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The Great Asbestos Scam
| Article
# : |
15485 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
Date : |
12 / 1989 |
2,603 Words |
| Author
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Douglas G. Brookins, with Judith Binder
Douglas G. Brookins is professor of geology at the University
of New Mexico, specializing in radioactive and hazardous waste
management and environmental geology and chemistry. Judith
Binder is an editorial assistant in the Department of Geology
at the University of New Mexico. |
Is asbestos a major threat to health? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has convinced Congress to pass legislation requiring all schools in the United States to inspect for the presence of asbestos and, when present, to remove it.
Yet in the world community, asbestos is not considered a significant hazard. Rigorous studies in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Canada, and the United States testify to the relatively minor risk posed by asbestos. Complicating the issue is the grouping of several diverse minerals under the label asbestos: While all have similar properties that make them useful materials, they vary widely in health risk.
When the low risks of asbestos are balanced against its life-saving uses, one comes to realize that the legislation aimed at eliminating asbestos may create more problems than it proposes to solve. I consider the current asbestos policy and programs in the United States a huge scam. As an educator and scientist, I know the necessity of fully investigating any topic before drawing a conclusion, but regrettably, the EPA has not done so with asbestos.
Asbestos Minerals
There are two types of asbestos minerals: chrysotile asbestos and amphibole asbestos. Chrysotile is a hydrated magnesium silicate, one of the serpentine group of minerals commonly found in geologically altered, high-magnesium rock.
The amphibole group of minerals is extremely common in nature, but only a few varieties--crocidolite, amosite, tremolite,
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