The uses of chrysotile

Chrysotile asbestos was used in thousands of commercial products in the past. However, current usage is confined to four principal product categories. These are: asbestos cement; friction materials; roof coatings and cements; and gaskets. Current products, different from several friable products formerly in major use and discontinued some 20 years ago, in the majority of countries, have the asbestos locked-in or encapsulated within another matrix. With modern control measures, exposures are minimized throughout the product life cycle. Approximately 85% of chrysotile used worldwide is for production of asbestos-cement products (pipes and sheets). In 1992, approximately 28 million tones of asbestos-cement products were produced in approximately 100 countries.