Common Asbestos Fibers

The most common types of asbestos fibers are Chrysotile, also known as white asbestos; Amosite, also known as brown asbestos; and Crocidolite, also known as blue asbestos. The colors refer to the minerals in their raw state.

Chrysotile is the most common type of asbestos, comprising approximately 90 to 95 percent of all asbestos found in the United States. Also known as "white asbestos", Chrysotile is made of minerals that crystallize in the serpentine pattern, which means its crystals are formed in sheets. Chrysotile has been linked with all asbestos-related diseases, including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Amosite is an Amphibole type of asbestos made of mineral fibers formed by crystals in a chain-like structure. Amosite is also called "brown asbestos" and comes from the asbestos mines of South Africa. Mesothelioma has been observed after occupational exposure to Amosite asbestos.

Crocidolite is one of the five types of Amphibole asbestos whose mineral crystals are structured like a chain. Crocidolite is often called "blue asbestos," and it is mined in Australia, South Africa, the former Soviet Union and Canada.

Asbestos Companies' Knowledge of Dangers

Information concerning the health hazards of asbestos began appearing in medical and scientific literature in the early 1900s. By the late 1930s, respected medical journals already contained articles describing how asbestos could cause asbestosis and cancer, indicating that the disease took 15 years or more to develop (latency period); that the diseases were often progressive; and that asbestos disease could be fatal. In addition to the growing body of medical literature about the dangers of asbestos published throughout the early to mid-twentieth century, many asbestos companies had their own corporate memos, notes, letters, and scientific articles explaining the health dangers of asbestos exposure.

Despite this large body of knowledge, asbestos companies failed to adequately warn those who would come into contact with their products about the health hazards of such exposure. This failure to adequately warn and protect those who could be exposed or come into contact with the asbestos emitted when the asbestos products were installed and/or removed is the basis for the negligence and/or strict liability lawsuits against these companies.