Amiandos mine, Cyprus

The Amiandos mine, high on the Troodos mountains of Cyprus, gave short-fiber chrysotile, and from 1948 on the sources call it the island's only producing asbestos mine.^2,8,9 The Cyprus Inspector of Mines placed it "at a height of 4,500 feet on the Troodos range."¹⁰ The earliest row is a 1926 note in Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, on "the New Finishing Mill of the Cyprus Asbestos Co. Limited," which it said had "an output of 90 hundred pound bags of finished fibre per hour."⁴

Owners

In January 1927 the journal reported a directors' circular of the Cyprus Asbestos Company saying that "the output for 1927 has all been sold," and that by May the company would "have seven primary mills working with an ore crushing capacity of 12,000 tons weekly, as compared with 2,400 tons weekly in 1925."⁵ The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook reported that "early in 1936 the assets of the Cyprus & General Asbestos Co., Ltd., operating short-fiber chrysotile deposits at Amiandos, were acquired by the Tunnel Asbestos Cement, Ltd., a subsidiary of the Tunnel Portland Cement Co. of West Thurrock, England."² By 1947 the yearbook named Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd., as the operator, and the Mining Journal of London, as Asbestos quoted it in 1948, said that company was "closely associated with the Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co. and the bulk of its product goes into asbestos cement products."^8,11 In 1975 Asbestos described the company as "an associate of Tunnel Portland Cement Ltd., England, and F. L. Smidth, Denmark."⁹

Quarries, mills and the ropeway

The Financial News of London, as the journal quoted it in 1933, said that "the asbestos bearing rock is quarried, treated in primary and fibre mills," and carried "by an aerial ropeway of 19 miles to the coast."⁶ Other sources give the ropeway a different length: Mineral Trade Notes in 1946 described "an 18-1/2 mile ropeway to the port of Limassol," and the Mining Journal in 1948 "a rope railway of some 27 miles."^8,12 They differ, too, on the working season: in 1937 the journal said operations ran "only during the six summer months," and Mineral Trade Notes said the mine "works only 6 months in a year," while the Mining Journal said in 1948 that "the working season is only about nine months."^3,8,12

Mineral Trade Notes reported that "about 100 tons of rock are mined by means of compressed air drills and shovels to produce 1 ton of finished fibre."¹² Because of a labor shortage, "the management increased mechanization of the mine" in 1947, ordering excavators and locomotives.¹³ The Mining Journal wrote that "the mines are worked opencast and the principal problem is the disposal of the enormous quantities of tailings."⁸ The Inspector of Mines counted eight mills at work in 1949 and nine in 1950; the journal reported nine in 1959, the Senior Mines Officer three in 1969, and the journal one mill in 1976.^{10,14,15,16,17} For several years an asbestos-cement sheeting factory had worked "at Amiandos adjacent to the mine," until a new factory near Limassol was completed in 1958.¹⁵

Output

The Financial News said that during 1932 "the Company produced 1,520 tons of finished asbestos," and the journal later wrote that in 1932 "the output fell to a very low level" and the royalty was adjusted to help.^3,6 Mineral Trade Notes gave normal production as "about 10,000 tons of finished fibre per annum, with a peak of 19,000 tons in 1938," and said that in 1945 output was "about half the prewar rate because of shortage of labor."¹² For 1946 its table shows 4,566 for fibre production, with no unit printed, while the Mining Journal gave "4,610 tons."^8,13 Both the Mining Journal and the yearbook put 1947 at about 7,500 tons, valued at £260,000.^8,11 For 1948 the yearbook printed an estimate of "10,000 to 11,000 tons," while the Inspector of Mines later gave 8,935 tons.^11,14 The Inspector said that in 1949 the mine "produced 12,358 tons of asbestos fibre," the highest level "since 1929," and in 1950 "14,752 tons," which he called "a record amount."^10,14

The sources for 1955 disagree: the Inspector reported "9,008 tons of long grade and 6,298 tons of short grade fibres," while the company's annual report, as the journal printed it, gave "8,043 tons of long and 5,623 tons of short grade fibres."^18,19 In 1969 the mine produced "12,033 tons of long Grade fiber and 9,330 tons of short Grade fiber," according to the Senior Mines Officer in Nicosia.¹⁶ For 1976 the journal first reported "19,115 tons of fiber of long grades and 18,935 tons of short grades, totalling 38,050 tons," then later gave "33,973 tons in 1976" and, in 1981, "34,518 tonnes in 1976."^17,20,21 It gave 1979 output as "35,472 tonnes of fiber."²¹ The yearbook, drawing on Industrial Minerals, reported that "production was halved over a 3-year period to approximately 17,000 tons in 1983, inline with decreasing sales."²²

The workers

In 1932, the Financial News said, "a daily average of 277 persons was employed," with quarry labor "employed in the quarries as far as possible on contract."⁶ Mineral Trade Notes put the workforce "under normal conditions" at 2,400, and the most employed in 1946 at 1,062.^12,13 The Inspector of Mines gave the most laborers in a working season as 2,410 in 1949, 2,741 in 1950 and 2,744 in 1951, and said that "due to increased mechanization in the quarries" the peak fell to 2,295 in 1954 from 2,905 in 1953.^10,14,23,24 The journal gave an average daily labor force of 550 in 1959, "201 men (quarries); 284 men (other operations); and, 65 women," and in 1976 a daily average of "441 people, 16 of which are women."^15,17 In 1955 "political strikes and the imposition of a curfew on the village" cost about a week's production, and in 1956 about a month's was lost "due to political strikes and necessary security restrictions," since most workers came "from the mountain villages," often "under operational curfew."^18,19

Markets and later years

The yearbook reported reserves at Pano Amiandos "sufficient for 200 years' operation at the 1960 rate of production," but in 1962 said "the fiber content was generally less than 1 percent."^25,26 In 1984, citing Industrial Minerals, it said the mine had produced grades 3S and HSH, "but because of declining quality" was developing new grades, and that a pilot plant was set up that summer; "in 1985, full-scale production of chrysotile grades 4 through 7 was begun."^7,22 Most of the output was then "exported to Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, and India for asbestos cement products."⁷

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.⁹

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Location

Output the documents report

Figures as printed, in the units each document uses (short tons before about 1990, metric tons after, in most U.S. chapters). Some are a year's output, some a daily rate or a capacity, some a company's total rather than this mine's alone; the statement for that year below says which.

Year	Figure	Source
1932	1,520 tons of finished asbestos	6
1938	19,000 tons	12
1942	1,727 fibre production (unit not printed)	13
1943	1,491 fibre production (unit not printed)	13
1944	2,831 fibre production (unit not printed)	13
1945	10,000 tons of finished fibre per annum	12
1945	3,508 fibre production (unit not printed)	13
1946	4,566 fibre production (unit not printed)	13
1946	4,610 tons	8
1947	7,500 short tons	11
1947	7,500 tons	8
1948	8,935 tons of asbestos fibre	14
1949	12,358 tons of asbestos fibre	14
1950	14,752 tons of asbestos fibre	10
1953	14,255 tons of fibre	24
1954	15,309 tons of fibre	24
1955	12,844 tons of fibre exported	18
1955	15,306 tons of fibre	18
1956	13,728 tons of fibre	19
1957	13,418 tons of fibre	27
1958	1,409,000 tons of rock	28
1959	12,878 tons of fibre	15
1959	1,443,000 tons of rock	28
1960	4,364 tons of fibre (2,000 lbs.), May-June 1960	15
1969	21,363 tons of fiber	16
1974	36,579 short tons	9
1976	38,050 tons	17
1978	33,800 long tons of fiber	20
1979	35,472 tonnes of fiber	21
1983	17,000 tons	22

Year by year

Every statement about this mine in the documents, in each document's own words, by the year it is about.

1923

• Worked: “F. W. Kukula, Manager of the Cyprus Asbestos Mines at Amiandos, Cyprus, since 1923” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines), p. 20¹

1926

• Mill: “an output of 90 hundred pound bags of finished fibre per hour” (Cyprus Asbestos Co. Limited), p. 25⁴

1927

• Buyers: “The output for 1927 has all been sold” (Cyprus Asbestos Company), said by Cyprus Asbestos Company (Directors' circular), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 46⁵
• Mill: “seven primary mills working with an ore crushing capacity of 12,000 tons weekly” (Cyprus Asbestos Company), said by Cyprus Asbestos Company (Directors' circular), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 46⁵

1932

• Workforce: “A daily average of 277 persons employed in 1932” (Cyprus Asbestos Co.), as reported by Financial News (London), p. 16⁶
• Output: “During 1932 the Company produced 1,520 tons of finished asbestos” (Cyprus Asbestos Co.), as reported by Financial News (London), p. 16⁶
• Workforce: “Labor employed in the quarries as far as possible on contract” (Cyprus Asbestos Co.), as reported by Financial News (London), p. 16⁶
• Output: “In 1932 the output fell to a very low level; royalty adjusted so the quarries could remain in operation”, p. 16³

1933

• Mill: “Rock quarried, treated in primary and fibre mills, graded into "standard," "shorts" and "fines"; aerial ropeway of 19 miles to the coast” (Cyprus Asbestos Co.), as reported by Financial News (London), p. 16⁶
• Fiber: “Asbestos (Chrysotile) produced by the Cyprus Asbestos Co. at its quarries at Amiandos” (Cyprus Asbestos Co.), as reported by Financial News (London), p. 16⁶

1935

• Buyers: “Asbestos is shipped from Cyprus to England for manufacture of asbestos cement products” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement, Ltd.), p. 7²
• Worked: “the Cyprus & General Asbestos Co., Ltd., operating short-fiber chrysotile deposits at Amiandos” (Cyprus & General Asbestos Co., Ltd.), p. 7²

1936

• Ownership: “Early in 1936 the assets of the Cyprus & General Asbestos Co., Ltd., operating short-fiber chrysotile deposits at Amiandos, were acquired by the Tunnel Asbestos Cement, Ltd.” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement, Ltd.), p. 7²

1937

• Worked: “Chrysotile quarried for many years at Amiandos; operations carried on only during the six summer months”, p. 16³
• Worked: “Tunnel Asbestos Cement, Ltd., produced short-fiber chrysotile at Amiandos” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement, Ltd.), p. 8²⁹

1938

• Opened: “Tunnel Asbestos Cement (Ltd.) opened three new quarries during 1938” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement (Ltd.)), p. 9³⁰
• Output: “a peak of 19,000 tons in 1938” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co., Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 16¹²

1942

• Output: “1942: Fibre Production 1,727” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 32¹³

1943

• Output: “1943: Fibre Production 1,491” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 32¹³

1944

• Output: “1944: Fibre Production 2,831” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 32¹³

1945

• Description: “18-1/2 mile ropeway to the port of Limassol” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co., Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 16¹²
• Worked: “worked at Amiandos, Cyprus, by the Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co., Ltd.” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co., Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 16¹²
• Description: “About 100 tons of rock are mined ... to produce 1 ton of finished fibre” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co., Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 16¹²
• Output: “Present output is about half the prewar rate because of shortage of labor” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co., Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 16¹²
• Buyers: “largest exports were made to Britain, the United States, and Denmark” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co., Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 16¹²
• Output: “about 10,000 tons of finished fibre per annum, with a peak of 19,000 tons in 1938” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co., Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 16¹²
• Idle: “owing to climatic conditions, works only 6 months in a year” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co., Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 16¹²
• Workforce: “Employees under normal conditions totaled 2,400” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co., Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 16¹²
• Mill: “Hand selection ... before the crude ore is passed to the mill” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co., Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 16¹²
• Output: “1945: Fibre Production 3,508” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 32¹³

1946

• Output: “1946: Fibre Production 4,566” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 32¹³
• Worked: “In 1943 and 1946 the Amiandos asbestos mine operated thruout the working season (dry season) on an increased scale” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 32¹³
• Workforce: “The maximum number employed in 1946 was 1,062” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 32¹³
• Output: “The output in 1946 was 4,610 tons” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by The Mining Journal (London), May 22, 1948 (E. Baliol Scott), p. 20⁸

1947

• Reserves: “The reserves of the large known deposits vary from 35 to 75 years at the 1946 rate of production” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by Mining Journal (London), p. 10¹¹
• Worked: “The present production is from the Amiandos Mines of Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by Mining Journal (London), p. 10¹¹
• Output: “The 1947 production was about 7,500 short tons, valued at £260,000” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by Mining Journal (London), p. 10¹¹
• Description: “the management increased mechanization of the mine and orders have been placed for a number of excavators and locomotives” (Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 32¹³
• Output: “in 1947 about 7,500 tons, valued at £260,000” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by The Mining Journal (London), May 22, 1948 (E. Baliol Scott), p. 20⁸

1948

• Output: “The output for 1948 is estimated at 10,000 to 11,000 tons” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by Mining Journal (London), p. 10¹¹
• Description: “The mines are worked opencast ... A rope railway of some 27 miles connects the mine with the port of Limasol” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by The Mining Journal (London), May 22, 1948 (E. Baliol Scott), p. 20⁸
• Worked: “Production of asbestos at present is derived only from the Amiandos mine of the Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by The Mining Journal (London), May 22, 1948 (E. Baliol Scott), p. 20⁸
• Idle: “the working season is only about nine months” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by The Mining Journal (London), May 22, 1948 (E. Baliol Scott), p. 20⁸
• Ownership: “The Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd., is closely associated with the Tunnel Asbestos Cement Co.” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by The Mining Journal (London), May 22, 1948 (E. Baliol Scott), p. 20⁸
• Workforce: “1,654 in 1948” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Limited), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 12¹⁴
• Output: “Comparative figures for 1948 were 753,713, 291,236 and 8,935 tons respectively” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Limited), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 12¹⁴

1949

• Worked: “operated thruout the dry season on a considerable scale and the production ... reached the highest level since 1929” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Limited), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 12¹⁴
• Workforce: “The maximum number of laborers employed during the working season was 2,410 as compared with 1,654 in 1948” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Limited), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 12¹⁴
• Output: “eight mills ... treated 344,130 tons of raw material and produced 12,358 tons of asbestos fibre” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Limited), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 12¹⁴
• Mill: “eight mills were in operation” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Limited), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 12¹⁴

1950

• Workforce: “The maximum number of laborers employed during the working season was 2,741” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 38¹⁰
• Mill: “nine mills were in operation” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 38¹⁰
• Output: “nine mills ... treated 420,797 tons of raw material and produced 14,752 tons of asbestos fibre” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 38¹⁰
• Worked: “operated thruout the dry season on a considerable scale and a record amount of asbestos fibre was produced” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 38¹⁰

1951

• Worked: “operated thruout the dry season on a considerable scale and a record amount of asbestos fibre was produced” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 44²³
• Workforce: “The maximum number of laborers employed during the working season was 2,744” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 44²³

1953

• Output: “440,750 tons producing 6,694 tons of long and 7,561 tons of short grades in 1953” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 58²⁴

1954

• Workforce: “maximum number employed at the peak of the operating season being 2,295 compared with 2,905 in 1953” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 58²⁴
• Worked: “operated throughout the dry season” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 58²⁴
• Output: “392,525 tons were treated for a production of 9,200 tons of long grade and 6,109 tons of short grade fibres” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 58²⁴
• Mill: “The increase in the proportion of long grades is due to modifications made at the treatment plants” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 58²⁴

1955

• Idle: “operations were affected by political strikes and the imposition of a curfew on the village resulting in the loss of approximately one full week's production” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 50¹⁸
• Output: “Exports of fibres amounted to 12,844 tons valued at £694,367” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 50¹⁸
• Worked: “operated throughout the dry season although resumption of full scale operations was delayed due to showery weather during the first half of April” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 50¹⁸
• Workforce: “the maximum number of laborers employed at the peak of the operating season was 2,109 compared with 2,295 in 1954” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 50¹⁸
• Output: “209,941 tons were treated for a production of 9,008 tons of long grade and 6,298 tons of short grade fibres” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 50¹⁸

1956

• Output: “425,097 tons were treated for a production of 7,791 tons of long grade and 5,937 tons of short grade fibres” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), p. 50¹⁹
• Idle: “it is estimated that the equivalent of approximately one normal month's production was lost due to political strikes and necessary security restrictions” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), p. 50¹⁹
• Description: “Advantage was taken of areas of soft ground, particularly in the shear zone adjacent to a large fault which runs through the mine” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), p. 50¹⁹
• Workforce: “The majority of the Company's labor force is drawn from the mountain villages and more often than not one or more of these villages were under operational curfew” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), p. 50¹⁹

1957

• Output: “Production amounted to 7,469 tons of long grade and 5,949 tons of short grade fibres” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), p. 54²⁷
• Buyers: “the main importers being the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and Thailand” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), p. 54²⁷
• Idle: “Adverse climatic conditions severely handicapped operations ... it was not until late in May that full operation of the mills was possible” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), p. 54²⁷

1958

• Description: “For several years an asbestos-cement sheeting factory had been operating at Amiandos adjacent to the mine” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Limited), p. 40¹⁵
• Output: “1,409,000 tons in 1958” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), p. 9²⁸

1959

• Buyers: “the main importers being the United Kingdom, Austria, Denmark, Republic of Ireland, Sweden and Thailand” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Limited), p. 40¹⁵
• Output: “Production amounted to 7,450 tons of long grade and 5,428 tons of short grade fibres compared with 8,995 tons and 5,772 tons respectively in 1958” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Limited), p. 40¹⁵
• Workforce: “201 men (quarries); 284 men (other operations); and, 65 women, making a total of an average labor force of 550” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Limited), p. 40¹⁵
• Description: “The use of rippers and heavy duty bulldozers for quarrying has practically eliminated the need for recourse to explosives” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Limited), p. 40¹⁵
• Mill: “495,209 tons of raw material were treated (by the 9 mills in operation)” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Limited), p. 40¹⁵
• Output: “1,443,000 tons of rock in 1959” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), p. 9²⁸

1960

• Worked: “Production was from Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd., at Pano Amiandos” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), p. 10²⁵
• Output: “Rock Mined ... 68,842 253,039 314,297 ... Fibre Produced .. 1,686 2,678”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 40¹⁵

1961

• Reserves: “reserves were reported sufficient for 200 years' operation at the 1960 rate of production” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), p. 10²⁵

1962

• Reserves: “Reserves ... were large, but the fiber content was generally less than 1 percent” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), p. 10²⁶

1963

• Mill: “Approximately 50 percent of the ore mined is treated in the mills”, as reported by Mining World, p. 9³¹

1969

• Mill: “Three mills were in operation that treated 1,460,500 tons of raw material” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 47¹⁶
• Reserves: “its known ore reserves are estimated to last for many years to come” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 47¹⁶
• Output: “produced 12,033 tons of long Grade fiber and 9,330 tons of short Grade fiber” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 47¹⁶

1974

• Output: “Mine shipments of Grades 3S, HSH, 6F and P50 totaled 36,579 short tons in 1974” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), p. 48⁹
• Dust and health: “awarded Cyprus Asbestos Mines the Safety Shield for the best safety record in the Cyprus mining industry in 1974” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), p. 48⁹

1975

• Dust and health: “The company again received the Safety Shield for the best safety record in 1975” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), p. 44³²

1976

• Output: “At the Amiandos Mine in 1976, 5.6-million tons of rock were quarried; produced 19,115 tons of fiber of long grades and 18,935 tons of short grades, totalling 38,050 tons” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), p. 40¹⁷
• Workforce: “The company's daily employment averages 441 people, 16 of which are women” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), p. 40¹⁷

1977

• Output: “Stock at year-end 1977 at the Amiandos Mine consisted of 715 tons of long fiber grades and 6,070 tons of shorts” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), p. 52³³

1978

• Dust and health: “offers a shield for the best safety record each year. Cyprus Asbestos Mines took second place in 1978” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), p. 46²⁰
• Output: “One mill was in operation in 1978 which produced 33,800 long tons of fiber” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), p. 46²⁰

1979

• Output: “One mill is in operation which produced 35,472 tonnes of fiber in 1979; Prior production was 34,342 tonnes in 1978, 36,684 tonnes in 1977 and 34,518 tonnes in 1976” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), p. 36²¹
• Output: “Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd., in 1979 exported 32% more than in 1978, a total 120% of production” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines, Ltd.), p. 8³⁴

1983

• Output: “Production was halved over a 3-year period to approximately 17,000 tons in 1983” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London) (J. Griffiths, "The Industrial Minerals of Cyprus"), p. 7²²

1984

• Ownership: “The mine, at Amiandos, was owned and operated by Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London) (J. Griffiths, "The Industrial Minerals of Cyprus"), p. 7²²
• Mill: “a pilot plant was set up to produce grades 4T and equivalent 4Z together with a small quantity of grade 7” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London) (J. Griffiths, "The Industrial Minerals of Cyprus"), p. 7²²
• Worked: “Production of asbestos in Cyprus came exclusively from one mine located in the serpentinite deposit of the Troodos Massif”, as reported by Industrial Minerals (London) (J. Griffiths, "The Industrial Minerals of Cyprus"), p. 7²²
• Description: “produced two grades of asbestos, 3S and HSH, but because of declining quality, it is now developing two new grades” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London) (J. Griffiths, "The Industrial Minerals of Cyprus"), p. 7²²
• Buyers: “only about 1,000 tons per year supplied to the domestic market for the manufacture of asbestos cement pipes” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London) (J. Griffiths, "The Industrial Minerals of Cyprus"), p. 7²²
• Buyers: “Most of that production was exported” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London) (J. Griffiths, "The Industrial Minerals of Cyprus"), p. 7²²

1985

• Worked: “The mine is operated by Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London) (J. Griffiths, "Asbestos"), p. 6⁷
• Fiber: “Prior to 1985, Cyprus Asbestos produced mainly chrysotile grades 3S and HSH” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London) (J. Griffiths, "Asbestos"), p. 6⁷
• Output: “Approximately 40% of production is grade 4T, and 30% is grade 5R and 6D” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London) (J. Griffiths, "Asbestos"), p. 6⁷
• Buyers: “Most of the asbestos produced is exported to Europe, the Middle East, the Far East, and India for asbestos cement products” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London) (J. Griffiths, "Asbestos"), p. 6⁷
• Output: “In 1985, full-scale production of chrysotile grades 4 through 7 was begun” (Cyprus Asbestos Mines Ltd.), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London) (J. Griffiths, "Asbestos"), p. 6⁷

In medical studies

Medical studies in our research library that name this mine, by how they concern it. A search found every one that names the mine and an AI reader sorted them; the quotation, checked word for word against the text, shows where. Those that name the mine only in passing or in a reference list are left out.

Studies of the mine’s workers (1)

• McConnochie K 1987: Mesothelioma in Cyprus: the role of tremolite: “Between 1927 and 1944 he worked as a labourer in the asbestos mine and later became a foreman excavator.”

Other names

Documents call this mine “Amiandos”, “Amiandos Mines”, “deposits on Troodos Mountain near Amiandos”, “Pano Amiandos”, “deposit below the summit of Mount Olympus near Amiandos”, “mine at Amiandos”, “one mine in the Troodos Massif”, “Cyprus Asbestos Mines at Amiandos”, “Amiandos Mine”.

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1946, June 1946 (June 1, 1946), p. 20.
2. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1936 (January 1, 1937), p. 7.
3. Asbestos Magazine, 1937, July 1937 (July 1, 1937), p. 16.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1926, August 1926 (August 1, 1926), p. 25.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1927, January 1927 (January 1, 1927), p. 46.
6. Asbestos Magazine, 1933, September 1933 (September 1, 1933), p. 16.
7. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1985 (January 1, 1986), p. 6.
8. Asbestos Magazine, 1948, July 1948 (July 1, 1948), p. 20.
9. Asbestos Magazine, 1975, December 1975 (December 1, 1975), p. 48.
10. Asbestos Magazine, 1951, August 1951 (August 1, 1951), p. 38.
11. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1947 (January 1, 1948), p. 10.
12. Asbestos Magazine, 1946, January 1946 (January 1, 1946), p. 16.
13. Asbestos Magazine, 1948, February 1948 (February 1, 1948), p. 32.
14. Asbestos Magazine, 1950, June 1950 (June 1, 1950), p. 12.
15. Asbestos Magazine, 1960, October 1960 (October 1, 1960), p. 40.
16. Asbestos Magazine, 1970, November 1970 (November 1, 1970), p. 47.
17. Asbestos Magazine, 1977, December 1977 (December 1, 1977), p. 40.
18. Asbestos Magazine, 1956, August 1956 (August 1, 1956), p. 50.
19. Asbestos Magazine, 1957, October 1957 (October 1, 1957), p. 50.
20. Asbestos Magazine, 1979, December 1979 (December 1, 1979), p. 46.
21. Asbestos Magazine, 1981, January 1981 (January 1, 1981), p. 36.
22. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1984 (January 1, 1985), p. 7.
23. Asbestos Magazine, 1952, July 1952 (July 1, 1952), p. 44.
24. Asbestos Magazine, 1955, August 1955 (August 1, 1955), p. 58.
25. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1961 (January 1, 1962), p. 10.
26. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1962 (January 1, 1963), p. 10.
27. Asbestos Magazine, 1958, August 1958 (August 1, 1958), p. 54.
28. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1960 (January 1, 1961), p. 9.
29. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1938 (January 1, 1939), p. 8.
30. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1939 (January 1, 1940), p. 9.
31. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1963 (January 1, 1964), p. 9.
32. Asbestos Magazine, 1976, December 1976 (December 1, 1976), p. 44.
33. Asbestos Magazine, 1978, December 1978 (December 1, 1978), p. 52.
34. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1980 (January 1, 1981), p. 8.