What is asbestos and why is it important? Challenges of defining and characterizing asbestos

Abstract

Asbestos is a term used to describe a group of six fibrous silicate minerals whose unique set of properties has led to widespread use in a variety of commercial products. Asbestos is also commonly associated with potential disease, increasing government regulation, and the upward spiralling costs associated with asbestos abatement and litigation. Yet what exactly is asbestos? The term is in common use and has often been incorrectly applied to many elongated or fibre-shaped mineral particles. However, it has become important to be more precise: which elongated or fibre-shaped mineral particles should be defined as asbestos and which analytical methods should be used to make an accurate identification? This review article is intended to highlight differences among the various mineral particles identified as asbestos and to address controversies that have arisen from the use of the term by a wide range of interested parties. Historical information and summaries of the latest research trends are presented for various academic and professional communities, including geologists, medical doctors and health researchers, regulatory professionals, and legal professionals, in order for them to better understand asbestos-related issues as they consider potential solutions to specific questions.