engleski

ASBESTOS – RELICT FROM ANCIENT TIMES

Up to 1990 the world asbestos production was around 5x106 tons per year. At the same time Yugoslavia imported approximately 4x104 t/y. Croatia imported about 4x103 from 1995-2001 and some 2x103 tons each year from 2002-2004. Nowadays, in spite of ban of asbestos and asbestos materials production more than 2x106 tons of asbestos are still produced and used in the world. It has been estimated that health risk from asbestos exposure will last until the end of this century. To define health hazard extent it is necessary to get insight into the origin of asbestos in the air. Firstly: these are natural geological deposits in the ultrabasic igneous rocks of Alpine-type settings. Asbestos occurred in the form of metamorphosed hydrothermally pyroxenes, olivines and ironstones. Asbestos fibers are released from the rocks and soil by the transitory process of degradation and by human activities. Released asbestos settled down on the soil surfaces, becomes a component of air and water flows. Secondly: mining. Despite the global asbestos ban, current active producers are ; Russia with the share of 40.2%, China 19.9%, Kazakhstan 13.0%, Canada 10.3%, and Brazil 9.9%. This year Canadian Government invested 58x106 $ into the building of new underground asbestos factory beside the active mine. Millions of tons of newly mined asbestos are anticipated to be used in the Asian countries. Third source: production and manufacture of asbestos. The global movement against asbestos has been organized at the end of the past century. Industry resisted brusquely by creation of asbestos myths. Myth 1: Asbestos-cement is safe because the fibers are „locked in“. Myth 2: Blue asbestos is deadly, white is safely. Myth 3: There is „safe“ level of exposure. Fourthly: repair, restoration, maintenance and demolition of objects that contain asbestos or asbestos materials. Cutting, disrupting, sawing, drilling or scraping liberate asbestos fibers into the air. Fifth: transport and deposition of asbestos materials are considerable source of fibers emission. Asbestos in the air will be occurring as long as its sources will persist. It is not possible to influence the fibers liberation into the air, water and soil from the naturally occurring deposits. Activities accompanied by mining might be stopped, as well as elimination of current and future usage. Identification and proper management of asbestos materials in use, recognition, elimination the usage of all kinds of asbestos and materials containing asbestos has to be performed. The exposure safety measures must be included into the health protection programs. National programs of management control and elimination of environmentally occurred asbestos has to be established.

asbestos emission sources; production; asbestos myths; treatment

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