Microscopic identification of asbestos fibres associated with African claycrafts manufacture

The use of asbestos in manufacturing is a world-wide phenomtnon, not just c onfined to the developed world, The activity described below shows that the re are similar problems in the third world which need to be tackled. A samp le of white fibrous material used in pot making by women in a village of Bo tswana was provided for analysis, The identification of fibres, was carried out using established analytical and vibrational microspectroscopic method s. The occupational hygiene implications and the measures which may need to be taken in order to improve the safety of the pot making process are disc ussed in this article, (C) 2000 British Occupational Hygiene Society. Publi shed by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.