PROCEDURE FOR THE DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF ASBESTOS AND OTHER FIBRES IN FIBROUS INORGANIC MATERIALS

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Abstract
A systematic procedure for the detection and identification of asbestos and other fibres in insulation and other fibrous materials is described. The need for adequate sampling and acid pre-treatment to remove the bulk of the non-fibrous matrix of such samples is stressed. The method requires an initial low-power stereo-microscopic examination followed by petrological polarization microscopic identification of the fibres. The optical characteristics required for the unambiguous identification of the common asbestos minerals are given.