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Asbestos (a misapplication of Latin: asbestos "quicklime" from Greek ἄσβεστος: a-, "not"; sbestos, "extinguishable") describes any of a group of fibrous metamorphic minerals of the hydrous magnesium silicate variety. The name is derived for its historical use in lamp wicks; the resistance of asbestos to fire has long been exploited for a variety of purposes. Asbestos was used in fabrics such as Egyptian burial cloths and Charlemagne's tablecloth which according to legend, he threw in a fire to clean. Asbestos occurs naturally in many forms (see below); it is mined from metamorphic rocks.

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 gaskets 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 and insulating properties, tensile strength, flexibility, and resistance to chemicals. The inhalation of some kinds of asbestos fibers, however, causes various serious illnesses, including cancer. Thus, most uses of asbestos are banned in many countries. Fiberglass or Synthetic Mineral Fibre has been found to be a suitable substitute for thermal insulation, and woven ceramic fiber performs as well as or better than asbestos as an insulator of high-temperature electrical conductors.

Most respirable asbestos fibers are invisible to the unaided human eye because their size is about 3.0-20.0 µm in length and can be as thin as 0.01 µm. Human hair ranges in size from 17 to 181 µm.* Fibers ultimately form because when these minerals originally cooled and crystallized, they formed by the polymeric molecules lining up parallel with each other and forming oriented crystal lattices. These crystals thus have three 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. Thus, 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 over and over until they have been broken down to their smallest unit dimensions. For this reason, one larger asbestos fiber can ultimately become the source of hundreds of much thinner and smaller fibers in a normal environment over the course of time.

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Neighborhood demands answers about asbestos concerns http://bit.ly/8q8g03
capecoralbroker (Mike Kelly) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:49:55 -0000
Neighborhood demands answers about asbestos concerns http://bit.ly/8q8g03
Maybee its timee to put this pussy on yur sideburns... He say whitney dont stop yuu da bestest &i juss keep comin off the top asbestos! Haha
SiTTNFckNPReTTy (whitney johnson) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:49:14 -0000
Maybee its timee to put this pussy on yur sideburns... He say whitney dont stop yuu da bestest &i juss keep comin off the top asbestos! Haha
yooo girls on nicki so hard and dey dont even kno wut she sayin. "i just be comin off the top as bestest" its asbestos u silly naive bitch!!
yourfavwhiteboy (Matthew Reed) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:47:50 -0000
yooo girls on nicki so hard and dey dont even kno wut she sayin. "i just be comin off the top as bestest" its asbestos u silly naive bitch!!
Class Action: Frederick Legrande's Impact On Asbestos Lawsuits: Find An As http://bit.ly/6Hnwoi
alfridap (Alfrida Parnell) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:36:49 -0000
Class Action: Frederick Legrande's Impact On Asbestos Lawsuits: Find An As http://bit.ly/6Hnwoi
"Neighborhood demands answers about asbestos concerns (via postie)" - http://bit.ly/4PX4Vn
buzzingpost (Priya Mishra) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:28:08 -0000
"Neighborhood demands answers about <b>asbestos</b> concerns (via postie)" - http://bit.ly/4PX4Vn
Disclosing that a house has asbestos siding? http://bit.ly/4nTIBa
mesothelioma44 (mesothelioma) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:27:02 -0000
Disclosing that a house has asbestos siding? http://bit.ly/4nTIBa

 
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Awareness Group (UK) - Advice and support for people in UK with asbestos-related diseases.
Meta Description: [ Ridings asbestos support & awarenes group provides advice and support to mesothelioma patients and their carers. Rasag also provides the mesothelioma information service help line ]

British Asbestos Newsletter - Information from around the world about asbestos-related topics.

EPA Asbestos Home Page - Information from the Environmental Protection Agency about asbestos hazards, regulations, publications and resources.
Meta Description: [ The EPA Asbestos Web Page contains the following information - General information on Asbestos and Vermiculite, Laws and Regulations that govern Asbestos, EPA and State Contacts, the roles of EPA and other Federal Agencies in Asbestos, what to do if you suspect Asbestos in your home and where and... ]

International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) - International organization working to stop the use of asbestos, and minimize hazards from asbestos products that have been previously installed.
Meta Description: [ An organisation opposed to the use of all forms of asbestos which also aims to promote safe-removal and containment procedures and provide information for victims of asbestos-related diseases. ]

NYCOSH Asbestos Information - Extensive and annotated index of information about the occupational health hazard of exposure to asbestos.

OSHA Asbestos Page - Information and additional links about recognition, evaluation and control of asbestos hazards.
Meta Description: [ NONE ]

Questions and Answers About Asbestos - Information about asbestos exposure and diseases from the National Cancer Institute.

404 The 10 Most Commonly Asked Questions about Asbestos - From the Oklahoma Department of Labor.

The White Lung Association - Organization for people with asbestos-related diseases; information about diseases and political developments.

West Yorkshire Asbestos Action Group (UK) - Information about asbestos and asbestos-related diseases.

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