Serpentine (Chrysotile)
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Asbestos" is really a generic term that covers a number of naturally-occuring different silicate minerals. Six of these - crocidilite, amosite, anthrophylite, tremolite, actinolyte and chrysotile - have been used over the past 150 years or so in industrial applications. Although literally made of stone and sharing stone's resistance to heat, fire,
electrical current and caustic chemicals and corrosive acids, these minerals are soft and pliable, yet have the tensile strength of piano wire. They can be woven into fabric and used for other purposes that require a strong, yet flexible surface.
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The first five of these minerals contain long, needle-like fibers called amphiboles. When inhaled or ingested, amphiboles act like microscopic spears that burrow into the soft tissues of the inner lungs. Crocidolite and amosite have been banned in most industrialized nations today. Tremolite was mined in the U.S. and Canada; along with chrysotile, this substance is still found in thousands of products, and is still present in perhaps three-quarters of a million buildings around the U.S.
Chrysotile - also known as serpentine - is different from the other five in that its fibers are curly and more flexible. It was the most commonly used form of asbestos, having been employed since at least Roman times.