Amosite
Amosite asbestos is the second most common type of commercial asbestos, causing a high rate of cancer among people exposed to it.
Amosite is a trade name that became widely used, its popular usage becoming better known than its technical name, grunerite. Grunerite was discovered by Louis Gruner, a Swiss-French chemist who first analyzed this type of asbestos in 1853. The commercial name of amosite was derived from the main location in the world where it was mined, the asbestos mines of South Africa (AMOSA) located in Transvaal, South Africa. Transvaal workers and their families became victims of the mining operations, which released great amounts of amosite into the air. The general population in this area suffers much higher cancer rates than other areas in South Africa.
Amosite properties
Amosite is also known as brown asbestos, and its color varies from brown to gray, depending on its iron content. Amosite is characterized by its long, straight fibers, bundled together in crystals. Amosite has limited flexibility, and when broken, fibers release into the air. Amosite products are extremely friable, which means they are capable of being broken and crushed into a powder. In the powder state, amosite releases minute asbestos fibers which, when breathed into the lungs, cause illness.
Primary uses of amosite are for construction materials, such as:
- Roof tiles
- Ceiling tiles
- Cement sheets
- Floor tiles
- Gaskets
- Electrical insulation
- Telecommunication insulation
- Pipe insulation
- Thermal insulation
- Lagging
Today, the use of amosite is banned in many countries.