Why I Hate Asbestos Jewelry ?
One of the least known causes of exposure to asbestos can be found in your box of treasures. You can use asbestos jewelry without realizing it if you want to wear gemstones every day.
Gemstones are parts of mineral and polished quartz. Known as gems, jewels, or semiprecious stones, these are common online and available on the market as jewelry or as minerals, which are often accessible for children in retail stores or open-air markets.
During the 20th century, asbestos was used in numerous businesses. Malignant minerals are all around. It was also used to make jewelry that put many at risk for mesothelioma in the jewelry industry.
While these gemstones will probably not lead to hazardous exposure for the consumers, they can lead to minimal exposure if they crack. Children who play with gems containing asbestos are vulnerable to hypothermia if they break them.
A report dated 1992, which documents a first known case of mesothelioma related to the industry of jewelry, is published in the American Journal of industrial medicine. Asbestos is a fire-resistant mineral that has attracted many industries.
I have found a report on the prominence of asbestos in clay art, baking, and the military in Mesothelioma Guide. Besides the well-known use of asbestos in construction and insulation, these businesses are also used.
How Asbestos Jewelry affect Jewelers?
Jewelers face the most considerable risk of asbestos contamination by gemstones. Cases of malignant and non – cancerous asbestos-related diseases in jewellery have been found in scientific studies. The danger is low, but still a risk because asbestos-containing gemstones can be sold, purchased, and used in the US legally.
The critical methods of asbestos jewelry exposure to jewelers include:
- Asbestos-containing gemstones are sanded, cut, and shaped by jewelers.
- The making of soldering moulds with asbestos that forms the pieces of jewelry to be soldered has asbestos.
- Cut asbestos sheets to cast molds, baked in ovens to make jewelry pieces.
According to the Ganoskin website, a jewelry-making tool, Jewels often mix asbestos with water to produce “a special clay.” During the soldering process, jewelers used this clay-looking asbestos blend to tie metal pieces together.
“While at least one case of mesothelioma in the asbestos jewelry industry was attributed at least to contamination of the ‘stable’ asbestos form.” “Whereas asbestos is less harmful than others, the website states.”
Asbestos are found in certain gemstones used for the production of jewelry, including:
- Cat’s eye
- Hawk’s eye
- Tokkoite
- Grossular garnet
- Silkstone
- Hessonite
- Brucite
- Tiger’s eye
- Arizona tiger’s eye
- California tiger’s eye
- Natrolite
- Mesolite
- Pietersite
- Binghamite
- Yuksporite
- Denisovite
- Scolecite
How else can jewelers prevent exposure to asbestos?
To minimize the exposure to asbestos, jewelers will do the following:
- Play carefully protective eye-wear to prevent eye irritation caused by asbestos jewelry particles.
- Use a breathing mask or mask N-100, P-100, R-100, or a high-efficiency particle air filter.
- Work in a well-ventilated area that can be used in the workshop of a jeweler’s ventilation system.
- Avoid working with known asbestos gemstones.
Dual-bag ascetic waste, contained in a sealed plastic container in 6-milliliter bags by statute, must be appropriately labelled and paid for disposal at a government-designated site for jewelers who deal with asbestos-containing gemstones. Those who do not respect these regulations are subject to steep penalties.
For centuries Gemstones have been fascinating to people. They don’t just want to collect it and wear it as jewelry, but people find it contains spiritual qualities. This gemstone, for example, is said to balance people’s life, called green zebra jasper, which contains chrysotile asbestos.
The risk of exposure to asbestos among people wearing asbestos jewelry is low, but the risk of long-term health effects for jewelers and laborers increases.
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