What is Asbestos?
As defined in the current regulations, asbestos is a collection of naturally occurring crystalline fibrous silicate minerals. There are two main types of asbestos, amphibole and serpentine. There are several types of amphibole asbestos including amosite and crocidolite, but only one type of serpentine known as chrysotile. There are six types of regulated asbestos of which chrysotile is by far the most common.
The main physical properties of asbestos are:
- Thermal stability and incombustibility.
- Thermal insulation.
- Electrical insulation.
- Tensile strength.
- Chemical durability.