Kappadocien 2015-05-05
Denna vulkaniska tuff har det varit lätt att göra byggmaterial av. Inte alltid så hård inuti men den hårdnar i kontakt med luft enligt vad jag läst. I dessa bergsformationer har det varit lätt att karva ut hela bostäder. En del av detta ser du på följande bild.
Men de små hus som har karvats ut i dessa stenpelare ser inte ut att vara bebodda. En förklaring till detta är den sorts tuff som dessa berg består av. Ett viktigt mineral i dessa berg kallas erionite. Ett fibermaterial liknande asbest. Då förstår man att folk har övergivit dessa hus. Damm som bildas av denna tuff är cancerframkallande. Nedan ser du ett större berghus som även detta verkar vara obebott.
Om detta byggnadsmaterial läser vi vidare: ”These houses are constructed on the feet of the mountain via rocks or cut stones. Rocks, which are the only construction materials of the region, as they are very soft after quarrying due to the structure of the region can be easily processed but after contact with air it may harden and turn into a very strong constructional material. Cappadocia is also known for its rock hewn churches, monasteries and underground cities. The cave houses are old residences carved centuries ago. They overlook a vast area surrounded by mountains. Restoration sometimes makes it possible to clean the rock oxidised or blackened by smoke and to clear certain parts, filled with soil over the centuries. The structure was also consolidated and certain vaults were rebuilt by original stones. The restoration continues, attempting to respect the original construction.” http://www.witpress.com/elibrary/wit-transactions-on-ecology-and-the-environment/87/16135
Alla små berg är inte utnyttjade som hus. När man tittar på dessa bilder verkar det fascinerande men när man vet att det finns asbestliknande mineral i denna bergart/tuff tycker man synd om de personer som fått bo i dessa hus. Det finns bara dessa berg att göra byggmaterial av. Inte mycket till skogar i området.
Bildkälla Wikipedia
Love Valley igen. Se den bästa samlingen av bilder av detta område i en reseskildring från Polen. http://www.spiriferminerals.com/148,Turkey-and-more-2004.html En bit in i bildsamlingen hittar du dessa bilder.
Om detta mineral kan du läsa vidare i: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erionite
Mineralet erionite ger upphov till en cancerform som kallas mesothelioma precis som asbest men kanske inte lika effektivt enligt somliga. Mesothelioma är en form av bindvävscancer.
”Incidence of mesothelioma had been found to be higher in populations living near naturally occurring asbestos. For example, in central Cappadocia, Turkey, mesothelioma was causing 50% of all deaths in three small villages—Tuzköy, Karain and Sarıhıdır. Initially, this was attributed to erionite, a zeolite mineral with similar properties to asbestos. Similar "epidemics" have occurred in the past in Metsovo, (North West Greece) and other Mediterrenean countries (Cyprus, Corsica) but also as far as New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean.[22] In all these areas, the incriminating agent was asbestos (usually tremolite used as whitewash). In Metsovo, this exposure had resulted in mesothelioma incidence around 300 times more than expected in asbestos free populations and was associated with very frequent Pleural Calcification known as "Metsovo Lung". Recently, however, detailed epidemiological investigation showed that erionite causes mesothelioma mostly in families with a genetic predisposition.[23][24]”. Se http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesothelioma
Dessa människor hade med andra ord ett sämre immunsystem.
I ett annat arbete http://www.mesothelioma.com/mesothelioma/risk-factors/erionite-exposure.htm sägs det:
”Though less familiar and common than asbestos minerals, erionite is another naturally occurring carcinogen that, through prolonged and repeated exposure, can lead to mesothelioma, lung cancer and other deadly diseases. Erionite exposure is mainly environmental, a drastic difference from asbestos exposure which is typically occupationally related. Individuals who contracted mesothelioma from erionite exposure usually lived near significant deposits of the mineral.
Through laboratory tests in animals, erionite exposure has shown to have a higher risk of development lung-related cancers like mesothelioma than any other mineral tested, including asbestos. Further, mesothelioma develops with less exposure to erionite than asbestos.”
This “Cancer City” (en av de tre nämda ovan) has an alarmingly high rate of pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma related deaths, nearly seventy-times of the average yearly mortalities. Studies have shown that the adjacent erionite deposits are to blame.”
Vidare läser vi att dessa människor även drabbas av lungcancer för erionite är en typ av asbetsmineral och enligt artikeln ovan är det tom farligare.