I spend a good amount of time in buildings that are structurally unsound and could probably fall down and kill me. That is scary but what really bothers me is my possible exposure to asbestos. Asbestos is everyone’s favorite cancer causing fire proofing and is responsible for many mesothelioma law suits. I shouldn’t worry too much because the real danger with asbestos is long term exposure, but I want to know what I am getting myself into.

According to wikipedia there are three common types of Asbestos.

Chrysotile: which is white and allegedly not nearly as the other types of asbestos when inhaled. This is also the most commonly used type of asbestos in the United States. It is the type of asbestos mine in Asbestos, Quebec. It is commonly found in the following products.

* sheetrock taping
* mud and texture coats
* vinyl floor tiles, sheeting, adhesives and ceiling tiles
* plasters and stuccos
* roofing tars, felts, and shingles
* “transite” panels, siding, countertops, and pipes
* accoustical ceilings
* fireproofing
* putty
* caulk
* gaskets
* brake pads and shoes
* clutch plates

Amosite: which is from Africa and is allegedly not harmful.

Crocidolite: the most dangerous form of asbestos, also known as blue asbestos.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 12th, 2005 at 3:00 pm and is filed under asbestos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.