Treating Asbestos

    Chrysotile asbestos was widely used as a building material prior to the 1970's.  Asbestos was used for fire protection, moisture control, and thermal insulation.  Unless you've been living in a cave, you know that asbestos is no longer used for insulation applications.  Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that when airborne can become lodged in human lungs.  Asbestos can be linked to lung cancer after exposure to the mineral dust.

In order for older buildings containing asbestos to comply with current building codes, the asbestos must be removed.  This is typically done by sealing the area and then well-protected workers physically remove the asbestos and take it to a treatment facility. 
    In order to treat asbestos, a chemical that can react with the outer Mg(OH)₂ and the inner SiO₂ is necessary.  A chemical called fluorosulfic acid (with some help from water) does the job nicely.  When mixed with water, flourosulfonic acid reacts to form hydroflouric acid and sulfuric acid:

FSO₃H + H₂O -----> HF + H₂SO₄

The sulfuric acid reacts with the outer shell to form MgSO₄.H₂O, MgO, and Mg²⁺ ions. The hydrofluoric acid reacts with the internal substance by the following reactions:

SiO₂ + 4HF -----> SiF₄ + 2H₂O

At this point, the fibrous nature of asbestos (which makes it dangerous) has been altered into other chemicals that can be processed further.