ASBESTOS 



65 



corrugated sheets, and pipe is increasing more 

 rapidly than that for other asbestos products. Since 

 World War II, new asbestos-cement plants have been 

 built throughout the world. Most of the lesser in- 

 dustrialized nations, as well as many of the emerg- 

 ing nations, now have manufacturing facilities. The 

 lack of a domestic or nearby source of asbestos is 

 no great deterent to this trend, because processed 

 asbestos makes up only 15-20 perecnt of the locally 

 finished product, which is competitive in cost for 

 low-cost housing and is universally suitable as build- 

 ing material. In the United States, the demand for 

 asbestos-cement pressure pipe, mainly for use in 

 sewage and water systems, has increased even more 

 rapidly than the need for other asbestos-cement 

 products. The demand in Europe, where such pipe 

 was used extensively long before it came into com- 

 mon use in the United States, is also increasing. 

 Thus, the demand for the medium- to short-length 

 chrysotile fibers (groups 4, 5, and 6 — see Bowles, 

 1959, or Jenkins, 1960, for summary of classifica- 

 tions commonly in use) and equivalent crocidolite 

 and amosite fibers is bound to escalate wherever 

 population or industrial expansion occurs. Demand 

 in the United States is likely to keep pace, as long 

 as per capita consumption of water increases and 

 pollution control forces the construction of more 

 sophisticated sewage disposal systems. 



Actually, perhaps at least half of the remaining 

 30 percent of asbestos consumed is also keyed to the 

 construction industry. In the United States, floor 

 tiles account for 10 percent of consumption ; paints, 

 electrical insulation, steam-pipe coverings, and other 

 low-volume uses probably account for several per- 

 cent. 



EXPLOITATION 



Asbestos was first produced in Quebec in 1878, 

 and within a few years this source dominated world 

 production. The firm establishment of an asbestos 

 fabricating industry and markets in America by 

 1900 awakened interest in asbestos mining through- 

 out the world. By 1910, notable asbestos-mining 

 facilities had been established in the countries that 

 since have become the centers of world production. 

 Although asbestos occurrences are widely dispersed 

 throughout the world, and mining is recorded at 

 several widely separate localities on every continent 

 except the polar landmasses, most of world produc- 

 tion has been from three areas. In order of pro- 

 ductivity these are: (1) Canada, (2) the U.S.S.R., 

 and (3) the southern Africa fields centered mainly 

 in Rhodesia and the Transvaal and the Cape Prov- 

 inces of the Republic of South Africa, but with sig- 



nificant increments from one district in Swaziland. 

 Before 1950, 90-95 percent of the reported world 

 annual production was from these three areas. In 

 1968, they furnished about 84 percent; the United 

 States, Italy, and mainland China probably pro- 

 duced another 10 percent, and 17 other nations 

 accounted for most of the remainder. 



The dominance of Canada in the asbestos trade is 

 apparent in several ways. The largest asbestos mines 

 and mills in the world are in Quebec; as a conse- 

 quence, specification standards that affect commerce 

 are in great part determined there. Before the mid- 

 1950's, more than half of world production was in 

 Canada ; and for several years, output from Canada 

 exceeded 60 percent and even approached 70 percent 

 of world supply. Despite a 65-percent jump in pro- 

 ductivity since 1950, Canadian shipments have been 

 increasing at a lower rate than total world produc- 

 tion; consequently, Canada has accounted for about 

 45 percent of the annual total in recent years. 

 Canada consumes less than 5 parcent of its output, 

 and in supplying raw asbestos to more than 80 

 countries it accounts for 70-75 percent of world 

 exports. Russia, the second largest producer and the 

 only nation that is both a large producer and a 

 large consumer, during recent years has exported 

 about 15 percent of its production, mainly to eastern 

 European nations. Until recently Rhodesia was the 

 second largest exporter of asbestos to the Western 

 World. 



The United States has long been the principal 

 fabricator and consumer of asbestos products, but 

 has always been dependent on imports of raw asbse- 

 tos to sustain its large industry. During many years 

 prior to 1955, the United States consumed 45-55 

 percent of world output and domestic sources sup- 

 plied only 3-8 percent of annual requirements. With 

 the larger scale production of short chrysotile from 

 California that started in 1962, domestic production 

 more than doubled and current annual output of 

 125,000-130,000 tons represents about 15 percent 

 of United States consumption. Before this increase, 

 in terms of tonnage, 90-96 percent of United States 

 imports was chrysotile asbestos from Canada, and 

 these imports represented 70-75 percent of Cana- 

 dian production. Thus, for a considerable time, as 

 shown in figure 9, United States consumption was 

 reflected in the Canadian production record. Before 

 1950, Rhodesia furnished most of certain textile 

 grades of chrysotile. 



The United States is wholly dependent — as are 

 all nations — on the Transvaal for amosite asbestos 

 and on the Transvaal and Cape Provinces of South 

 Africa for all but a small part of crocidolite (blue) 



