THE EXPLOITATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY OF AMPHIBOLE ASBESTOS : A LATE 20TH CENTURY OVERVIEW

Abstract

The risk to human health associated with the inhalation of amphibole asbestos has become devastatingly ap- parent this century. The most commonly utilised asbestiform amphiboles, crocidolite (blue asbestos) and amosite (brown asbestos), are implicated in a variety of diseases related to cell damage within the respiratory tract and adjacent areas. Blue and brown asbestos fibres have a morphology and mineralogy which makes them more biopersistent and biochemically reactive than chrysotile (white asbestos). The long-term pres- ence of such fibres within and around the lungs can result in fibrous scarring, lung cancer, and is the major cause of the once extremely rare tumour known as diffuse malignant mesothelioma. Therefore, despite the fact that asbestiformamphiboles comprise approximately 5%of industrially utilised asbestos (the rest being chrysotile), they have been disproportionately pathogenic. Almost all amphibole asbestos sold on the world market was mined from Palaeoproterozoic ironstones in either the northern Cape Province (blue) or Trans- vaal (brown and blue) areas in South Africa. Production peaked from 1966–1978 when around 2 million tons of crocidolite and1million tons of amosite were produced and exported to be used mainly in asbestos-based cement products and many types of building materials. Crocidolite mixed with chrysotile was commonly used in pressure pipes and gaskets, whereas amosite mixed with chrysotile was especially suitable for gut- ters, roofing, and insulation boards. Amid- to late 20th century amphibole asbestos-related cancer epidemic has consequently struck not only mining and milling communities in producer countries, but many groups of workers (and their relatives and neighbours) exposed to amphibole asbestos-bearing materials in importer countries. Although belated closure and reparation of the mines and imposition of threshold safety limits in the workplace will eventually stem this epidemic the death toll has not yet peaked. Given the long latency period (decades) typical of mesothelioma and bronchogenic carcinoma and the fact that amphibole asbes- tos-bearing materials are still present in some buildings, asbestos-related cancer will inevitably continue to be a major cause of death in many countries worldwide well into the next century.