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How Is Asbestos Produced?

Asbestos is a mineral occurring in six different forms--chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, anthophyllite, tremolite and actinolite--that produce fibrous crystals. Chrysotile is the only form of asbestos commercialized at the present time, according to the Chrysotile Institute.

  1. Formation

    • Asbestos is mined. Below the surface, asbestos fibers are created from mineral crystals that grow in the cracks and veins found in soft rock formations. The chemical composition of the mineral is often similar to that of the rocks between which it has grown.

    Purposes

    • Because asbestos fibers are heat- and chemical-resistant, they have become very prevalent in the United States, having been used in more than 3,000 different products. However, most uses of asbestos were banned in the United States by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1989 because of the health risks posed to those exposed to it.

    In the Environment

    • According to the EPA, asbestos fibers may be released into the environment by the erosion of asbestos-containing ores, the dumping of mining tailings into lakes or the use of asbestos cement pipes in water supply systems. Asbestos fibers released into sources of water eventually settle to the bottom.

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