Overview of Asbestos

Asbestos is a common name given to a group of naturally occurring mineral silicates that can be separated into flexible fibres. The name asbestos comes from the Greek word meaning unquenchable or indestructible. There are two main categories of asbestos, serpentines and amphiboles.

Types of Asbestos

For the purposes of regulation and control, asbestos-containing materials (ACM) are roughly divided into two broad categories, friable and non-friable. The primary difference between these two categories relates to how easily the material can be broken down to release airborne fibres.

Friable: Those materials that when dry, CAN be crumbled, pulverized or reduced to a powder by hand or moderate pressure.

Non-friable: Those materials that when dry, CANNOT easily be crumbled, pulverized or reduced to a powder by hand or moderate pressure.

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