Actinolite, ITS A TYPE OF ASBESTOS

[hmmm]

hello friends
i have a question about clay i have been testing as a healing type clay. i could use some help with a disturbing test result.
i have a Quantitative Phase Analysis and it shows 20% Actinolite in one of the clays . i have read conflicting things about it.
one site says it is dangerous
, one site says it is a non hazerdous type of asbestos.
1 site says there is fibrous Actinolite and a safe non fibrous Actinolite.
any one want to weigh in on this.
interesting thing , it is a semi precious gem stone.

[bearbqd]

Things that make you go hmmmm......to hmmm

[themarkd]

All asbestos form cause cancer if breathed in long enough and in large enough quantities. If the fibers are encapsulated (held in by some bonding agent) and aren't floating around in a fairly enclosed area there is no immediate worry. If you were going to break it up and expose fibers on a regular basis you'd want respiratory protection*.

*proper training with the PROPER respirator and zero facial hair is very important

[Southern Yankee]

As a former Abatement Tech, I can tell you, BE CAREFUL! ANY and ALL Asbestos exposure is dangerous. Asbestos fibers can drift in the air for a week or longer with just a small breeze. Asbestos related illnesses generally take 20 years to show up and there are no real cures. Just because you don't see dust does not mean it's not there. If you have to handle it, keeping it wet will make it a lot safer.

Having said that, you really need to determine exactly what type of Actinolite you are dealing with. I have know idea what each one of them look like of where they are normally found, but surely someone here knows something about it.

[nuggy]

Actinolite is formed of the same matrix as asbestos and nephrite jade and probably tremolite. Depending on the form it takes - it can be dense or loosely bonded fibrous material (more asbestos like we would say here). The denser it is, the more likely to be a gem stone type - as in the nephrite jade form.
These rock are only found in situ where a large fault exists, as they are formed by a combination of heat - pressure - movement only found around large fault lines. Glaciers and rivers can and have moved these minerals a long distance though, and if it is found in powder form - in a clay it could have come hundreds of miles I suppose.
I am in the business of carving and grinding jade, as well as probably some actinolite at times. I along with many others get splattered with a white spray which drys on clothing to form a white dust, easily brushed away. We grind jade wet with diamond and carborundum discs and polish it dry - usually with a dust extractor as we know it is a form of asbestos, but although the industry has been going for many decades here, there have as yet - been no deaths from asbestos type illnesses. Nuggy

[hmmm]

THANK YOU NUGGY
This clay comes from this vein so i would say it has not traveled far. i had a company that tests for asbestos test it , they said it is non fibrous.
that is good , because we want to sell it as a therapudic clay.