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Asbestos
Asbestos is the common name given to six fibrous asbestos minerals:
chrysotile, crocidolite, amosite, anthrophyllite, tremolite
and actinolite.
Chrysotile, also known as "white asbestos”, is the
only remaining commercial asbestos mineral. Production of crocidolite
("blue asbestos”) and amosite ("brown asbestos”)
has now ceased completely.
Fibre quality and length were used to determine applications
in:
a) asbestos cement for manufacture of corrugated sheets, roofing
slate, wall board, piping and conduits;
b) brake linings for automobiles, lorries and trains, heavy
industrial equipment and aircraft;
c) the textile industry and asbestos paper for fireproof clothing,
heat insulation, isolation and stuffing.
The asbestos market has undergone major modification since the
product was banned by most countries of the Western world as
a result of its link with serious illness caused by its fibrous
nature. Industrialists are studying substitute products and
specific methods for converting their production to comply with
current legislation.
Source : European Commission D6 III : European Minerals
Yearbook. Second edition 1996-7. Luxembourg 1998.
Link: The
Asbestos Institute
World Production of Asbestos
Metric Tonnes
| |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
| Europe |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bulgaria |
300 |
350 |
350 |
350 |
30 |
| Greece |
50.000 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Russia |
600.000 |
675.000 |
750.000 |
750.000 |
750.000 |
| Serbia and Montenegro |
633 |
361 |
563 |
194 |
20 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Africa |
|
|
|
|
|
| Egypt |
700 |
1.000 |
2.000 |
2.000 |
2.000 |
| South Africa |
27.195 |
18.836 |
18.782 |
13.393 |
10.000 |
| Swaziland |
27.693 |
22.912 |
12.690 |
0 |
0 |
| Zimbabwe |
123.295 |
115.000 |
152.000 |
136.327 |
130.000 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Asia |
|
|
|
|
|
| China |
314.000 |
247.000 |
320.000 |
360.000 |
360.000 |
| India |
18.751 |
20.000 |
21.000 |
21.000 |
18.000 |
| Iran |
2.258 |
2.000 |
2.000 |
2.000 |
1.500 |
| Japan |
18.000 |
18.000 |
18.000 |
18.000 |
18.000 |
| Kazakhstan |
155.400 |
139.300 |
233.200 |
271.300 |
291.100 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| America |
|
|
|
|
|
| Argentina |
309 |
259 |
254 |
250 |
250 |
| Brazil |
198.332 |
188.386 |
209.332 |
209.300 |
209.300 |
| Canada |
309.000 |
337.000 |
307.000 |
272.000 |
272.000 |
| Colombia (a) |
128.446 |
61.125 |
59.249 |
96.140 |
62.785 |
| USA (b) |
5.760 |
7.190 |
5.260 |
5.260 |
2.720 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| World total |
1.980.000 |
1.850.000 |
2.110.000 |
2.160.000 |
2.130.000 |
Notes:
In addition to this list, North Korea, Pakistan and Romania
Slovakia are believed to produce asbestos but output is not
officially reported.
(a) Crude ore
(b) Sold or used by producers
Source: Index Mundi (www.indexmundi.com)
The amounts of Asbestos produced in Europe are different
in the World Mineral Statistics 1998-2002 (published by the
British Geological Survey).
EU 30 Production of Asbestos 1998-2002
tonnes
| |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
| Europe |
|
|
|
|
|
| Bulgaria |
672 |
354 |
66 |
0 |
0 |
| Greece |
35.068 |
32.000 |
10.000 |
1.000 |
0 |
| Slovakia |
19.000 |
2.000 |
– |
– |
– |
| EU 30 total |
57.740 |
34.354 |
10.066 |
1.000 |
0 |
Source: British Geological Survey, World Mineral Statistics
1998-2002, p. 27
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