Asbestos Tiles
Asbestos tiles is a naturally occurring, fibrous silicate that was widely used in the past for commercial applications because of its heat-resistance properties. Asbestos exists in several forms. The 2 primary groups of asbestos are made up of amphibole and serpentine fibers.
Amphibole fibers, which are characteristically straight, rigid, and needlelike, can be subdivided into commercial amphiboles (crocidolite, blue asbestos, and amosite [brown asbestos]) and noncommercial amphiboles (actinolite, anthophyllite, and tremolite). Chrysotile (white asbestos) is the only form of serpentine asbestos that is used commercially, and it accounts for more than 90% of asbestos used in the United States
For the most part, asbestos exposure has been industrial or occupational; such exposure primarily affects workers involved in mining or processing asbestos or those involved in the use of asbestos in the shipbuilding,construction, and textile- and insulation-manufacturing industries.
Chrysotile is mined in Canada, and tremolite and anthophyllite are mined in Finland and North America. Crocidolite and amosite are mined in South Africa and Australia. About 2-6 million people in the United States are estimated to have had significant levels of exposure.
High exposures ceased in the United States in the late 1970s, and later in the United Kingdom, because of governmental legislation passed after the adverse effects became recognized. However, because the latency period between an initial exposure and the development of most asbestos-related disease is 20 years or longer, asbestos-related disease remains an important public health issue.
