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Like all minerals asbestos is a prod-
uct of nature. Its qualities are unique in
that it will.neither burn nor decay and it
is impervious to water. It is a hydrous
magnesium silicate, chemically de-
scribed as 3MgO. 2Si02.2H20.

About 95 percent of the commercial
asbestos mined in the world is
Chrysotile which is the type of asbestos
we mine at Clinton Creek. Chrysotile is
a flexible white magnesium silicate and
accounts for 97 percent of all the as-
bestos used in Canada and the United
States. The world’s leading producers
of Chrysotile are Canada and Russia.
Of the recent annual world production
of some 5,200,000 short tons of
Chrysotile, an estimated 2,000,000
short tons were produced by the Soviet
Union and 1,600,000 short tons by
Canada.

The four largest asbestos-producing
countries are Canada, Russia, the Re-
public of South Africa and Rhodesia.
Butitis found in almost every country in
the world.

There are six major groups of asbes-
tos which are classified under two
headings—Serpentine and Amphibole.
Our Clinton Creek kind—Chrysotile
—is designated as white asbestos and
is the lone member of the Serpentine
class. Unlike other asbestos minerals
Chrysotile carries a positive rather than
a negative charge in water. It is re-
garded as the least potentially hazard-
ous of the several types of asbestos,
although this is by no means certain.

‘The remaining five principal groups
are recognized as members of the
Amphibole class of asbestos and in-
clude Crocidolite—which is known as
blue asbestos—Amosite, Anthophyl-
lite, Tremolite and Actinolite. The two
most important of these are Crocidolite

$ and Amosite.

=; ’

Crocidolite is generally recognized

by its deep blue colour. It is a ferrous
sodium silicate that is acid resistant but
not as flexible as Chrysotile. Most of
the world’s supply comes from South
Africa. During W.W. Il it was regarded
as an important strategic material in
that it was in heavy demand for gas
mask filters. It can be spun and woven
into fabrics of various sorts used in
acid-resistant packings and heat-
resistant protective clothing.

Amosite is mined commercially in
the Transvaal district of South Africa. It
is described as a brown ferrous mag-
nesium silicate that occurs in iron-rich
sedimentary rock. Amosite is not as
acid resistant as Crocidolite. It is
mostly used in the manufacture of heat
insulating materials.

Each of the six types of asbestos are
different from the others, both chemi-
cally and physically. To add to the
complexity, Chrysotile asbestos from
one Canadian mine will have different
chemical and physical properties than
Chrysotile from another Canadian
mine.

Chemically, asbestos of all types
may contain traces of aluminum, cal-
cium, chromium, iron, magnesium,
manganese, nickel, potassium,
sodium, benzine and varying quan-
tities of other elements or compounds.

Technically, the term “asbestos”
might be described as the generic
name given to a group of hydrated sili-
cate minerals that can be separated
into relatively soft, silky fibres which
have great tensile strength. To be more
simple and direct, the term “asbestos”
can be said to apply to all minerals that
can be separated from their parent
rock in the form of fibre.

The Greeks knew about asbestos
four hundred years before the birth of
Christ. They wove it into wicks for their
temple lamps because it would not
burn, thus providing an “everlasting
light”. They called this magic mineral

“Amianthus”, meaning that it was inde-
structible. Marco Polo was astounded
when China’s Emperor tossed a piece
of asbestos cloth into a fire and re-
moved it unharmed. Ben Franklin ac-
quired a “purse of stone” which he de-
scribed in a letter to a friend in the year
1725. In 1800 Prince Eugene, Viceroy
of Italy, gave his lady a priceless
necklace as a symbol of his love. As a
mark of her own enduring affection,
she presented the prince with a pair of
asbestos gloves which she had woven
for him with her own hands, thus attest-
ing to the value of asbestos in the early .
part of the 19th century. ;

It was not until 1873 that science and
industry began to seriously examine
the unique properties of asbestos and
apply its virtues to the service of man-
kind. Today, Italy is recognized as the
“Cradle of the Asbestos Industry” be-
cause it was there that the mining and,
milling of asbestos and the manufac-
ture of asbestos products began on an
industrial scale.

The term “asbestos” is not the name
of a distinct species of mineral. Rather
it is the commercial name given to the.
several varieties of fibrous minerals
that differ widely in chemical composi-
tion as well as fibre length, fibre
strength and fibre flexibility. As a con-
sequence of these differences manu-
facturers select the type of asbestos
best suited to the design and end use of
their products.

It is estimated that as many as 3,000
different products in use throughout the
world contain a portion of asbestos.
While certain manufactured items may
only contain minimal amounts, the
special qualities of asbestos are often
responsible for the designed perform-
ance of the product. Indeed the uses of
asbestos throughout the spectrum of
human activitv seem almost.endless.

Itcan be spun into thread and woven
into cloth. Some grades can be made
into paper. It can stand high tempera-
tures and heavy pressures. It resists
weather, corrosion, vermin and fungi. It
insulates and filters, binds and fills. In-
deed its universal application has
saved countless lives and has pre-
vented billions of dollars of property
damage.

That is why asbestos is called the
magic mineral.

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