Mesothelioma Risk in Consumer Products
Tremolite asbestos is a non-commercial form of amphibole mineral found in some chrysotile, talc and vermiculite deposits. Like all forms of asbestos, it carries the risk of asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. Although people who live or work around asbestos mines or work directly with asbestos-containing products are at greatest risk, tremolite may also pose a mesothelioma risk to consumers. A recent study by a California firm called ChemRisk is warning that hundreds of consumer products contain mesothelioma-causing tremolite. To get an idea just how great the mesothelioma risk is, the group looked at the exposure-response relationship in two high-asbestos environments – the Thetford chrysotile mine in Canada and the vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana. For people working in these…