MOSCOW, October 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Trade Unions' International Alliance "Chrysotile" hails the decision of Russian space industry specialists to use products containing chrysotile in the construction of in-orbit objects.

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According to media reports, an asbestos-cement laminate was used in vehicle skin. "... vehicle skin is a special aluminum composite only about a millimeter thick, covered by two-layer thermal insulation, the top layer consisting of an asbestos-cement laminate, and the bottom layer  consisting of 'light thermal insulation material'," shared Mikhail Kotov, L!FE correspondent (one of Russia's largest information portals).

The Chrysotile Alliance welcomes the increased use of chrysotile asbestos in all forms, especially in the high-tech industry. The space industry is recognised as the engine of scientific progress. Its achievements are further applied not just for space flight, but in ordinary life as well. New composites, computing devices, facilities for purifying and recycling drinking water, etc., stretch beyond the space industry and can be adapted to the needs of mass consumers.

The use of chrysotile asbestos in the International Space Station (ISS) confirms the unique properties of the mineral and its invaluable benefit to mankind. Asbestos is able to withstand the harsh environment of outer space and perform its functions properly despite radiation, ultra-low temperatures, weightlessness and other factors. The use of the mineral in the space industry once again proves the indispensability of "amianthus", the entire range of application of which is still being discovered.

The Chrysotile Alliance understands the necessity of expanding the controlled use of chrysotile asbestos in everyday life to improve quality of life among mass consumers. Chrysotile is indispensable in the mass construction of affordable housing, providing the population with inexpensive and durable building materials, automobile manufacture, passive fire safety measures, special equipment and other products.

SOURCE International Trade Union Movement for Chrysotile