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Asbestos Fibers

Hazardous asbestos fibers are the particles from asbestos containing materials (ACMs) that can become airborne and subsequently become inhaled or ingested. Exposure to hazardous asbestos fibers can lead to serious illness and disease, including various types of cancer and significant lung damage.

Useful but Dangerous
Asbestos is a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of long and silky fibers. These asbestos fibers—prized for their insulating, and abrasion-, heat-, flame-, and sound-resistant properties—have been widely used in countless applications in the US for the last century. Asbestos fibers, woven together or integrated into other products, are and were most widely used in construction, the shipping business, and industry. While asbestos fibers have certain physical properties that make them desirable, they are highly dangerous.

Types of Asbestos Fibers
There are actually different types of asbestos fibers with different properties. They include:

• White asbestos fibers (chrysotile): These are silky fine white asbestos fibers, most commonly used in the United States. Some research indicates that these asbestos fibers might be less hazardous than the two types below.

• Brown asbestos fibers (amosite): These asbestos fibers are brittle and straight. They are most commonly used in insulation applications. The color ranges from gray to brown.

• Blue asbestos fibers (crocidolite): these asbestos fibers are straight and have a bluish color.

• Anthopylite, Tremolite, and Actinolite are other types of asbestos fibers that may be found in ACMs

People who work with asbestos fibers are at great risk of developing serious diseases, which often show up 20-30 years after the initial exposure to asbestos fibers. Asbestos fibers also pose a risk to a worker’s family members and friends because asbestos fibers can travel home on a person’s body, clothes, and other work related equipment. Special care should be taken to minimize workers to asbestos fibers.