Description
Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that is resistant to heat, pressure, acids and alkaloids; it is also a good insulator. Two types are "serpentine" asbestos (chrysotile) and "amphibole" asbestos (e.g. crocidolite, amosite, tremolite, actinolite). Most asbestos is white, green or ochre in color. Most asbestos found in Taiwan is tremolite and actinolite with small quantities of chrysotile. The main deposits are at Fongtian in Hualien County, the middle reaches of Liwu River, Luye in Taitung County and Liousing in Yilan County in serpentinite formations or the contact zone between graphite schist and serpentinite.  Asbestos is usually found co-existing with other minerals such as talc, serpentinite, garnet, nephrite and sericite. 

Mineral Formation
Deposits are mainly found in serpentinite formations or the contact zone between graphite schist and serpentinite.  Asbestos is usually found co-existing with other minerals such as talc, garnet, serpentinite, sericite and nephrite.

Geographic Distribution
Fongtian in Hualien County, the middle reaches of Liwu River, Luye in Taitung County and Liousing in Yilan County. 

Mining History
Asbestos ore was found by the Japanese hunter Nakajima at Laonao Mountain in Fongtian, Hualien County, during a small-scale survey carried out at the time. In 1937 the "Sunata Asbestos Mining Company" was set up by Rintarou Sunata for mining asbestos, though production was limited. The company was reorganized as the "Taiwan Asbestos Corporation" in 1941 to mine Asbestos and Talc at Fongtian. The Japanese Navy ran large-scale mining operations at Fongtian during World War II and shipped the Asbestos to Japan for military applications. Mining stopped shortly after World War II when Taiwan was liberated. In 1947 the Shanghai Asbestos Product Factory set up the Dahe Industrial Company and resumed production of asbestos at Hualien Harbor the following year. The mining rights for the Fongtian quarry were transferred to the China Mining Company in 1954 and mining operations produced talc, asbestos and serpentinite. Asbestos production ceased again in 1985 after the ban on nephrite mining. Taiwan no longer produces asbestos and meets all of its needs from imports. 
~Production~
In 1939, annual asbestos production was 105 tonnes. Production peaked in 1973 at 5,308 tonnes. In 1985, production was 625 tonnes before mining ended the following year. 

Applications
Asbestos is resistant to heat, pressure, acids and alkaloids and is a good insulator. It is used for making cement panels, piping, fire-resistant cloth and building materials, brake and clutch pads and composite non-metallic materials. It is often used in aerospace and military applications as well. 

Chemical Composition   Source: Ho & Lee (1963)

Hazards
Asbestos fibers are very fine so they can easily float in the air or become attached to clothing. If breathed in, asbestos fibers will collect in the lungs causing diseases such as asbestosis, cancer and mesothelioma. The diseases caused by asbestos have a very long latent period and symptoms may appear 10 to 40 years after exposure. For this reason asbestos has been classified as a carcinogen by international cancer research centers. Many countries now ban or restrict the use and manufacture of asbestos.

National Museum of Natural Science