Asbestos Fiber Properties
Asbestos Fiber Properties
Damaged ACBMs can potentially release asbestos fibers into the air.
Damaged ACBMs can potentially release asbestos fibers into the air.
Because asbestos fibers are so small, once released into the air, they may stay suspended there for hours or even days.
Because asbestos fibers are so small, once released into the air, they may stay suspended there for hours or even days.
The primary hazard to people is breathing air containing suspended asbestos fibers.
The primary hazard to people is breathing air containing suspended asbestos fibers.
Electron microscope photo of chrysotile asbestos. The white bar in the upper left represents 50 µm -- or 50 millionths of a meter.
The fibers shown in the photo range in size from less than 5 µm to greater than 25 µm. Their diameter is much less than 1 µm. Only fibers thinner than 3 μm, longer than 5 μm and a length-width ratio above 3 (so-called here long asbestos fibers (LAF)) are taken into account for regulatory purposes
Electron microscope photo of a human hair. The diameter of the hair is approximately 70 µm, or about the same as the length of the longest chrysotile asbestos fibers shown in the top photo.
