ABSTRACT
Asbestos is not a mineralogical term, but a generic and regulatory term for commercially useful fibrous silicate mineral fibers of a crystalline nature. “Asbestos” and “asbestiform” are two commonly used terms that lack mineralogical precision. The word asbestos means “inextinguishable” since it was used in ancient times to make oil lamp wicks. Many areas of the world have asbestiform rock outcroppings, which have resulted in asbestos fiber contamination of the biosphere by wind and water erosion of these rock formations. Erionite fibers are a type of noncommercial fiber that is the most carcinogenic fibers of all asbestiform mineral fibers. Asbestos has been used extensively in the industrialized world since the exploitation of large commercial deposits in Quebec in the 1860s and South Africa in the 1890s. Industrial uses for asbestos include high-temperature applications as used in boiler and steam pipe insulation, insulating blankets, some industrial paints, fireproof clothing, siding and roofing and, most importantly, in drainage and water piping.
