THE USE OF ASBESTOS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ АСБЕСТА В СТРОИТЕЛЬНОЙ ИНДУСТРИИ

Овчинников Даниил Денисович

студент, Национальный Исследовательский Московский Государственный Строительный Университет,

РФ, г. Москва

Толмачёв Евгений Игоревич

студент, Национальный Исследовательский Московский Государственный строительный университет,

РФ, г. Москва

Юдина Ирина Ивановна

преподаватель, Национальный Исследовательский Московский Государственный Строительный Университет,

РФ, г. Москва

ABSTRACT

This article is devoted to the use of asbestos in the construction industry, it lists the dangers that this building material poses to health, it describes the prospects for replacing this building material with safe alternatives.

АННОТАЦИЯ

Данная статья посвящена вопросу использования асбеста в строительной индустрии, перечисляются опасности, которые данный строительный материал представляет для здоровья, описываются перспективы замены данного строительного материала на безопасные альтернативы.

Keywords: asbestos, health hazards, alternative materials, construction, ecology, the consequences.

Ключевые слова: асбест, опасность для здоровья, альтернативные материалы, строительство, экология, последствия.

Asbestos began to be used in industry already at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and it was widely distributed in many industries. Let us take a closer look at the history of the use and application of this material.

The first mention of asbestos dates back to 3000 BC, when fire-fighting materials made of asbestos were used in ancient Egypt for the manufacture of fabrics and bandages. In ancient Greece, asbestos was used to create fire-resistant fabrics and materials for burial.

In modern history, the use of asbestos began in industry. Its first applications were associated with the creation of insulating materials used in steam engines and boilers. At the beginning of the 20th century, asbestos began to be widely used in the production of building materials such as slate and asbestos cardboard.

The use of asbestos in industry began in the mid-19th century, when it was discovered in large quantities in various parts of the world, including Russia, Canada and Australia. At the beginning of its use, asbestos was used mainly for the production of insulating materials and thermal insulation coatings, as well as for fire protection.

Over time, the use of asbestos has expanded. At the beginning of the 20th century, asbestos began to be used for the production of building materials, including asbestos cement sheets used for roofing and cladding buildings, as well as for the production of pipes and other products.

In the mid-20th century, asbestos became a popular material for the production of brake pads and clutches in cars, as well as for the insulation of electrical wires.

However, already in the 1920s, reports began to appear that workers who dealt with asbestos suffered from various lung diseases, including asbestos and lung cancer. In the 1970s, many countries began to prohibit or restrict the use of asbestos in various industries. At the moment, the use of asbestos is prohibited in more than 60 countries around the world, including countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, Russia, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States and in some other countries.

However, despite the prohibition of the use of asbestos in many countries, many buildings built before the introduction of these bans still contain materials that include asbestos.

In many countries, the use of asbestos is prohibited, although some companies and even governments continue to look for new ways to use this material. Such initiatives face certain obstacles, since asbestos is a carcinogenic substance that can lead to serious diseases.

One example of the use of asbestos is the construction of roads in India. In 2017, the Government of India announced plans to use asbestos fibers to strengthen roads. This plan was made in response to problems related to the poor quality of infrastructure in some regions of the country. However, it caused a negative reaction from environmentalists and health organizations, who declared a possible threat to people's health.

Another example is the use of asbestos in the construction of residential buildings in Russia. Despite the ban on the use of asbestos in a number of countries, in Russia this material is still used in some types of building materials, such as sheet materials and pipes. This leads to a health risk for people living in these buildings, as well as for workers engaged in the production of these materials.

In Russia, asbestos continues to be used as insulation for buildings and structures.

In the USA, for example, asbestos pipes are still used for transporting oil and gas.

However, some companies are working on developing new ways to use asbestos that may be less harmful to health. For example, in Canada, Micron Waste Technologies is developing methods for processing asbestos into environmentally friendly materials that can be used as a substitute for more harmful materials.

Japan and Canada are exploring the possibility of using biodegradable materials instead of asbestos. In South Korea and France, new types of fiberglass are being investigated that can replace hazardous material in the automotive industry.

The dangers associated with the use of asbestos concern not only workers, but also consumers, as well as the environment. They arise due to the fact that asbestos is a carcinogenic substance, that is, it can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma and other dangerous diseases.

There are multiple cases of diseases in workers employed at enterprises where asbestos products are manufactured and used. For example, in the USA in the 1970s, a study was conducted that showed that workers employed at an enterprise producing asbestos products had a 10-fold higher risk of lung cancer than the rest of the country's residents.

Cases of diseases are also observed among consumers of products containing asbestos. For example, in Russia in 2018, a case of mesothelioma was registered in a resident of the city who ate food stored in asbestos lids.

In addition, asbestos can negatively affect the environment. For example, when demolishing buildings containing asbestos, its particles enter the atmosphere and they can lead to air pollution. As a result, contamination of water resources and soil is possible.

In this regard, many countries around the world have taken measures to limit the use of asbestos and gradually replace it with safer materials. For example, in the European Union, the production and use of asbestos and products made from it has been prohibited since 2005. In Russia, starting from 2021, the use of asbestos and materials based on it in the production of building materials, as well as in the production of cars, is prohibited.

Currently, many countries prohibit the use of asbestos and they are looking for alternative materials that will not pose a threat to the health of workers, consumers and the environment.

One of the possible alternative materials is fiberglass, which has similar properties to asbestos, but does not have its negative consequences for health. There are also other fibrous materials, such as ceramic fibers and biodegradable polymers.

Ceramic fibers are made from aluminum silicate and other minerals. These materials do not contain asbestos and have high thermal resistance and strength, which allows them to be used in many industries, including the production of insulation materials, the automotive industry, as well as in the production of electronics.

Another promising material is graphene. It consists of single-atomic layers of carbon, and it is one of the most durable and lightweight materials in the world. Graphene can also be used as an alternative to asbestos in various industrial processes.

However, despite the fact that many alternative materials show potentially high efficiency and safety, their use requires additional research. In addition, the replacement of asbestos with new materials may require changes in production processes, which may not be profitable enough for some enterprises.

Research in the field of material replacement is carried out in different countries. For example, in the European Union, more than 100 alternative materials, including silicate, fiberglass, polymer and others, have been developed within the framework of the asbestos substitution research program. In Japan, research is being conducted on the use of new composite materials, such as polymer materials with a filler made of silicate fibers.

The introduction of alternative materials in place of asbestos can take a lot of time and it can require high costs. However, it is worth noting that the efficiency of material replacement is generally positive. For example, in Sweden, after the use of asbestos was banned in the 1970s, the number of cases of lung cancer decreased by 50 percent.

Forecasts of the future use of the material are still ambiguous. On the one hand, there is a concern that even when replacing asbestos with alternative materials, the risk of disease may persist. On the other hand, scientific research and technological progress give hope for the creation of safe materials that can be used in industry and construction.

New technologies are already being used to replace asbestos. For example, fiberglass and concrete products are now used in the place of asbestos cement products. However, these materials may have their own problems, such as increased fragility or toxicity. Therefore, scientific research and engineering developments are continuing to create new materials that will be safe and environmentally friendly.

The role of science in determining future prospects is very important. Scientific research makes it possible to assess the health risks associated with the use of certain materials and to develop new materials with lower risks. Scientific research also helps to determine the optimal conditions for the use of new materials and to develop methods of their disposal to minimize the impact on the environment.

In conclusion, it should be emphasized that the problem of using asbestos is one of the most important and urgent issues in the field of ecology and health. The history of the use of asbestos shows that this material has been used for a long time in various industries, but currently its use is prohibited in many countries due to its inherent dangers to human health.

Alternative materials such as fiberglass, ceramic fibers, concrete and others can replace asbestos in some areas. Research in the field of material replacement shows that these materials may be safer for health and the environment, although in some cases they may be less effective or expensive.

The use of new technologies, such as nanomaterials and biotechnologies, can also provide new opportunities for replacing asbestos in the future. However, in order to determine the future prospects of replacing the material, additional research and testing of new materials is necessary.

The role of science in determining the future prospects of material replacement cannot be overestimated. Research and development of new materials can be of great importance in creating a safe and sustainable industry.

In general, the use of asbestos remains an urgent problem at the present time. Additional research and development are needed to replace asbestos with safer alternative materials.

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