Asbestos is a fibrous mineral with a high melting and combustion point. It is a variety of amphibole or of pyroxene, occurring in long and delicate fibres, or in fibrous masses or seams, usually of a white, grey, or green-grey colour. The name is also given to a similar variety of serpentine. The finer varieties have been wrought into gloves and cloth which are incombustible. The cloth was formerly used as a shroud for dead bodies, and has been recommended for firemen's clothes. Asbestos in also employed in the manufacture of iron safes, and formerly for fireproof roofing, and for lamp wicks. Some varieties are called amianthus. Asbestos is now known to be a highly dangerous mineral, causing severe and often fatal respiratory problems when the dust is breathed. Research Asbestos
Abbreviations
Rocks & Minerals
Research Asbestos