# Asbestos. Who is buying it and how are they using it?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asbestos-who-is-buying-it-and-how-are-they-using-it/823430>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [October 24, 2018, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asbestos-who-is-buying-it-and-how-are-they-using-it/823430 "2018-10-24T14:20:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asbestos-who-is-buying-it-and-how-are-they-using-it/823430/1 "2018-10-24T14:20:10Z")

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The question is in the title.

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**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asbestos-who-is-buying-it-and-how-are-they-using-it/823430/2 "2018-10-24T15:31:32Z")

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It is still used in Asia and Russia.

> [@](#):
>
> Today, chrysotile – the only commercial asbestos still in use – is mostly used in fibre cement boards…
> 
> That chrysotile (white) asbestos is chemically different from amphibole asbestos and that the body’s immune cells can break it down in the lung. The International Chrysotile Association argues that modern asbestos products are vastly different from older materials, and says chrysotile is safe when used correctly…
> 
> However, it continues to be used around the world, especially in Asia and Russia, and in small amounts in the US…
> 
> Today, asbestos fibres in the US are mostly used in the diaphragm of chlor-alkali plants for the electrolysis of NaCl.

> **[Why asbestos is still used around the world](https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/why-asbestos-is-still-used-around-the-world/3007504.article)**
>
> Unpicking the politics of a potentially deadly material

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**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asbestos-who-is-buying-it-and-how-are-they-using-it/823430/3 "2018-10-25T03:05:46Z")

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And in insulating suits in foundries in Europe. Or at least, in a foundry in which I worked a few years back.