Friability

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Friability" means the ability to reduce a solid substance into smaller pieces.

Often, substances designated as being hazardous, such as asbestos or crystalline silica are referred to as being friable if they are present in such a state that it is possible for small particles to become dislodged, thus enabling them to become respirable, posing a health hazard.

A friable substance is any substance that can be reduced to fibres or finer particles by the action of pressure on its mass. The term could also apply to any material that exhibits these properties. Examples include but are not limited to:

• clumps of dried clay,
• tablets,
• crackers,
• perlite