Asbestos
Fibrous silicate once prized for fireproofing and cement, now banned across much of the world for causing lung disease, yet still mined.
Industrial minerals · No. 75
- Not on a critical list
- HHI 3,422 · highly concentrated
Banned across rich countries for killing lungs, asbestos is still mined by the million tonnes for roofs and pipes in Asia.
Chart: Illustration: Asbestos
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Chrysotile, the only asbestos still used widely, grows as fibrous veins in altered ultramafic rock. World output was about 1.21 million t in 2024.
Three things to know
- US asbestos consumption fell from 803,000 t in 1973 to an estimated 50 t in 2025, nearly all for chloralkali diaphragms.
- Only four countries still mine it, and Russia supplies about half of world output, giving an HHI of 3,422.
- World use fell nearly 55% between 2000 and 2025, to about 930,000 t, mostly cement pipe and roofing in Asia.
The journey
- 1 SerpentiniteChrysotile veins in altered ultramafic rock
- 2 Open pitMined in large surface pits
- 3 Fibre separationCrushed, dried and air-separated
- 4 GradingSorted by fibre length
- 5 ProductsCement sheets, pipes, chloralkali diaphragms