How Many Kinds of Asbestos Are There?
There are two major families of asbestos: amphiboles and serpentine. Among those families, there are several distinct varieties of asbestos.
Amphiboles:
- Anthophyllite. Anthophyllite is a member of the amphibole family. It was primarily produced in Finland up until about 1974. It was not very commonly used in the U.S. However, the company Glidden did use Anthophyllite in several of its paint products. Several other paint companies did as well. Like all asbestos, anthophyllite is carcinogenic and can cause mesothelioma. One of the first major studies to confirmt that anthophyllite can cause mesothelioma was published in 1994. (Karjalainen, A, Meurman, LO, & Pukkala, E, 1994. Four cases of mesothelioma among Finnish anthophyllite miners.
Occup Environ Med, Mar, Vol. 51, No. 3, p . 212.) I am not aware of any mesothelioma lawsuits filed by individuals who were only exposed to anthophyllite asbestos, but that doesn't mean there haven't been any. - Amosite. Amosite asbestos takes its name from the village of Amosa in South Africa. Amosa was itself an acronym for the Asbestos Mines of South Africa. A major deposit of amosite was found in South Africa in 1918, and by the late 1920's, it was being heavily mined and produced by the Cape Asbestos Company. Amosite asbestos was primarily used in thermal insulation, asbestos cement, and some roofing products. It is sometimes referred to as brown asbestos. Many asbestos lawsuits and mesothelioma lawsuits have been filed by people exposed to amosite asbestos. There is no doubt that amosite asbestos is carcinogenic and can cause mesothelioma. I have personally worked on mesothelioma lawsuits filed by pipefitters and others who worked with thermal insulation that contained amosite.
- Crocidolite. Crocidolite is another member of the amphibole family. The word Crocidolite means "wooly stone." It was first discovered in South Africa in roughly 1890. It is sometimes called blue asbestos. Crocidolite was often used in cement pipe, such as pipe made by the Certain-Teed company. Crocidolite is considered by some to be the most dangerous type of asbestos. In fact, the first major study linking asbestos to mesothelioma involved crocidolite. (Wagner, J.C., Sleggs, C.A., and Marchand, P., 1960. Diffuse pleural mesothelioma and asbestos exposure in the North Western Cape Province. Br. J. Ind. Med., Vol . 17, p. 260.) Many asbestos lawsuits have been filed on behalf of individuals who developed mesothelioma after being exposed to crocidolite. If you have any old cement pipe lying around, be very careful as it may contain crocidolite asbestos.
- Tremolite. Tremolite is also a member of the amphibole family. People are most often exposed to tremolite through talc products or other asbestos products; tremolite is often present with chrysotile asbestos and talc. One product that contains a large amount of tremolite is Zonolite asbestos insulation sold by W.R. Grace. Zonolite was the brand name for a vermiculite-based insulation mined in Libby, Montana. Unfortunately, the vermiculite was contaminated with tremolite asbestos. Tremolite is also carcinogenic. Many mesothelioma lawsuits have been filed on behalf of individuals who were exposed to Zonolite and other products that contain tremolite.
Serpentine:
- Chrysotile. Chrysotile is the most commonly-used type of asbestos. Some experts have suggested that as much as 95% of all asbestos ever commercially used was chrysotile asbestos. Chrysotile is sometimes called white asbestos. It was used in many, many products, including brakes. Many mechanics have developed mesothelioma after working around a lot of brake dust that contained chrysotile fibers. My grandfather was a mechanic for decades, including during the time chrysotile asbestos was used in brakes. He died of cancer, but my family didn't learn of the link between his cancer and his job until many years after he passed away. Although my family was not able to file a mesothelioma lawsuit, thousands of other people were. Chrysotile is often contaminated with tremolite, which only increases its ability to cause cancer.
All types of asbestos can cause cancer and asbestosis. If you come across any product that you believe contains asbestos, do not disturb it. Contact a professional asbestos abatement company. It may be costly to have the asbestos professionally removed, but it's a tiny price to pay compared to developing mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease.
