What are the types of asbestos fibres?
There are two major groups of fibres, the amphiboles and chrysotile fibres. Chrysotile (white asbestos), also called “Serpentine” fibres, are long and curled. The amphiboles, long straight fibres (including actinolite, amosite, anthrophyllite, crocidolite, and tremolite) are much more likely to cause cancer of the lining of the lung (mesothelioma) and scarring of the lining of the lung (pleural fibrosis). Either group of fibres can cause disease of the lung, such as asbestosis. The risk of developing asbestos-related lung cancer varies between fibre types. Studies of groups of patients exposed to chrysotile fibres show only a moderate increase in risk. On the other hand, exposure to amphibole fibres or to both types of fibres increases the risk of lung cancer two fold. There is a debate over what constitutes a safe level of exposure. While some believe that asbestos-related disease is a “threshold phenomenon,” which requires a certain level of exposure for disease to occur, others beli
