STATISTICS ON THREE REGULATED ASBESTIFORM AMPHIBOLES: LENGTH, WIDTH, ASPECT RATIO AND THEIR RELATION TO CRYSTAL HABITS AND MORPHOLOGY

Batta Laboratories, Inc. has been conducting measurements on asbestiform fibers in ambient air, soil, water and bulk building materials since 1982. Data presented are statistics on three common regulated asbestiform amphiboles (anthophyllite, tremolite and actinolite) in terms of length, width, aspect ratio, and their relation to crystal habits and morphology at two microscopic levels: PLM and TEM. Aspect ratios of interests are those of 3:1 and 5:1, and lengths of interests are those of 0.5, 3 and 5 microns. Data also include measurements for fibers that show apparent cleavages on crystal planes vs. those that have characteristic asbestiform morphology, with comparisons of variations between light microscopic results and electron microscopic results.