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Infographic showing the types of asbestos including: Chrysotile Amosite, Crocidolite, anthophyllite, Actinolite, Tremolite.

What Are the Types of Asbestos?

Most people talk about asbestos as if it was a single, cancer-causing material. The generic term refers to a group of minerals that occur naturally. All the group’s minerals are firm and durable and react similarly to exposure to heat (fire), electricity, and chemical corrosion. The types of asbestos include six fiber-like minerals: actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, chrysotile, crocidolite, and tremolite.

No matter what type of asbestos you’re looking at, the individual fibers are too small to see with the human eye. Typically, the size of a single fiber is between 0.1 and 10 µm in length – less than a tenth the width of a strand of human hair. Types of asbestos are categorized according to the appearance of fibers beneath a microscope.

  • Serpentine asbestos fibers are long and curly. Globally, about 95% of asbestos mining produces the serpentine variety. Primarily, chrysotile is the most recognized form of serpentine asbestos.
  • Amphibole asbestos fibers are shorter and straighter than the serpentine form. Subsequently, amphibole fibers end up deeper in the airways and are trapped inside tissue cells. Actinolite, anthophyllite, amosite, crocidolite, and tremolite are forms of amphibole fibers.

Colors of Asbestos Types

In its raw form, asbestos comes in several different colors. However, you probably won’t be able to determine a type of asbestos just by looking at it. The fiber’s color is hidden when added to other products and construction materials (such as cement and bricks). All six types of asbestos fibers are microscopic and invisible to the naked eye.

This invisibility makes asbestos exposure particularly dangerous. People can unknowingly inhale or ingest these fibers while working around asbestos-containing materials, potentially leading to serious health complications years down the line. If you suspect your environment may contain asbestos, never attempt to handle or remove it yourself. Always seek professional help for asbestos testing and abatement.

Below is the list of details on which color relates to each form of mineral fiber.

Type Color Uses
Actinolite Ranges from white to dark gray but may also be a pale yellowish or dark green Insulation, paints, sealants, drywall, and mixed into cement
Amosite Brown Cement products, chemical and electrical insulation, fire protection materials, gaskets, insulation board, plumbing insulation, roofing, and tiles
Anthophyllite Ranges from yellow to brown A rare form of amphibole not used in many commercial products. Occasionally, it is manufactured into cement and insulation.
Chrysotile White Asphalt, brake lining and pads, clutches, disk pads, cement, gaskets, plastics, roofing, and textiles
Crocidolite Blue Cement, insulation, and tiling materials
Tremolite Ranges from milky white to dark green Fabric and textiles, insulation, paints, roofing and plumbing materials, sealants, and talc

BEWARE: You can’t identify asbestos by color or smell. Testing by a lab is the only way to verify the presence of a type of asbestos.

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What Is Chrysotile Asbestos?

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, 36% more raw chrysotile was imported in 2020. Chrysotile is a form of serpentine asbestos named for the fiber’s long, curled appearance. Generally, raw chrysotile is white. Chrysotile has a high-tensile strength and is easily woven. In the U.S., it’s the most common type of asbestos used in building construction. In December 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) risk assessment for asbestos found chrysotile especially dangerous to American workers. Additionally, the EPA continues to evaluate the risk of ongoing uses of chrysotile in the United States.

The EPA further investigates the following uses of chrysotile that pose the highest risk:

  • Aftermarket automotive brakes and lining
  • Asbestos diaphragms in chemical production
  • Oilfield brake blocks
  • Sheet gaskets and other gaskets
  • Vehicle friction products

On March 18, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule banning the ongoing use of chrysotile asbestos, the only form of asbestos currently used or imported in the U.S. This historic action, the first under the 2016 amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), marks a significant milestone in chemical safety, supporting President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative to reduce cancer.

Today, countries like Canada, China, Russia, and Italy still mine serpentine and other types of asbestos. Moreover, some imported products still contain this toxic mineral. For instance, chlorine production relies on chrysotile asbestos diaphragm cells, which are comprised mostly of asbestos fibers. About 36% of chlorine manufacturers use asbestos in their chemical production. These companies make up all the raw minerals imported to the United States.

Amosite Asbestos

Amosite, or brown asbestos, is the second most commonly used asbestos type in the United States, as determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and is still known to lurk in older buildings. It poses a higher cancer risk compared to chrysotile asbestos, according to the American Cancer Society. Amosite was primarily mined in South Africa, and its name comes from the Asbestos Mines of South Africa acronym. Recognizable by its long, straight, brittle fibers, the amosite ranges from white to dark gray, pale yellowish, or dark green. It was widely used in cement sheets, insulation, fire protection, ceiling and floor tiles, gaskets, and roofing products. If you’ve worked in the construction or around older buildings, odds are you may have come into contact with this type of asbestos.

Actinolite Asbestos

Actinolite asbestos is one of the rarer asbestos types. It is known for its fibrous, elongated crystals (often green to gray, sometimes silky or shiny) and is part of the amphibole asbestos family. Found in the United States, Canada, Finland, and Australia, it originates from magnesium-rich metamorphic rocks, often formed underwater due to the high ocean magnesium content. The amphibole family is known for its sharp, needle-like fibers that penetrate deep into lung tissue, increasing cancer risks

Products containing incidental actinolite asbestos can include building materials (cement sheets, drywall, plaster, roofing tiles, wall joint compounds), insulation materials (textured paints, furnace linings, spray-on fireproofing), and other applications (acoustic ceiling textures, steam pipes). Commonly used in high-temperature insulation materials, actinolite asbestos can cause malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer. Actinolite’s sharp fibers can puncture tissue linings, leading to genetic mutations and tumor formation.

Crocidolite Asbestos

Blue asbestos, also known as crocidolite, is one of the deadliest types of asbestos to humans. Its microscopic fibers lodge in the lungs, leading to respiratory diseases like mesothelioma, asbestosis, and others. Mined in Bolivia, Australia, and South Africa, crocidolite asbestos was common in 20th-century U.S. products like building materials and insulation. While less widely used than other types, crocidolite’s presence in older structures remains a health hazard today. Regulations to limit its use only came about in the late 1980s.

Tremolite Asbestos

Tremolite asbestos, often a contaminant in mining vermiculite, talc, and nephrite jade, varies in color from white, gray, and green to translucent due to impurities. Products containing incidental tremolite asbestos include gardening supplies, fireproof clothing, insulation materials, and building components like roofing, plumbing, and textiles. Though rarely used intentionally in commercial products, even incidental contamination can cause asbestos-related illnesses.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has raised concerns about fibrous amphibole in vermiculite from Libby, Montana. Regulatory agencies like the EPA and OSHA recognize tremolite among six asbestos minerals due to its health risks. Proposals exist to update U.S. asbestos regulations to include additional asbestiform amphiboles identified in contaminated Libby vermiculite samples.

Anthophyllite Asbestos

Anthophyllite asbestos ranges in color from yellow to brown and is one of the rarest types of asbestos as it has limited commercial use. Primarily mined in Finland and smaller deposits globally, it has been used in various products, including cement, insulation, roofing materials, rubber, and certain talc and vermiculite products. This asbestos type typically appears in shades of gray, green, or brown, with long, thin, brittle fibers that can easily break into microscopic pieces. Despite its rarity, anthophyllite is sometimes found in deposits of talc and vermiculite, adding to its incidental exposure risks.

Are All Types of Asbestos Dangerous?

Both types of asbestos (amphibole and serpentine) are known to cause exposure-related diseases. Usually, the risk of exposure to amphibole and serpentine fibers doesn’t come from being near the raw form of the mineral – since asbestos is no longer mined in the U.S. In most cases, the risk of asbestos exposure comes from asbestos-containing materials (like contaminated popcorn ceilings or linoleum tiles). Unfortunately, thousands of products have been manufactured with this carcinogen in the U.S. and abroad – including children’s toys, powder makeup, and shipbuilding materials.

In the U.S., workers in specific industries have exceptionally high risks of exposure. These industries typically handle or work around asbestos-containing materials daily. As such, retired workers in these industries are often diagnosed with work-related cancers and long-term health complications.

Affected industries include:

The EPA and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulate the handling of asbestos in the workplace. Nationally, air quality limits and personal protective equipment (PPE) laws require employers to adequately protect workers. However, there is no total ban on asbestos, which exists in houses in every state. Sometimes, home renovators and DIY builders suffer asbestos exposure from contaminated products in the home.

Asbestos Exposure-related Diseases

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Generally, exposure refers to inhaling or swallowing any type of asbestos. All forms of asbestos exposure have been linked to the development of disease. Usually, people are exposed when friable asbestos releases fibers into the air. Airborne asbestos is so light it can stay afloat for several days. Consequently, dust from any asbestos type is dangerous to breathe into your lungs or swallow into your stomach. Exposure-related asbestos diseases include:

  • Asbestosis
  • Colon cancer
  • Pleural plaques
  • Lung cancer
  • Mesothelioma
  • Rectal cancer
  • Stomach cancer
  • Throat cancer

Most asbestos-caused cancers take years to develop but can lead to significant physical disability. Many people are unaware they were ever exposed in the first place. An experienced asbestos attorney can help clients identify the sources of exposure and the companies responsible.

Types of Asbestos Lawsuits

If you believe you have been exposed to any of these six types of asbestos—actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, chrysotile, crocidolite, or tremolite—our patient advocate team is here to help. Asbestos exposure is a serious health risk and, as described above, is linked to various cancers and diseases. Don’t wait to get help. Many asbestos-related diseases can take years to develop, and early diagnosis can significantly improve treatment outcomes.

If you’re concerned about past exposure, our Patient Advocate Team can connect you with qualified medical professionals specializing in diagnosing and treating asbestos-related conditions. Contact our Patient Advocate Team today for a free consultation.

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