U.S. Geological Survey
Fact Sheet 012-01 Online Version 1.1

Some Facts About Asbestos

By Robert L. Virta

This Fact Sheet briefly reviews what asbestos is, how it is identified, where it is found, and how it is used. The U.S. Geological Survey provides information on asbestos geology, mineralogy, and mining; other agencies listed in this fact sheet provide information on regulations and health effects of asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is a generic name given to the fibrous variety of six naturally occurring minerals that have been used in commercial products. Asbestos is made up of fiber bundles. These bundles, in turn, are composed of extremely long and thin fibers that can be easily separated from one another. The bundles have splaying ends and are extremely flexible. The term "asbestos" is not a mineralogical definition. It is a commercial designation for mineral products that possess high tensile strength, flexibility, resistance to chemical and thermal degradation, and high electrical resistance and that can be woven.

Download a PDF version of this fact sheet [100K]

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4.0 for free

URL of this page: http://pubs.usgs.gov/factsheet/fs012-01/
Maintained by: Eastern Publications Group Web Team
Created 01/16/01
Last modified: 03/21/01 (krw)