Types Of Asbestos Research Articles

Risk Analysis of Cellulose Nanomaterials by Inhalation: Current State of Science.

Cellulose nanomaterials (CNs) are emerging advanced materials with many unique properties and growing commercial significance. A life-cycle risk assessment and environmental health and safety roadmap identified potential risks from inhalation of powdered CNs in the workplace as a key gap in our understanding of safety and recommended addressing this data gap to advance the safe and successful commercialization of these materials. Here, we (i) summarize the currently available published literature for its contribution to our current understanding of CN inhalation hazard and (ii) evaluate the quality of the studies for risk assessment purposes using published study evaluation tools for nanomaterials to assess the weight of evidence provided. Our analysis found that the quality of the available studies is generally inadequate for risk assessment purposes but is improving over time. There have been some advances in knowledge about the effects of short-term inhalation exposures of CN. The most recent in vivo studies suggest that short-term exposure to CNs results in transient inflammation, similarly to other poorly soluble, low toxicity dusts such as conventional cellulose, but is markedly different from fibers with known toxicity such as certain types of multiwalled carbon nanotubes or asbestos. However, several data gaps remain, and there is still a lack of understanding of the effects from long-term, low-dose exposures that represent realistic workplace conditions, essential for a quantitative assessment of potential health risk. Therefore, taking precautions when handling dry forms of CNs to avoid dust inhalation exposure is warranted.

Fibrogenic effects of crocidolite, amosite, and chrysotile asbestos fibers on lung fibroblasts

Asbestos causes fibrotic lung diseases such as asbestosis and lung scarring, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of specific types of asbestos fibers are not fully understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the fibrogenic activity of commonly used asbestos types crocidolite (serpentine) and amosite and chrysotile (amphiboles) which differ in general toxicity. IMR-90 lung fibroblasts were exposed to various concentrations of crocidolite, amosite, and chrysotile and analyzed for viability, adhesion, cell damage, functional activity, and expression of genes associated with fibrosis, cell stress, and toxicity responses. Exposure of fibroblasts to the three asbestos fibers for 48 h did not affect cellular functions such as filamentous actin distribution and mitochondrial activity. PCR microarray profiling of the expression of 84 genes central to fibrogenesis revealed that chrysotile significantly upregulated the transcription of genes encoding pro-fibrotic cytokines and downregulated genes related to the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily, whereas the effects of crocidolite and amosite on pro-fibrotic gene expression were much weaker. There was no significant difference in the expression of oxidative stress- and toxic response-related genes among the three asbestos types. These results provide new evidence that chrysotile has a stronger pro-fibrotic potential than amosite and crocidolite.

Monitoring of airborne asbestos fibers in an urban ambient air of Shahryar City, Iran: levels, spatial distribution, seasonal variations, and health risk assessment.

Asbestos, as with other pollutants in the air, has adverse effects on the health of human beings and animals. Today, the relationship between presence of asbestos fibers in the air breathed by humans and developing serious diseases such as lung cancer (asbestosis) and mesothelioma has been proven. This study was designed and conducted within the time period of August 2017 and June 2018 to determine the concentration of asbestos fiber in the ambient air of Shahryar City and to evaluate their health effects for the general population of the city. For this purpose, samples were taken from four points, and overall 32 air samples were taken along the year. The samples were then analyzed by the phase contrast microscopy (PCM) method. Also, to investigate the type of asbestos and for more accurate counting of fibers, SEM analysis was utilized. Finally, based on the EPA IRIS method, the health effects resulting from asbestos risks were also evaluated. The results of this study indicated that the mean annual concentration of asbestos fiber in the ambient air of Shahryar City was obtained as 0.0019f/ml PCM and 0.0072f/ml SEM. Furthermore, the most polluted point was S1 point (0.0119-0.0026f/ml, PCM), while the lowest concentration was related to S4 point (0.001f/ml PCM-0.0021f/ml SEM). The mean annual risk resulting from airborne asbestos fiber in the ambient air of Shahryar City for all samples was obtained as 1.72 × 10-6 to 2.2 × 10-4, which was higher than the recommended risk range in some points.

Infra Red Spectroscopy of the Regulated Asbestos Amphiboles.

Vibrational spectroscopies (Fourier Transform Infra Red, FTIR, and Raman) are exceptionally valuable tools for the identification and crystal-chemical study of fibrous minerals, and asbestos amphiboles in particular. Raman spectroscopy has been widely applied in toxicological studies and thus a large corpus of reference data on regulated species is found in the literature. However, FTIR spectroscopy has been mostly used in crystal-chemical studies and very few data are found on asbestos amphiboles. This paper is intended to fill this gap. We report new FTIR data collected on a suite of well-characterized samples of the five regulated amphibole species: anthophyllite, amosite, and crocidolite, provided by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) Organization, and tremolite and actinolite, from two well-known occurrences. The data from these reference samples have been augmented by results from additional specimens to clarify some aspects of their spectroscopic features. We show that the FTIR spectra in both the OH-stretching region and in the lattice modes region can be effective for rapid identification of the asbestos type.

Economic and Financing Aspects of Removing Asbestos in Residences

Reflecting its utility and versatility, asbestos was used in the past in many different products, including eaves, fences, roofs, walls, ceilings, floor coverings and backing, brake drums, pipe lagging, ironing boards, electrical meter boxes, sealants, pipes, and so on. Most Australian jurisdictions banned ‘the mining of raw asbestos and the manufacture, import and installation of products containing crocidolite (blue) and amosite (brown or grey) asbestos’ from 1985 (Fary 2012, p. 11). An Australia-wide ban on the manufacture and use of all types of asbestos and asbestos containing material took effect on 31 December 2003. Work Health and Safety legislation in all states and territories prohibits the supply, transport, use, or handling of asbestos unless an exception or exemption applies. Despite the bans, remnant asbestos products are still ubiquitous, particularly in older Australian homes. Exposure to asbestos fibres may result in asbestos-related disease, which in turn may lead to interstitial lung disease or various thoracic malignancies such as universally fatal bronchogenic carcinoma or mesothelioma. Inhalation of fibres is recognised as a hazard in a range of exposure levels in different occupations (Gottschall, 2002) and residential activities (Gordon & Leigh 2011), with different types of asbestos varying in their potency levels (Berman & Crump, 2008). Three “waves” of asbestos-related disease have been posited in Australia. The first is associated with the mining of raw asbestos and the manufacture of asbestos-containing products. A second wave was generated by the use of asbestos products in industry. Of greatest current concern is a growing third wave of non-industrial exposure, especially affecting those undertaking residential renovations and maintenance (Olsen et al., 2011; Musk et al. 2016; ASEA 2016). The two main themes examined in this paper are: 1. socio-economic rationale. A necessary condition for enhancing the well-being of society is that the social benefits of a proposed government action exceed its social costs. But it is also necessary to establish that any action is best undertaken by government, rather than by private firms or individuals. Situations of market failure can generally provide a prima facie case for government intervention, but the relative transaction costs and the risk of government failure also need to be considered in taking a decision. 2. cost-minimisation. Once a government has decided to take action, budgetary considerations and competing expenditure priorities will dictate that associated financial outlays be minimised as far as possible. A range of possible approaches to implementing asbestos removal are outlined, with a succinct presentation of their key advantages and disadvantages. A number of implicit and explicit assumptions are made throughout the paper. For example, the constitutional level of government involvement is left unstipulated. While state governments have primary responsibility in Australia’s federal system for public health issues, the Australian Government established an Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency (ASEA) in 2013 to provide a national focus on asbestos issues which goes beyond workplace safety to encompass environmental and public health concerns. The agency aims to ensure that asbestos issues receive the attention and focus needed to drive change across all levels of government. References below to ‘government’ therefore refer to any combination of local, state and federal governments, but not to any specific one. Further, no distinction is made between the many types of asbestos or their effects.

Hydraulic Binder from Hazardous Waste

Since asbestos has been classified as a hazardous chemical, it is desirable to propose a practical and safe procedure for the disposal of asbestos-cement products, or even better to re-use them. In this work, the temperature conditions of degradation of samples of various types of asbestos and products containing asbestos were examined. Samples were burnt at different temperatures and monitored by XRD, DTA, light and electron microscopy. By evaluation of changes at different burning temperatures, the previous findings on the decomposition of asbestos minerals have been confirmed. It has been found that the burning of asbestos cement materials alone or with the addition of limestone at the temperature above 1100 °C leads to the decomposition of hazardous asbestos and, with or without the addition of a setting regulator, hydraulic binder is formed with technological parameters suitable for the building industry.

Types and Health Hazards of Fibrous Materials Used as Asbestos Substitutes.

Asbestos has been banned in many countries but many countries, including developing countries, are still using asbestos or materials containing asbestos. Substitute materials have been studied and developed over a long period of time because of the hazards of asbestos, and many people have recently shown interest in the hazards of substitute materials. However, comprehensive information about the types of asbestos substitutes, their use and health hazards, and references for the protection for the health of workers is limited. The purpose of this study is to provide people in the related industries with information on the types and health hazards of fibrous materials that can be used as asbestos substitutes. According to the patent resources from the United States and Europe, fibrous materials have been used to develop asbestos-free products since before 1980. Recently, the health hazards of asbestos substitutes have been assessed and many additional researches are required. However, only some of the substitute materials have been assessed for health hazards, and health hazard data has not been sufficient in many cases. Therefore, efforts should be made to minimize workers’ exposure to substitute materials that do not contain asbestos.

Global Asbestos Disaster.

Introduction: Asbestos has been used for thousands of years but only at a large industrial scale for about 100–150 years. The first identified disease was asbestosis, a type of incurable pneumoconiosis caused by asbestos dust and fibres. The latest estimate of global number of asbestosis deaths from the Global Burden of Disease estimate 2016 is 3495. Asbestos-caused cancer was identified in the late 1930’s but despite today’s overwhelming evidence of the strong carcinogenicity of all asbestos types, including chrysotile, it is still widely used globally. Various estimates have been made over time including those of World Health Organization and International Labour Organization: 107,000–112,000 deaths. Present estimates are much higher. Objective: This article summarizes the special edition of this Journal related to asbestos and key aspects of the past and present of the asbestos problem globally. The objective is to collect and provide the latest evidence of the magnitude of asbestos-related diseases and to provide the present best data for revitalizing the International Labor Organization/World Health Organization Joint Program on Asbestos-related Diseases. Methods: Documentation on asbestos-related diseases, their recognition, reporting, compensation and prevention efforts were examined, in particular from the regulatory and prevention point of view. Estimated global numbers of incidence and mortality of asbestos-related diseases were examined. Results: Asbestos causes an estimated 255,000 deaths (243,223–260,029) annually according to latest knowledge, of which work-related exposures are responsible for 233,000 deaths (222,322–242,802). In the European Union, United States of America and in other high income economies (World Health Organization regional classification) the direct costs for sickness, early retirement and death, including production losses, have been estimated to be very high; in the Western European countries and European Union, and equivalent of 0.70% of the Gross Domestic Product or 114 × 109 United States Dollars. Intangible costs could be much higher. When applying the Value of Statistical Life of 4 million EUR per cancer death used by the European Commission, we arrived at 410 × 109 United States Dollars loss related to occupational cancer and 340 × 109 related to asbestos exposure at work, while the human suffering and loss of life is impossible to quantify. The numbers and costs are increasing practically in every country and region in the world. Asbestos has been banned in 55 countries but is used widely today; some 2,030,000 tons consumed annually according to the latest available consumption data. Every 20 tons of asbestos produced and consumed kills a person somewhere in the world. Buying 1 kg of asbestos powder, e.g., in Asia, costs 0.38 United States Dollars, and 20 tons would cost in such retail market 7600 United States Dollars. Conclusions: Present efforts to eliminate this man-made problem, in fact an epidemiological disaster, and preventing exposures leading to it are insufficient in most countries in the world. Applying programs and policies, such as those for the elimination of all kind of asbestos use—that is banning of new asbestos use and tight control and management of existing structures containing asbestos—need revision and resources. The International Labor Organization/World Health Organization Joint Program for the Elimination of Asbestos-Related Diseases needs to be revitalized. Exposure limits do not protect properly against cancer but for asbestos removal and equivalent exposure elimination work, we propose a limit value of 1000 fibres/m3.

Real-time measurement of fibers using an HY-differential mobility analyzer with an optical particle counter (KOFAM).

This study investigated the applicability of an HY-differential mobility analyzer with an optical particle counter (HY-DMA/OPC), named as KOFAM, for counting fibrous matters in real time. Fibers separated from particles by the HY-DMA were counted with an OPC. To assess the KOFAM performance, the proposed method and the conventional gold standard phase contrast microscopy (PCM) method were compared in terms of variables such as recovery, relative difference, coefficient of determination, and conformity. The optimal sheath-to-aerosol (outlet) flow ratio of the internal flow in the HY-DMA was determined to be 1.6:1. In terms of recovery of the HY-DMA, the highest recovery was obtained at a voltage of 500 V regardless of which type of asbestos was tested. The recovery rate for serpentine was 45.5% and that for amphibole was 34.9%. The coefficients of determination of serpentine (R2 = 0.89) and amphibole (R2 = 0.87) were highly correlated. With respect to the coefficient of variation (CV), the KOFAM demonstrated superior performance over the M7400AD and F-1 methods and showed almost no difference from the PCM method (KOFAM: 22.5%, M7400AD: 32.4%, F-1: 88.8%, and PCM: 21.9%). There was no statistically significant difference between concentration measurements of the KOFAM and PCM analyses. Accordingly, it was concluded that the KOFAM can be used as a superior alternative to conventional fiber measurement methods. The preliminary results support the use of the KOFAM for constant measurement of airborne asbestos concentrations in real time.

First Identification of Pulmonary Asbestos Fibres in a Spanish Population.

This study aimed to characterize, for the first time in Spain, the type of asbestos fibres (AF) in the lungs of exposed and non-exposed populations. Lung samples from 38 subjects living in Barcelona and Ferrol, Spain, were studied, which were divided into three groups: Group A-five subjects without known respiratory disease; Group B-20 ex-shipyard workers and Group C-13 patients with lung cancer. After eliminating the organic material, the inorganic residue was analysed using electronic microscopy (EM). To identify the type of fibre, the samples were analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). All the fibres identified corresponded to amphiboles (crocidolite 45%, anthophyllite 22%, tremolite 16%, amosite 15% and actinolite 3%). In 14 patients (37%), a single type of asbestos was found in the lungs (amosite in two, actinolite in one, anthophyllite in four, crocidolite in five and tremolite in two). Forty-six percent of the AF analysed had a length>5µm and a diameter<0.2µm. The results of this study provide the first data on the type of asbestos retained in the lung of Spanish population. A particularly striking finding is the exclusive retention of amphiboles, which suggests that chrysotile is eliminated after inhalation. Our findings support estimations considering Spain and other southern European countries with similar asbestos imports and consumption at a high risk to develop asbestos-related diseases in the years to come.

The utility of the in vitro micronucleus test for evaluating the genotoxicity of natural and manmade nano-scale fibres

A range of fibrous materials, including several types of asbestos and carbon fibres with nano scale diameters that had reported positive genotoxicity data (predominantly clastogenicity), were tested in the in vitro micronucleus test (OECD 487) in GLP-compliant studies in Chinese Hamster Ovary cells. Out of eight materials tested, only one (crocidolite, an asbestos fibre) gave a positive response either in the presence or absence of metabolic activation (S9) and at short (3h) or extended (24h) exposure times (p≤0.001). Our data suggest that the commonly used tests for clastogenicity in mammalian cells require extensive modification before fibrous materials are detected as positive, raising questions about the validity of these tests for detecting clastogenic and aneugenic fibrous materials.

Asbestos exposure and histological subtype of malignant mesothelioma

BackgroundMalignant mesothelioma (MM) has distinct histological subtypes (epithelioid, sarcomatoid and biphasic) with variable behaviour and prognoses. It is well recognised that survival time varies with the histological subtype of MM....

Mouse Mesothelium-Derived Cell Lines:Models to Assess Cytotoxic Effects of Novel Nanomaterials &lt;I&gt;in vitro&lt;/I&gt; and to Ultimately Investigating Carcinogenesis &lt;I&gt;in vivo&lt;/I&gt;

Novel nanomaterials are continuously produced, but still little is known about their potential toxic and carcinogenic effects. In contrast, crocidolite is one of the best-characterized asbestos types known to induce nanotoxicity and to transform mesothelial cells resulting in malignant mesothelioma. Only in few reports mesothelial or mesothelioma-derived cells were used to investigate nanotoxicity and/or carcinogenicity. Even less studies were carried out with mouse-derived cell lines allowing to investigating nanotoxicity in vivo. Immortalized mesothelial cells from wildtype (iMeso-WT1), from NF2+/- heterozygous (iMeso-NF3) mice and the NF2+/- mouse-derived mesothelioma cell line RN5 were used to compare acute cytotoxicity between novel silica-based manufactured nanoparticles (MNP) and crocidolite. All cell lines were sensitive to crocidolite-induced cytotoxicity, but rather resistant to the spherical MNP, with iMeso-NF3 being the most sensitive and RN5 being the least sensitive cells. Chronic exposure (1 month) of iMeso-NF3 cells to a sub-lethal dose of crocidolite resulted in increased acute resistance to crocidolite. Yet, asbestos-resistant iMeso-NF3 cells didn't induce tumors after intraperitoneal injection, while RN5 cell injection resulted in macroscopic tumors after 5 weeks. Thus, mouse mesothelium-derived cell lines appear well suited to study potential hazardous health effects of MNP.

Anthophyllite asbestos: state of the science review.

Anthophyllite is an amphibole form of asbestos historically used in only a limited number of products. No published resource currently exists that offers a complete overview of anthophyllite toxicity or of its effects on exposed human populations. We performed a review focusing on how anthophyllite toxicity was understood over time by conducting a comprehensive search of publicly available documents that discussed the use, mining, properties, toxicity, exposure and potential health effects of anthophyllite. Over 200 documents were identified; 114 contained relevant and useful information which we present chronologically in this assessment. Our analysis confirms that anthophyllite toxicity has not been well studied compared to other asbestos types. We found that toxicology studies in animals from the 1970s onward have indicated that, at sufficient doses, anthophyllite can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Studies of Finnish anthophyllite miners, conducted in the 1970s, found an increased incidence of asbestosis and lung cancer, but not mesothelioma. Not until the mid-1990s was an epidemiological link with mesothelioma in humans observed. Its presence in talc has been of recent significance in relation to potential asbestos exposure through the use of talc-containing products. Characterizing the health risks of anthophyllite is difficult, and distinguishing between its asbestiform and non-asbestiform mineral form is essential from both a toxicological and regulatory perspective. Anthophyllite toxicity has generally been assumed to be similar to other amphiboles from a regulatory standpoint, but some notable exceptions exist. In order to reach a more clear understanding of anthophyllite toxicity, significant additional study is needed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Asbestos: Socio-legal and Scientific Controversies and Unsound Science in the Context of the Worldwide Asbestos Tragedy - Lessons to be Learned.

Eight to fifteen per cent of lung cancer cases and nearly all mesothelioma cases are caused by asbestos. Problems in compensation issues ensue from strict legal requirements for eligibility and regulations of the statutory accident insurance institution pertaining to eligibility for occupational disease benefits. The latter include the unscientific requirement for set numbers of asbestos bodies or fibers to be found in lung tissue in order to "prove" disease causation if lung specimen are available. Although the validity of such evidence has been discredited by independent scientists, it is still used as evidence by an influential US pathology department. Frequently, epidemiological evidence regarding causal relationships and exposure histories is also often being ignored by insurance-affiliated medical experts.Similar misleading arguments are currently being used in newly industrialized countries where white asbestos - which is carcinogenic and fibrogenic like other asbestos types - is efficiently promoted as being less harmful. As a result, asbestos use is increasing in some of these countries. Behind the worldwide asbestos tragedy, a well-designed strategy orchestrated by certain transnational or multinational industrial interest groups can be perceived.Beyond the asbestos tragedy their covert plan is motivated by economic interests and discounts the ensuing damage to health and the impact of the diseases they create on public health systems.

Risk of lung cancer in individuals with previous exposure to asbestos

Asbestos-related lung cancer is an important and partly unrecognized public health problem. The present review summarizes the knowledge regarding some specific aspects of the association between asbestos and lung cancer. It is difficult to estimate the exact number of lung cancers in a population that are attributable to asbestos exposure. However, this number is likely to greatly exceed the number of mesotheliomas. Epidemiological studies suggest that there is a linear relationship between cumulative exposure to asbestos and risk of lung cancer. Observed differences between different types of asbestos are lower than previously believed. This highlights the necessity of banning all types of asbestos worldwide. Risk of lung cancer changes with passing time from asbestos exposure, with the strongest effect observed 10-15 years after the exposure. This highlights the importance of quitting asbestos exposure as soon as possible, even for individuals with a long-term past exposure. Quitting smoking is the most important preventive action to be taken by individuals with a past exposure to asbestos. Results of recent studies show that smoking cessation is associated with a substantial reduction of lung cancer risk among individuals exposed to asbestos. This highlights the importance of promoting smoking cessation programmes specifically targeted to individuals with a past exposure to asbestos.

Multipolar mitosis and aneuploidy after chrysotile treatment: a consequence of abscission failure and cytokinesis regression.

Chrysotile, like other types of asbestos, has been associated with mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. However, the cellular abnormalities induced by these fibers involved in cancer development have not been elucidated yet. Previous works show that chrysotile fibers induce features of cancer cells, such as aneuploidy, multinucleation and multipolar mitosis. In the present study, normal and cancer derived human cell lines were treated with chrysotile and the cellular and molecular mechanisms related to generation of aneuploid cells was elucidated. The first alteration observed was cytokinesis regression, the main cause of multinucleated cells formation and centrosome amplification. The multinucleated cells formed after cytokinesis regression were able to progress through cell cycle and generated aneuploid cells after abnormal mitosis. To understand the process of cytokinesis regression, localization of cytokinetic proteins was investigated. It was observed mislocalization of Anillin, Aurora B, Septin 9 and Alix in the intercellular bridge, and no determination of secondary constriction and abscission sites. Fiber treatment also led to overexpression of genes related to cancer, cytokinesis and cell cycle. The results show that chrysotile fibers induce cellular and molecular alterations in normal and tumor cells that have been related to cancer initiation and progression, and that tetraploidization and aneuploid cell formation are striking events after fiber internalization, which could generate a favorable context to cancer development.

Peritoneal Mesothelioma and Asbestos: Clarifying the Relationship by Epidemiology

Peritoneal mesothelioma has been recognized for over a half century, but causality with asbestos of different fiber types and the incidence of this fatal tumor in relation to asbestos exposure dose still needs clarification. In order to help bring clarity, the most important studies on peritoneal mesothelioma, including a brief history, relationship to asbestos exposures, diagnostic issues and experimental studies are reviewed including case series, case-control, occupational, and registry epidemiology studies. This review concludes that all types of asbestos, including amphiboles and chrysotile, are causative for peritoneal mesothelioma. Many cases have been found in both males and females from asbestos exposures in occupational and neighborhood settings, shown in differing epidemiology study designs. It is clear that there is a causal relationship between all types of asbestos at all dose levels for peritoneal mesothelioma and no threshold of exposure to asbestos appears safe.

Influence of the type of pre-calcined asbestos containing wastes on the properties of sintered ceramics

The paper presents the issue of using asbestos-containing materials as well as one of the possible methods that allows to change the dangerous properties of asbestos in cement-asbestos (“eternit”) to a harmless material that can be used in further applications. The article presents the experimental results in which the possibility of cement-asbestos use as a secondary raw material for the manufacture of sintered ceramics (clinker ceramics) as well as the influence of the pre-calcined cement-asbestos type were studied. Three variants of cement-asbestos waste were used: raw, without any thermal treatment or after previous calcination at selected temperatures (700 and 1200°C). These materials were added (0–10wt%) to commercial mixtures (ceramic mass) to produce sintered ceramics. Green compacts were formed from dry ceramic masses (with a limited amount of mixing water) and were then sintered. After the firing cycle, ceramic properties such as linear shrinkage, water absorption, open porosity, apparent density, compressive strength and freeze resistance were determined.The results of the study show that cement-asbestos material can be used as an interesting secondary raw material to produce sintered ceramics. The obtained ceramics samples were characterised by low water absorption, high compressive strength and full frost resistance. The type of introduced cement-asbestos material had an influence on the ceramic properties.

Questionamentos decorrentes da utilização do amianto a partir da ADI 2.656-9/SP

O presente trabalho científico tem como foco analisar a Ação Direta de Inconstitucionalidade (ADI) 2.656-9/SP, ajuizada pelo Governador do Estado de Goiás visando a declarar a inconstitucionalidade de alguns dispositivos da Lei 10.813/2001, do Estado de São Paulo, os quais limitaram a importação, a extração, o beneficiamento, a comercialização, a fabricação e a instalação de produtos ou materiais contendo qualquer tipo de amianto. A problemática advém do fato do Estado de Goiás depender economicamente da exploração do amianto e do Estado de São Paulo ser o principal mercado. Tem como objetivos esclarecer os pontos de discussão colocados no julgado, sobretudo os direitos fundamentais à saúde e ao meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado, bem como as circunstâncias que caracterizam a inconstitucionalidade e alguns detalhes sobre os aspectos históricos e econômicos de Minaçu/GO, local de exploração do amianto. Para tanto, utilizar-se-ão os métodos indutivo e dedutivo, com pesquisas bibliográficas e jurisprudenciais. As conclusões baseiam-se na preponderância dos direitos fundamentais à saúde e ao meio ambiente, em detrimento das formalidades dispostas nas regras constitucionais de divisão de competências entre os entes federados, de forma a preservar as cláusulas pétreas sob o viés protetivo da dignidade humana e da cidadania. A escolha do tema se deu pela atualidade do assunto. O alcance social envolve profissionais das áreas jurídica e ambiental.