Excursion Limit (EL)
1 Fiber per cubic centimeter averaged over a 30 minute sampling period.

Amosite
A type of asbestos in the amphibole group; it is also known as brown asbestos.

Adenocarcinoma
Adenocarcinoma of the lung is a type of lung cancer. Like other cancers, adenocarcinoma is the growth of abnormal cells. These cancerous cells multiply out of control, and form a tumor. As the tumor grows, it destroys parts of the lung. Eventually, the tumor's abnormal cells can spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body, including the brain.

Lethal Concentration(50) (LC50)
A calculated concentration of a chemical in air to which exposure for a specific length of time is expected to cause death in 50% of a defined experimental animal population.

Friable asbestos
Any material containing more than one percent asbestos, and that can be crumbled or reduced to powder by hand pressure. (May include previously non-friable material which becomes broken or damaged by mechanical force.)

Asbestosis
A chronic lung disease, resulting from the scarring of the lung tissues by asbestos fibers.

Vermiculite
A chemically inert, lightweight, fire resistant, and odorless magnesium silicate material that is generally used for its thermal and sound insulation in construction and for its absorbent properties in horticultural applications. Vermiculite mined from Libby, Montana has been demonstrated to contain various amounts of asbestiform tremolite-like amphibole minerals.

Mesothelioma
A rare malignant tumor of the lung membrane which lines the chest and abdominal cavity. Malignant mesothelioma is a cancerous tumor of the pleura (lining of the lung and chest cavity) or peritoneum (lining of the abdomen) that is almost always caused by sustained exposure to asbestos.

Stage 4 Mesothelioma
Stage 4 mesothelioma has spread via the bloodstream to other organs in the body such as the liver, brain or bone or to lymph nodes on the other side of the chest

Crocidolite asbestos
One of the six types of asbestos. Crocidolite or "blue asbestos," is found in specialized high temperature applications.