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Updated: 13/08/2007
Asbestos is the name given to a group of minerals that occur naturally as bundles of fibers which can be separated into thin threads. The three most common types of asbestos are: a) chrysotile, or white asbestos; b) amosite, or brown asbestos; and c) crocidolite, or blue asbestos. Chrysotile, a member of the Serpentine mineral group, is the commonest. Asbestos was widely used in Israel since the 1950s to accommodate the needs of a rapidly expanding population. Asbestos cement products (containing up to 10% asbestos) were used for roofing, wallboards, water and sewage pipelines and chimneys throughout the country. In addition, friable asbestos was used for thermal and acoustic insulation, brake linings and pical asbestos boards in the armed forces for several decades. It is estimated that some 100 million square meters of asbestos cement are found in industrial buildings, agricultural structures, roofs of private buildings, educational institutions, parking areas, and army camps throughout Israel. Asbestos is also a known carcinogen. Exposure to asbestos may increase the risk of asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma and other cancers. Mesothelioma, a relatively rare cancer of the inner lining of the chest wall or abdominal cavity, may go undetected following exposure to asbestos for 40 years. Based on current knowledge, intact and undisturbed asbestos cement products do not pose a health risk as long as they are not sawed, drilled, scraped, sanded or handled in such a way as to cause the material to crumble and be released into the air.
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