Document Zn7ZE3gY73Naevoz6MmpQdYyJ
Preprintfrom the 1983
BUREAU OF MINES MINERALS YEARBOOK
Asbestos
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
CAPCO JEN 0001697
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR * William P. Clark, Secretary
BUREAU OF MINES Robert C. Horton, Director
This publication is a chapter from the current Bureau of Mines Minerols Yearbook, comprising Volume I, Metoh and Minerals; Volume //, Area Reports: Domestic; Volume III, Area Reports: International. The separate volumes of the Yearbook are sold by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C. 20402.
CAPCO JEN 0001698
Asbestos
By R. A. Clifton1
U.S apparent consumption of asbestos continued to decline in 1983 because of its unfavorable public ecological image. U.S. apparent consumption was 88% of that in 1982 and 27% of the alltime high of 1973. Shipments from domestic mines, all chrysotile, increased 10%, and imports decreased 19%. The Manville Corp., formerly JohnsManville Inc., the largest producer of asbes tos in the market economy countries and the largest U.S. manufacturer of asbestos products, ceased all asbestos mining and
product manufacturing. Manville's Canadi an mine, the world's largest, was purchased by a Canadian group and production was expected to continue.
Domestic Data Coverage.--Domestic pro duction data for asbestos are developed by
the Bureau of Mines by means of a volun tary industry survey. Of the three can vassed operations to which a survey collec tion request was made, all responded, repre senting 100% of the total production data shown in table 1.
Table I.--Salient asbestos statistics
1979
1980
1981
1982
1963
Ulull'd Si.ilea
PrvKluvtimi 'safest
...............nu-lric Ions. _
V.ilue ...
. thousands. _
Exerts .md reex|K>rls funmjnuljLturedi
metric tons. _
V.ilue - . . .
. . thousands. _
Expoi t- dnd reexports of asbestos products lvalue)
do. . . .
Imports lor consumption (uninanulailured)
metric tons. .
Value.
.......................... _ thousands. _
Kcliused from stockpile (unmanufactured)
metric tons. .
Consumption
. do. . .
World Production............... .......... ................................... d i *
93,354 $28,925
411.291 $17,381
$137,890
513,08-1 $135,210
1 .'jiiU,f)O0 r1.758,022
80.U79 $30,599
48.071 $21,007
$141,653
327.200 $91,809
358,700 r4.oyy.3uo
75,618 $30,CSS
04,419 $21,508
$145,130
337,618 $103,893
63.515 $24,917
58.771 $19,713
$127,867
241,737 $64,925
69,906 $27,860
54.634 $19,683
$129,582
196,387 $57,956
348,800
246,500
217,000
4.337,140 P4.0&G,314 *4,157.256
*Estimjted ^Preliminary 1 Revised
Legislation and Government Pro grams.--The Occupational Safety and
Health Administration tOSHA' published in the Federal Register of November 4 its Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which lowers, by a factor of four, the per missible level of workplace, exposure to asbestos. The ETS was challenged in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals by the asbes tos industry and, on November 23, was stayed pending judicial review.
On July 27, in testimony before the Sen ate Subcommittee on Toxic Substances and
Environmental Oversight, the Environmen
tal Protection Agency (EPA) testified that within 1 year it would propose a ban on certain asbestos products. The products to be covered by the proposed ban are saturat ed asbestos roofing felt, unsaturated roofing felt, asbestos flooring felt, asbestos sheet flooring, vinyl-asbestos floor tile, and asbestos-cement pipe. It was EPA's inten tion to propose anqther rule in October 1984, which would set production ceilings for remaining asbestos products. These lim its would decline until all products contain ing asbestos would be eventually phased
out.
1
CAPCO JEN OOOI699
MINERALS YEAKliOOK, 1983
The Consumer Products Safety Commis sion iCPSC) published its final report of the Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel on Asbes tos. Copies of the report are available from the Office of the Secretary, Consumer Prod ucts Safety Commission, Washington, DC -0307. Copies may also be obtained by calling the Office of the Secretary at 1301) 493-6800.
In July, EPA, CPSC, and OSHA set up a formal task force on asbestos. The group was to develop a coordinated Federal ap proach to protect the public from health hazards of asbestos in the workplace, during
use of a product, or from disposal practices. The group's goals include assessing avail
able data on asbestos health hazards, coor dinating scientific research, identifying con trol measures, and developing a uniform approach to issuingregulations.
Environmental Impact.--The mortality rate of Reserve Mining Co.'s employees exposed to asbestos-containing taconite dust was the subject of a medical journal article.* It was found that men employed by Reserve from 1952 to 1976 had a mortality rate significantly lower than that expected for white males in the State of Minnesota and that deaths from malignant diseases were marginally below those expected for the
State.
Table 2.--Stockpile goals and Government inventories for asbestos as of December 31
(Metric tons)
Stockgoafs
Total inventories
1881
1982
HlsT
Amukite _
..............................................................................
Chrysolite - -___________________________ ______________ -..............
frjciijohte...........................................................................................................
Total___________________________ _________________________ _______
15,422 2.722
18.144
38.587 9.034 f2,l63
r49,784
38,587 9.034 754
48.375
38.591 9.753 754
49.098
DOMESTIC PRODUCTION
Mines in the United States shipped about 10% more asbestos than in 1982, and the value increased 12%. Only two States pro duced asbestos; California was the leader, followed by Vermont.
Calaveras Asbestos Corp. was California's and the Nation's leading producer, from its Coppcropolis Mine. The other California
producer, the Santa Rita Mine on the Joa quin Ridge near Coalinga, in San Benito County, was owned and operated by Union Carbide Corp. This mine was the second largest U.S. producer. The third U.S. pro ducer was the Vermont Asbestos Group's Lowell Mine in Orleans County, VT.
Table 3.--Asbestos producers in the United States in 1983
Slate and company
California. Cjldserfta Asbestos Corp________ Union Carbide CotP -
Vermont Vermont AsmsUm Croup . _
County
Mine
Tvpe of asbestos
Calaveras_________ * San Benito________
Orleans___________
Copperopolia _____ _ Santa Rita_______ Lowell__________
Chrysotile.
Do Dc.
Employment in U.S. asbestos mines and mills remained at about 400 persons.
Miners at the Asbestos Group's mine in Vermont went on strike in October and were still out at yearend. Despite this, the
management was optimistic about the fu
ture. A foreclosure suit had been dismissed, and there was sufficient inventory at the mine to meet shipments for some time.
CAPCO JEN 0001700
ASHESTOS
3
CONSUL 'ION AND USES
Total U.S. asbestos consumption decreas ed 12%; of the total, 97% was chrysotile and 3% was crocidolite. Small amounts of amosite were reported used. One percent of the
chrysotile used was spinning grades 1, 2, or 3. Grade 7's were the most used, 76%,
followed by grades 4 and G, 8% each, and grade 5's, 7%.
Table 4.--U.S. asbestos consumption by end use, grade, and type
(Thousand metric tone)
End use
1982 total. ________
1983. Asbestos-cement pipe. _ Asbestos cement sheet Cowlings and compuutids _____________ Flooring products_____ Friction products - . . _ Insulation Thermal_______ Electrical________ Packing and gaskets _ . Paper . . _____ Plastic. . . . . _____ Proofing products_____
Other ___ ___ _
Total
Grades Grade
1 and 2
J
Chrysotile
Grade Grade Grade 4 56
Grade 7
23 18 4 150 18.8 1753
4 6 .9 2 .9 7 22
22 ft
44 6 .9 7.3 2 33 9
_ __ _ _ _
.. _ _ 6
4 .5
7 108
.1 _ _ 1 4
0.2 .2 2
28 37
11
1 1 3 1 39 1
1 17.0 13 0 17.4 159 3
Total
229 8
19.9 100
22 8 446 48.3
.6 12.4
1.5 C
6.5 13 41 7
210 2
Crocidolite
160
62
, __
__ _.
_.
62
Amosite
Total
asbes tos
0.7 246 5
26.1 10.0
22 8 44.6 48 3
.1 1 6
124 15 6 6.5
5 42 2
G 2170
PRICES
Depressed markets and high producer inventories of the last few years have caus ed final negotiated asbestos prices to be lower than listed prices A realistic set of unit values can be calculated using import
data. These averaged data represented most of the domestic market. The unit value of exported asbestos, $360 per metric ton, represented a 7% increase.
Table 5.--Customs unit values of imported asbestos
(Dollars per metric ton)
1979
19S0
1981
Canada
Chrysotile.
Cement___ ...
Crude __________
Spinning--------
Other___ _____
South Africa, Republic of: Amoaile .....___ Crocidolite___ _____
238 251 201 158 K63 843 232 296
499 1.611 711 686
272
927 373
728 676
1982
234 380 917 334
771 646
1983
257 195 932 384
84( 621
FOREIGN TRADE
There was a 1% increase in the total value of asbestos fibers and asbestos prod ucts exported from the United States; of this, the Tiber portion remained at 13%. Canada remained the largest recipient of
U.S. exports, accounting for 51% of th< value, followed by Japan, 8%; Saudi Arabia 7%; and Mexico, 6%.
Canada provided 94% of the asbesto fiber imported into the United States, an-
CAPCO JEN 0001701
1 MINERALS YEARBOOK, 10H.1
the Republic of South Africa provided 6%. Several countries provided minor amounts. Chrysolite again dominated the imported
types with 117% of the total. The value of imported fiber was only 89% of that of 1982.
Table 6.--Countries importing U.S. asbestos fibers and products
(Thousand dollars)
Country
Australia__________
________ _______ - - -
( '.luuJu ... . ----------
< icrin.tn.v, Federal Republic of-
.1 i|i.m
. ------------------
K>*rea. Republic* of__________ -
Kuwait . ----------------------
M. vko
_______ _________
Saudi Arabia .. - - -------------
'I h.uland . ....................
Turkr>
_. - ---------------------
Uiiii.il Kingdom
Wne'ueU
......................
Other
Unmanu factured
fibers
145 24 2 1,144 9K0 3,933 730
17 1.193
178
r5,6l5
19,5-13
IS8J
Manu factured products
5.034 387
43,714 2.417 f.,475 2,367 1.114 9.837 15.291 325 334 2.781 5,747
r30,920
120.7 U4
.Toul*
5.179 C09
44.858 3.397 10.408 3.098 1,114 14.739 15,308 1.524
334 2,939 G.GOO *36,735
140.24?
Unmanu factured
fibers
19 221 1.539 965 3.787 550
4.649 13
2.599 497 204 329
4.005
19-1`W
1U83
Manu factured products
2.107 1.432 73.739 2.367 8.036
781 1,380 3.565 10,339
189 913 2.11() 1.773 19.846
128,584
'U.itu may nul add to totals shown because of independent rounding
Total1
2.126 1.653 75.278 3.352 11.823 1.331 1,380 8,214 10,352 2,788 1,410 2,320 2.102 23.851
147,981
Tabic 7.--U.S. exports and reexports of asbestos and asbestos products
Products
1981
Quan tity
Value (thou sands)
1952
Quan tity
Value
'thou sands!
1953
Quan tity
Value (thou sands)
EXPORTS
JnnianufaCturcd Crudes, fibers, stucco . -_______ - - metric tons
50.13! $17,328 13.995 4,021
64.12b 21.319
42.342 16.183
58.525
$14,752 4.791
19.543
40.476 13,760
54.236
$14,679 4,519
19,398
______ do
Caskets.............................................
- . - do___ -
. _. .do. . _ CluUh facings and linings_____ _ - . _ number. _
Total
................-.....................................
REEXPORTS Uimi.mul'.tLturi-d:
t 'rudi-s and fillers - -- -- .... . . metric tons. _ Sand and reluse - _ _____ ______
Tula! ----- __________
t'rud ucts
Asltestos fibers - .---------- -------------- ----------- do---------
shingles and clapboard__________ _do---------------------
Caskets ______ ____________ _______ ____ do---------
Packing and seals _______ ______ ____ ____ -do---------
Insulation -- ----------------------------------- do-- --
Other articles, nspf-------- ----------------------- do---------
(trake linings' und disk brake pads _ --------do. - - _
Clutch facings and linings- --------------- number. .
Other artn. !c of usbealos-
metric tons. -
Toul
NA N1 available XX Not applicable `la-w than 1/2 unit.
3.840 21,771 17,504
451 1,598
NA NA NA NA
XX
9.544 3.686 14.292 4.144 16.179 6,185 23,660 50.058 12.7 63
144,531
2.538 4.011 17,639
358 1.311
NA NA NA NA
XX
8.119 3.235 13,444 3.020 15.309 6.799 17.047 42.852 16.879
120,704
1.537 3.082 4.953
337 1,015
NA NA NA NA
XX
5.193 1.935 5,593 2.196 10,174 3.270 9.477 70,456
128,554
240 150 246 53 9 XX
293 259 246
no 333
XX 65
170 398
6 34 66 34 20 _ _
17 125 NA 17 NA 120 NA
NA 149 NA NA 234 NA
1 16 27
203 3
1 (') 22 l
NA 9 NA 539 NA 309 NA 80 59
XX 599 XX 1,163 XX
2i I 14
265
7
117 10 10
166 316 167 203
998
CAPCO JEN 0001702
AHIIICSTOH
r
Table S,--IJ.S. imports for consumption of asbestos fibers by type, origin, and value
T>|
JUKI ...........................- .
1082 Chrysotile. Crude . . Spuming fibers All other_____ Crocidolite iblue) . _ Amosite .... . .
Total _ . _
i`J83
Chrysoule Crude ............... Spinning fibers All other _
Crocidulite ibluel _ _ Amosile _______
Tuldl
-
Canada
Quantity (metric
lOIIS.1
Value
(thou sands)
318.367 $!IU,82*<
South Africa, Republic of
Quantity (metric
tons)
Value (thou sands!
17.112 $10,846
Otheir
Quantity (metric
tons)
Value (thou
sands)
2.139
$2,219
Total
Quantity (metric
tons)
Value (thou sands)
337,618 $103,893
1.32s 227,71.5
229,079
14 1.218 55,482
56.714
1KI4 2.193 7.904
389
11.390
453 1.34] 5,105
300
7.199
8 202 1.058
1,268
1 283 728
1,012
44 2.434 230,906 7,904
389
241.737
15 1.954 57,551 5,105
300
64.925
4
1 313 220
89 138 406 359
1.840
1,711
190
123
nil
225 2,191
2.062
182,459
48,018
4,465
2,398
80
120 187,004
51,136
G.J77
3,887
_
_
6.177
3,887
. 609 512
609 512
184,30.1
49.733
11.754
7.740
330
483 196,387
57,956
WORLD REVIEW
The market economy countries' asbestos industries suffered the same state of over* supply, reduced demand, mine layoffs, and general economic problems that character ised lbSZ. Increased demand m the last quarter did little more than reduce some of the high fiber inventories.
Canada.--Manville concluded the sale of the Jeffrey Mine at Asbestos in September. The purchasers included a number of for mer Manville executives headed by the president of their former auditing firm. J. M Asbestos Inc., the new owner, promised to continue production of fine chrysotilc fibers and provide technical services.
Preliminary figures were cited that show ed a continued downturn of Quebec's liber production.1 The volume, estimated at 717,000 tons, was 4% below that for 1082, but the value, Can$Jlb million, increased
<1%. According to a published report, Asbestos
Corp. planned to close its Asbestos Hill Mine for 1 year.4 Inventory shortfalls caus ed by the closing were to be made up by increased production from its Thetford Mine. A closure of Asbestos Hill might cause a temporary shutdown of Asbestos Corp.'s mill in Nordenham, Federal Repub lic of Germany, which currently processes the concentrated ore.
Italy.--A mining periodical described the
current operation of the Amiantifera Balangero S.p.A. Balangero Mine.1 Asbestos was mined from a face 170 meters high by 700 meters long. The mine's annual capaci ty was rated at 3.1 million tons of ore yielding 150,000 tons of fiber. It was one of the few asbestos mines in the world wdth a salable byproduct. Nearly one-half million
tons per year of high-quality crushed stone and sand have been sold from the Balangero Mine.
South Africa, Republic of.--A mining periodical detailed workings of a mine and mill that produced roughly one-half of the world's crocidolite in 1982.* The under ground Pomfret Mine of the Griqualand Exploration and Finance Co. Ltd. was con sidered to be the premier crocidolite mine of the world. Ore selection at the face of grades not less than G% was used to main tain an average ore grade of 12% to the mil). Except for a wash cycle to recover fibers, the mill process was dry. Pomfret's 2,400 employees live in the town of Pomfret, which is owned by the company.
Zimbabwe.--A weekly mining periodical painted a bleak picture for the country's asbestos industry.* Extrapolation of halfyear production figures showed a 27% pro duction decline from that of 1982, and a
5G% production decline from that of 1976, its record year.
9
CAPCO JEN 0001703
(i MINtiUALS YUAKUOOK, 1JH3
Table 9.--Asbestos: World production, by country1
(Metric tone)
Country*
Afghanistan.
Auilialid Brazil....................................... ............................. Bulgaria.............................................................. Canada (shipments) _______________________
Greece ____________ _______ _______________
Kiwua, Republic of____-_______ _________ Mozambique__ ___ :>ju()i Africa. Republic of_____________ Swaziland (export*!________ _________ ______ Taman.................................................................. Turkey________ _______________________ ~ _ USSR*............. ............................................. United States (sold or used by producers)------
Zimbabwe _________._____________________
Tulal . . _ . ................................................
19\p
1980
1981
*4^0
( ..
1.3TV
1.261/
1,280
79.72l\
92,41
44.647
138,457 \
169,173 138,420
600 \
700 400
1.492,719 \ 1,323,053 1,122,000
'140,000 \. '131.700 106,000
35,472 238
\ 24.535 \ / 316
24.440 325
32.094 143.931
3,502 14,804
789 249.187
34,294 2,95?
r60O
2,020,000
92,354 10.041 #9.891
A 31.253 / 157.794 ,/ \ 3,897 / \9.854 / \*800
271734 32*833
683
rL8.l62 2,010,duo
80,0(9 12.106 250,94)?
'/.7SS.022
'4,699,30<)
24.515 137,086
3,950 14.084
800 235,943
35,264 2,317 3,860
2.105,000 75,618 13,591
247.600
4,337,140
1982P
NA 1.218 ' "20,000 *140,000
600 834.000 110,000
18,952 310
*100.000 26,761 116,410 4.135 15,933 *800 211,860 26.413 2,392 958
2,180,000 63,515 11.657 194,400
4.080.314
1983*
NA 1,350 20.000 135,000
600 829.000 110,000
18,000 325
100,000 25,000 120,000
4.000 15.000
800 220,000 *31.275
2,500 4.000 2,250.000 '69,906 10,500 190,000
4,157,256
'Estimated ''Preliminary. 'Revised. NA Not available
/
'Table include* data available through Apr 18,1984.
*In addition 10 the countries listed. Czechoslovakia, North Korea, and Romania also produced asbestos, but output is
i >oi ot i'k- tally reported, and available general information is inadequate for the formulation of reliable estimates of output
levels
`Reported figure
TECHNOLOGY
The U.S. Navy tested shipboard trans formers, with and without asbestos, to dem onstrate the superior properties of asbestos electrical insulating papers and boards.1 Among the tests conducted was one to establish failure temperature under various overloads. The transformer containing as bestos surpassed all others by nearly 300* F. Asbestos emission tests demonstrated that little, if any, asbestos fiber was emitted from any of the transformers under actual operating conditions and that the tremen dous overload resistance of the asbestos insulating system permits transformers on board U.S. Navy warships to operate under the most severe combat conditions.
A neoprene spray process was developed for coating asbestos fibers to prevent their escape from construction components used in building interiors.1 The process is design ed to both penetrate and surface coat the asbestos and eventually cure the coating to form a tough elastic cocoon. Use of the process was claimed to eliminate or greatly reduce the very high fiber counts generated during the disassembly of buildings.
Substitutes.--A glass industry publica tion describes a new alkali-resistant glass fiber.10 The Japanese National Institute for Research in Inorganic Chemicals applied fnr .lananow r.*^ ITS nnlents on its elass
fiber produced by England's Pilkington
Bros. The process mixture for the glass consists of 25% each of silica and alumina
and 50% of an intermediate material used
in producing yttrium. Two organic fibers were identified as
having comparable properties to asbestos in certain uses. These were an acrylic fiber
presented by the Badische Corp." and a polyvinyl alcohol fiber developed by Eter-
nits, the Swiss asbestos cement manufactur
er, and the Osaka-based Kuraray Co., as an
asbestos substitute in cement products.10
`Physical sciential, Division of Industrial Minerals 'Higgins. I T. T.. J H Classman. M S Oh. and R F Cornell "Mortality of Reserve Mining Company Employees m Relation loTacomte Dust Exposure. Am J. Epioemio!, v 118. No. 5, May 1983. pp 710-719 *Remick. J., and M Trottier General Outlook. West. Miner, v. 57, No 2, Feb. 1984, p 31. 'Industrial Minerals (London) Canada. Asbestos Hill Closed. No 195, Dec 1983. p. 9 'Mining Magazine Balangero---Europe's Most Impor tant Asbestos Producer V. 149. No 6, Dec. 1983, p 427. *-------. Pomfret Asbestos Mine. V. 149. No 3, Sept. 1983, pp. 153-159. 'Mining Journal (London). A Mixed Bag for Zimbabwe. V. 301. No 7740. Dec. 23. 1983. p. 4SJ. *Love, D, J. Fitch, and C Y. Lu. Performance of Asbestos Insulation Systems in Dry Type Transformers. Electn-Onict, v. 29, No. 7, July 1983, pp 67-70. Pitilto, J. Neoprene Spray Is Answer to Knotty Asbes tos Problem Chem. Mark. Rep., v. 223. No. 18. May 2,1983, pp 15-16. l0Glass Industry. Japanese Lab Develops AlkaliResistant Glass. V. 65, No. 1, Jan. 1983, p 13. "Chemical Marketing Reporter. Acrylics Aim at Asbes tos V 224. No. 23. June 13,1983, pp. 7,34.
CAPCO JEN 0001704
