Asbestos, also known as asbestos is a natural mineral fiber, with a silky texture, which is extracted from rocks whose chemical composition consists of hydrated iron and magnesium silicates, which may also contain calcium and sodium.
Fiber can be found in nature in two forms:
- Serpentine: white asbestos;
- amphibole : brown asbestos, blue asbestos and others.
white asbestos
blue asbestos
What is asbestos for?
Asbestos is used to produce items such as brakes and pipes and is also used in the construction of floors and ceilings (in the latter two cases, it is part of a mixture that also contains cement).
Asbestos has become a widely used raw material because of its various properties, including:
- High temperature resistance;
- Incombustibility;
- Good thermal insulation;
- Good acoustic insulation;
- Flexibility;
- Malleability to be woven, etc.
Furthermore, another reason for the great interest of the industrial sector in asbestos is the fact that it is a very low-cost material, since it is abundantly found in nature.
The use of asbestos in Brazil
Brazil is among the five countries that have the largest production of asbestos in the world.
The largest concentration is located in the state of Goiás.
The only asbestos allowed for use in the Brazilian territory is the type chrysotile, which belongs to the class serpentine.
Some of the most commonly manufactured products with asbestos in Brazil are roof tiles and water tanks.
asbestos roof
Asbestos water tank
Chrysotile is the only type of asbestos allowed for use in Brazilian territory.
Asbestos and health problems
Asbestos is proven to be a carcinogen, currently banned for use in the United States and virtually all of Europe. In total, asbestos is banned in about 62 countries.
In Brazil, some states such as Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul and Pernambuco have also joined the ban on the use of fiber.
The type chrysotile it is still used in some Brazilian states as it is considered less harmful due to the fact that it is a curved and more malleable fiber.
Some doctors claim that asbestos is only harmful when it breaks, cracks or is otherwise damaged, as this causes it to release a kind of dust into the environment.
If an asbestos tile breaks, for example, it cannot be disposed of as common garbage.
Asbestos dust, popularly known as killer dust, once inhaled, it never leaves the body.
It has the ability to cause a cell mutation that eventually turns cells into cancerous cells. An individual contaminated by asbestos dust can develop cancer even 30 years after inhalation.
Over the years, some organisms develop an evolutionary inflammation that can prove fatal.
Diseases caused by asbestos
Some asbestos-related illnesses are:
- Asbestosis;
- Lung cancer;
- Cancer in the gastrointestinal tract;
- Ovary cancer;
- Malignant tumor in the pleura;
- Malignant tumor in the peritoneum.
In addition to disease, asbestos can also cause severe respiratory disorders.
The use of asbestos in developed countries
Developed countries generally no longer tolerate being exposed to asbestos due to the risk of cancer.
With this, they transfer their own asbestos production to poorer countries and seek better and safer solutions for their own consumption.
It is often possible to notice a certain disproportion regarding the production and consumption of asbestos in developed countries; some countries are major producers of the raw material, but do not consume it.
Canada, for example, the second largest producer of asbestos (after Russia), is the country that most exports fiber as a raw material.
However, Canadians consume only 3% of what is produced.
According to data from OPEN THE (Brazilian Association of People Exposed to Asbestos), a Canadian citizen is exposed to about 500 grams of asbestos per year, while a Brazilian citizen is exposed to 1,200 grams during the same period.
See too:
- Mineral resources
- Natural resources
- Raw material
