Asbestiform is a
crystal habit
In mineralogy, crystal habit is the characteristic external shape of an individual crystal or aggregate of crystals. The habit of a crystal is dependent on its crystallographic form and growth conditions, which generally creates irregularities d ...
. It describes a mineral that grows in a fibrous aggregate of high
tensile strength
Ultimate tensile strength (also called UTS, tensile strength, TS, ultimate strength or F_\text in notation) is the maximum stress that a material can withstand while being stretched or pulled before breaking. In brittle materials, the ultimate ...
, flexible, long, and thin crystals that readily separate.
[Committee on Asbestos: Selected Health Effects, 2006, ''Asbestos: Selected Cancers,'' National Academies Press, ] The most common asbestiform mineral is
chrysotile, commonly called "white
asbestos", a magnesium phyllosilicate part of the
serpentine group. Other asbestiform minerals include
riebeckite, an
amphibole whose fibrous form is known as crocidolite or "blue asbestos", and
brown asbestos, a cummingtonite-grunerite solid solution series.
The
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...
explains that, "In general, exposure may occur only when the asbestos-containing material is disturbed or damaged in some way to release particles and fibers into the air."
"Mountain leather" is an old-fashioned term for flexible, sheet-like natural formations of asbestiform minerals which resemble
leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...
. Asbestos-containing minerals known to form mountain leather include:
actinolite,
palygorskite,
saponite,
sepiolite,
tremolite, and
zeolite.
See also
*
Chrysotile
References
Crystallography
Mineralogy
Mineral habits
Asbestos
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