby Asbestos - US EPA Region 8]</ref> The EPA has determined that harmful asbestos is released not only from the mine, but also through other activities that disturb soil in the area.<ref>[
http://www.epa.gov/region8/superfund/libby/risk.html Risk Assessment - US EPA]</ref>

===Asbestos and talc===
[[Talc]] is sometimes contaminated with asbestos.<ref>[http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1092/ A USGS Study of Talc Deposits and Associated Amphibole Asbestos Within Mined Deposits of the Southern Death Valley Region, California]</ref> In 2000, tests in a certified asbestos-testing laboratory found the tremolite form of amphibole asbestos in three out of eight major brands of children's [[crayon]]s (oil pastels) that are made partly from talc — [[Crayola]], Prang, and Rose Art.<ref name="seattlepi-a">{{cite news | title=Major brands of kids' crayons contain asbestos, tests show | publisher=''[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]'' |date=2000-05-23 | url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/cray23.shtml | accessdate=2007-11-21}}</ref> In Crayola crayons, the tests found asbestos levels from 0.05% in ''Carnation Pink'' to 2.86% in ''Orchid''; in Prang crayons, the range was from 0.3% in ''Periwinkle'' to 0.54% in ''Yellow''; in Rose Art crayons, it was from 0.03% in ''Brown'' to 1.20% in ''Orange''. Overall, 32 different types of crayons from these brands contained more than trace amounts of asbestos, and eight others contained trace amounts. The Art and Creative Materials Institute, a trade association which tests the safety of crayons on behalf of the makers, initially insisted the test results must be incorrect, although they later said they do not test for asbestos.<ref name="seattlepi-a"/> In May 2000, Crayola said tests by materials analyst, Richard Lee, of two of its crayons were negative for asbestos, although it later emerged that Lee had testified in lawsuits over 250 times on behalf of the asbestos industry, which paid him US$7 million.<ref name="seattlepi-b"/> In June 2000, Binney & Smith, the maker of Crayola, and the other makers agreed to stop using talc in their products, and changed their product formulations in the United States.<ref name="seattlepi-b">{{cite news | title=Crayon firms agree to stop using talc | publisher=''[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]'' |date=2000-06-13 | url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/cray13.shtml | accessdate=2007-11-21}}</ref> The mining company, R T Vanderbilt Co of [[Gouvernor, New York]], which supplied the talc to the crayon makers, insists there is no asbestos in its talc "to the best of our knowledge and belief",<ref name="seattlepi-c">{{cite news | title=Old dispute rekindled over content of mine's talc | publisher=''[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]'' |date=2000-05-30 | url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/cra30.shtml | accessdate=2007-11-21}}</ref> but tests by the [[United States Mine Safety and Health Administration]] found asbestos in all four talc samples that it tested in 2000.<ref name="seattlepi-b"/>

==Asbestos in construction==
===ASTM===
{{howto}}
Asbestos is not part of a [[ASTM]] E 1527-05 Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA). A Building Survey for Asbestos is considered an out-of-scope consideration under the industry standard ASTM 1527-05 Phase I ESA (see ASTM E 1527-05). ASTM Standard E 2356-04 should be consulted by the owner or owners' agent to determine which type of asbestos building survey is appropriate, typically either a baseline survey or a design survey of functional areas. Both types of surveys are explained in detail under ASTM Standard E 2356-04. Typically, a baseline survey is performed by an EPA (or State) licensed asbestos inspector. The baseline survey provides the buyer with sufficient information on presumed asbestos at the facility, often which leads to reduction in the assessed value of the building (due primarily to forthcoming abatement costs). Note: EPA [[NESHAP]] and OSHA Regulations must be consulted in addition to ASTM Standard E 2356-04 to ensure all statutory requirments are satisfied, ex. notification requirements for renovation/demolition. Asbestos is not a material covered under [[CERCLA]]'s innocent purchaser defense.

In some instances, the U.S. EPA includes asbestos contaminated facilities on the [[Superfund|Superfund National Priorities list (NPL)]]. Buyers should be careful not to purchase facilities, even with a ASTM E 1527-05 Phase I ESA completed, without a full understanding of all the hazards in a building or at a property, without evaluating non-scope ASTM E 1527-05 materials, such as asbestos, lead, PCBs, mercury, radon, et al. A standard ASTM E 1527-05 does not include asbestos surveys as standard practice.

===Asbestos construction in developing countries===

Some developing countries, such as [[India]] and [[China]], have continued widespread use of asbestos. The most common is corrugated asbestos-cement sheets or "A/C Sheets" for roofing and for side walls. Millions of homes, factories, schools or sheds and shelters continue to use asbestos. Everest Industries (formerly Eternit Everest)<ref>The Hindu Business Line[http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/iw/2004/10/24/stories/2004102400500900.htm]</ref>, Hyderabad, Visakha Industries and RamCo are some of the major asbestos products manufacturers in India.

Cutting these sheets to size and drilling holes to receive 'J' bolts to help secure the sheets to roof framing is done on site. There has been no significant change in production and use of A/C Sheets in [[Developing country|developing countries]] following the widespread restrictions in developed nations.

==Litigation==

{{global}}

{{main|Asbestos and the law}}
Asbestos litigation is the longest, most expensive mass [[tort]] in [[History of the United States|U.S. history]], involving more than 8,400 defendants and 730,000 claimants as of 2002 according to the [[RAND Corporation]]<ref>[http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG162/ RAND 2002]</ref>, and at least one defendant reported claim counts in excess of 800,000 in 2006<ref>[http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=131738&p=irol-sec&secCat01Enhanced.1_rs=41&secCat01Enhanced.1_rc=10#4485611 Enpro Public Filings]</ref>.

Current trends indicate that the worldwide rate at which people are diagnosed with the disease will likely increase through the next decade<ref>Bianchi and Bianchi, "Malignant Mesothelioma: Global Incidence and Relationship with Asbestos, Industrial Health 2007, 45. 379-387. This article identifies sources for data in 37 countries including the US. Most of these sources are inadequate to directly measure mesothelioma incidence over time, but it is clear that rates vary, and are influenced by the amount of asbestos used, how it was used, and when it was last used. See also Peto, Decarli, LaVecchia, Levi, and Negri "The European Mesothelioma Epidemic" British Journal of Cancer (1999), 79 (3/4), 666-672 which projects mesothelioma incidence in six countries in Europe (France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Netherlands, and Switzerland) as modified in Pelucci, Malvezzi, LaVecchia, Levi, Decarli and Negri, "The Mesothelioma Epidemic in Western Europe: an Update" Brit. J. of Cancer (2004) 90, 1022-1024</ref>. Analysts have estimated that the total costs of asbestos litigation in the USA alone is over $250 billion.<ref>[http://www.economist.com/agenda/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3598225 The Economist, January 26, 2005]</ref>

Litigation exists outside the United States in England, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Australia, and Japan among other nations. See the [[Asbestos and the law|companion article]] for further information.

The volume of the asbestos liability has concerned manufacturers and [[insurance industry|insurers and reinsuers]]<ref>American Acadamy of Acturaries' Mass Torts Subcomittee, "Overview of Asbestos Claims Issues and Trends, August 2007 pp 7 - 8</ref>. The amounts and method of allocating compensation have been the source of many court cases, and government attempts at resolution of existing and future cases.

One notable asbestos lawyer, [[Peter Angelos]], used the vast fortune he gained from asbestos lawsuits to buy the [[Baltimore Orioles]]. <ref name="angelos">{{cite web | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_n1_v219/ai_16045673 | title = Peter's Principles | accessdate = 2007-10-27 |date=1995-01-02 | publisher = [[The Sporting News]] | author = Pat Jordan }}</ref>

== Critics of safety regulations ==
{{POV-section|Critics|date=December 2007}}

According to Natural Resources [[Canada]], chrysotile asbestos is not as dangerous as once thought. According to their fact sheet, "...current knowledge and modern technology can successfully control the potential for health and environmental harm posed by chrysotile".<ref>[http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/mms/pdf/chry_e.pdf Chrysolite Asbsetos Fact Sheet]</ref> In May of 1998, Canada requested consultations with the [[European Commission]] concerning [[France]]'s 1996 prohibition of the importation and sale of asbestos.<ref name="wto"/>

Canada claimed that the French measures contravened provisions of the Agreements on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and on Technical Barriers to Trade, and the GATT 1994.<ref name="wto">[http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news98_e/wdsboct.htm EC measures affecting asbestos products] World Trade Organization</ref>

The EC said that substitute materials had been developed in place of asbestos, which are safer to human health. It stressed that the French measures were not discriminatory, and were fully justified for public health reasons. The EC said that in the July consultations, it had tried to convince Canada that the measures were justified, and that just as Canada broke off consultations, it was in the process of submitting substantial scientific data in favour of the asbestos ban.<ref name="wto"/>

Critics of Canada's support of the use of chrysotile asbestos argue that Canada is ignoring the risks associated with the material. The [[Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union|CFMEU]] pointed out that selling asbestos is illegal in Canada, but it is exported and most exports go to developing countries. Canada has pressured countries, including [[Chile]], and the UN to avoid asbestos bans.<ref>[http://www.cfmeu-construction-nsw.com.au/tacanadianasbestos.htm Stop Canada's Export Of Asbestos] CFMEU</ref>

Asbestos regulation critics include ''Junkscience.com'' author and [[Fox News]] columnist [[Steven Milloy]] and the asbestos industry.<ref>[http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm1998/mm9801.09.html Multinational Monitor article on Corporate junk science], retrieved December 16th, 2006</ref> Critics sometimes argue that increased regulation does more harm than good and that replacements to asbestos are inferior. An example is the suggestion by [[Dixy Lee Ray]] and others that the [[shuttle Challenger]] exploded because the maker of [[O-ring]] putty was pressured by the EPA into ceasing production of asbestos-laden putty.<ref>{{cite book
| last =Lehr
| first =Jay H., editor
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title =Rational Readings on Environmental Concerns
| publisher =Van Nostrand Reinhold
|date=1992
| location =
| pages =
| url =http://books.google.com/books?id=LsXmMHOT8VsC&pg=PA119&ots=umUmYa5e-1&dq=asbestos+dixy+ray+lee&sig=iMqFZzINmGzuQBChh-U0TgY-TiA
| doi =
| id =
| isbn = 0-442-01146-6}}</ref><ref name=Challenger>[http://info-pollution.com/challenger.htm Asbestos and Challenger Disaster]</ref> However, scientists point out that the putty used in ''Challenger''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s final flight did contain asbestos, and failures in the putty were not responsible for the failure of the O-ring that led to loss of the shuttle.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11031097/page/2/ MSNBC article on myths of the Challenger disaster], retrieved December 16th, 2006</ref><ref name=Challenger/>

Asbestos was used in the first 40 floors of the [[World Trade Center]] towers causing an airborne contamination among lower Manhattan after the towers collapsed in [[September 11, 2001 attacks|a series of suicide attacks]].<ref>[http://prwatch.org/prwissues/2001Q4/junkman.html The Junkman's Answer to Terrorism: Use More Asbestos], retrieved July 16th, 2007</ref> [[Steven Milloy]] suggests that the [[World Trade Center]] towers could still be standing or at least would have stood longer had a 1971 ban not stopped the completion of the asbestos coating above the 64th floor <ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,244698,00.html Fox News - Asbestos Fireproofing Might Have Prevented World Trade Center Collapse], retrieved July 27th, 2007</ref>. This was not mentioned in the [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]]'s report on the towers' collapse. Insulation that replaced asbestos is believed to have equivalent fire resistance, and any sort of sprayed-on insulation, including asbestos-based material, would have been removed in large areas by the impact of the planes.<ref>[http://info-pollution.com/wtc.htm Asbestos and the WTC collapse], retrieved December 16th, 2006</ref><ref>[http://www2.bfrl.nist.gov/info/bfrl_history/Chapters%201-15%20BFRL%20History/chp%202.pdf Center for Fire Research PDF], retrieved December 16th, 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/0112/Eagar/Eagar-0112.html Why Did the World Trade Center Collapse? Science, Engineering, and Speculation], retrieved December 16th, 2006</ref>

==Substitutes for asbestos in construction==
[[Fiberglass]] [[Building insulation|insulation]] was invented in 1938 and is now the most commonly used type of [[Building insulation materials|insulation material]]. In Europe [[Mineral wool|stone- and glasswool]] are the main insulators in houses.

Many companies that produced asbestos-cement products that were reinforced with asbestos fibres have developed products incorporating organic fibres. One such product was known as [[Eternit]] and another "Everite" now use "Nutec" fibres which consist of organic fibres, [[portland cement]] and [[silica]].
In gaskets and friction materials also stonefibres are used.

Another potential fiber is [[Polybenzimidazole]] or PBI fiber. [[Polybenzimidazole fiber]] is a [[synthetic fiber]] with high [[melting point]] of 760°C that also does not ignite. Due to its exceptional thermal and chemical stability, it is often used by [[Fire station|fire departments]] and [[List of space agencies|space agencies]].

==Recycling and disposal==
In most developed countries, asbestos is typically disposed of as [[hazardous waste]] in [[landfill site]]s.

Asbestos can also be recycled by transforming it into harmless [[silicate glass]]. A process of thermal decomposition at 1000-1250°C produces a mixture of non-hazardous [[silicate]] phases, and at temperatures above 1250°C it produces silicate glass.<ref name="gualtieri">{{cite journal | author=A F Gualtieri and A Tartaglia
| title=Thermal decomposition of asbestos and recycling in traditional ceramics | journal=Journal of the European Ceramic Society | volume=20 | issue=9 | month=August | year=2000 | pages=1409-1418 | url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TX0-40NFSHM-W&_user=10&_coverDate=08%2F31%2F2000&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=df14f4fe64776749b7e579f7e3beaf3f | accessdate=2007-11-20}}</ref> Microwave thermal treatment can be used in an industrial manufacturing process to transform asbestos and asbestos-containing waste into porcelain stoneware tiles, porous single-fired wall tiles, and ceramic bricks.<ref name="leonelli">{{cite journal | author=C Leonelli, P Veronesi, D N Boccaccini, M R Rivasi, L Barbieri, F Andreola, I Lancellotti, D Rabitti, and G C Pellacani | title=Microwave thermal inertisation of asbestos containing waste and its recycling in traditional ceramics
| journal=Journal of Hazardous Materials | volume=135 | issue=1-3 |date=2006-07-31 | pages=149-155}}</ref>

==See also==
===Mineralogy===
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-2}}
*[[Actinolite]]
*[[Amosite]]
*[[Anthophyllite]]
*[[Asbestine]]
*[[List of minerals]]
{{Col-2}}
*[[Chrysotile]]
*[[Crocidolite]]
*[[Tremolite]]
*[[Vermiculite]]
{{Col-end}}

===Other===
<div style="-moz-column-count:3; column-count:3;">
*[[Adequately wet]]
*[[Ambler, Pennsylvania#Legacy of Asbestos|Ambler, Pennsylvania]]
*[[Asbestos and the law]]
*[[Asbestos fibers]]
*[[Asbestos-Ceramic]]
*[[Asbestosis]]
*[[Asbestos, Quebec]]
*[[Brominated flame-retardant]]
*[[Eternit]]
*[[Fibro]]
*[[Fireproofing]]
*[[Wittenoom, Western Australia|Wittenoom, former asbestos mining town]]
*[[Mesothelioma]]
</div>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Additional reading==
* George B. Guthrie and Brooke T. Mossman, editors, ''Health Effects of Mineral Dusts'', [[Mineralogical Society of America]] Reviews in Mineralogy v. 28, 584 pages (1993) ISBN 0-939950-33-2

==External links==
===Regulatory and government links===
*[http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/index.html U.S. EPA Asbestos Home Page]
*[http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/asbestos/cover2.html ATSDR Case Studies in Environmental Medicine: Asbestos Toxicity]
*[http://ts.nist.gov/Standards/scopes/temtm.htm Directory of Accredited Laboratories - Asbestos Fiber Analysis (TEM Test Method)]
*[http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs/search.tkl?type=subject&q=Asbestos&q2=LIV Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding asbestos]
*[http://www.safetyline.wa.gov.au/institute/level2/course21/lecture95/l95_04.asp Health History Source: Article by the SafetyLine Institute - WorkSafe - Western Australian state government]
*[http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/dossiers/dossier.asp?dos_pk=6 Asbestos and Occupational Health in the World]
*[http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/ British Government Health and Safety Executive (HSE)]
* [http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/asbestos/ National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health - Asbestos Page]
* [http://app.nea.gov.sg/cms/htdocs/article.asp?pid=2873 Control of Asbestos in Singapore]

===Mineral and mining links===
*[http://webmineral.com/data/Parachrysotile.shtml Parachrysotile (asbestos)] at the webmineral.com Mineral Database
*[http://www1.umn.edu/eoh/hazards/hazardssite/asbestos/asbestosintro.html Univ. of Minn.: Asbestos]
*[http://www.asbestosarchive.com Asbestos Newspaper Articles Archive]
*[http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/dossiers/dossier.asp Asbestos in the World]
*[http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/keys/webtours/VQ_P3_11_EN.html White Gold Pioneers: Asbestos Mining] &mdash; The origins of asbestos mining, illustrated with many early photographs

===Health and the environment===
*[http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/yohoyohe/inaiqu/inaiqu_001.cfm About Your House — General Series — Asbestos]
*[http://www.hazards.org/asbestos/ Hazards magazine's comprehensive asbestos resource pages]
*[http://www.kohc.ca/blog/archives/2005/07/asbestos.html The Miracle Mineral Fiber - Asbestos]
*[http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-75-608/science_technology/asbestos/ CBC Digital Archives - Asbestos: Magic mineral or deadly dust?]
*[http://www.catalystmedia.org.uk/issues/nerve7/asbestos_sg.htm An article on the health impact of asbestos from Liverpool's 'Nerve' magazine]
*[http://www.asbestosdiseases.org.au/asbestosinfo/wittenoom_tragedies.htm The Wittenoom Tragedy], Asbestos Diseases Society of Australia.
*[http://www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/index.cfm?mins=262 Health and Safety - Asbestosis (TUC Resources, UK)]
*[http://www.spodden-valley.co.uk/ International Asbestos Victims Memorial]
*[http://osha.europa.eu/campaigns/asbestos About Asbestos] [[European Agency for Safety and Health at Work]] (OSHA)
*[http://www.blacksmithinstitute.org/search3.php?project_id=94 Asbestos contamination near abandoned mine]
*[http://www.heggies.com/website/content/hazardous/asbestos.html Asbestos Health Risk Assessment]
*[http://www.safetyculture.com.au/procedures/Asbestos_Removal_Procedure.php Asbestos Removal Procedures]
*[http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1189/pdf/Plate.pdf A USGS map of "Naturally Occurring Asbestos" in Eastern America]
*[http://hamptonroads.com/pilotonline/special/asbestos/index.html Shipbuilding's Deadly Legacy](series of articles from a Newspaper local to Hampton Roads, VA)
*[http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/334357_asbestos05.html EPA refused to warn of asbestos dangers]
*[http://www.nbc5.com/money/1993941/detail.html Asbestos Danger: Do You Have Zonolite In Your Attic?]


{{commonscat|Asbestos}}
{{fibers}}

[[Category:Asbestos| ]]
[[Category:Fibers]]
[[Category:Hazardous air pollutants]]
[[Category:Health risks]]
[[Category:Occupational safety and health]]
[[Category:Occupational safety and health]]

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