Bajenova district, Bajenova district, about 90 km northeast of Sverdlovsk, Russia

The U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook, in an asbestos chapter published in 1935, called the Bajenova district, "about 90 kilometers northeast of Sverdlovsk (Ekaterinburg)," the principal asbestos-producing area of the Soviet Union, and said its fiber was "the chrysotile variety occurring in serpentine."⁸ The sources spell the name many ways (Bajenowsky, Bazhenovo, Bazhenova, Bazhenov) and later speak mostly of Uralasbest, the trust and then the combine that worked the field at Asbest, near Sverdlovsk.^1,5,10,11,12 The earliest word comes from a 1925 extract in Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, from the Gorni Journal of Moscow: of all the mines combined under the "Ural Asbestos Trust," or "Uralasbest," in 1923–24, "only those of the Bajenowsky District and the Krasno-Uralsky Mines were in operation."¹ The same extract gave the Bajenowsky District's output as "443,540 poods (or 7,999 short tons)."¹

Mills and the Five-Year Plans

In 1933 Asbestos reprinted figures from the Soviet Five Day Bulletin: a concentration plant No. 6 "with an annual capacity of 7,000 tons" began operations in 1931, and in the Urals a new plant, "Gigant," began to operate in 1932 with a capacity of "40,000 tons asbestos per annum."⁴ The same bulletin said the trust "owns at present 8 excavators, a great number of 10 ton wagons, elevators with a capacity of 27 tons."⁴ The trade journal wrote in 1935 of an "already completed Asbo-Gigant No. 3, with an annual capacity of 80,000 tons," and said the Second Five-Year Plan "calls for the construction at Bazhenovo mine of Asbo-Gigant No. 4."⁵

C. V. Smith, writing in Asbestos in 1933 about Russia's main asbestos mining area, described it as divided into a Northern, a Central and a Southern Group; the page does not name the place, and it is matched to this field.¹³ He wrote that "the Northern and Central Groups will average 4%, but the Southern Group runs about 2%."¹³

Output before and after the war

The Minerals Yearbook for 1941 said that "large quantities of chrysotile asbestos, similar to that obtained in Canada, are produced in the Bajenova district in the Ural Mountains."⁶ It reported "a production of 125,000 metric tons" for 1937 and "86,000 tons for 1938."⁶ The 1942 yearbook said that "nearly all the Russian asbestos produced originates in the Bajenova district of the Urals, where there are both mines and mills."⁷

The Minerals Yearbook for 1960 reported that development plans for "the Bazhenovo chrysotile asbestos deposit, northeast of Sverdlovsk," were discussed in a Russian publication, and H. M. Woodrooffe of Canada's Department of Mines and Technical Surveys wrote that "a new and very large mill is to be built in the Bazhenova region."^9,10 The 1961 yearbook says that "a new deposit was discovered at Bazhenov."¹¹ For 1969 the yearbook, citing the London Mining Journal, reported that "the No. 6 plant at the Urals asbestos complex was completed," with "a rated annual capacity of 12 million tons," to process low-grade material.¹⁴ In December 1970 Asbestos said the Urals Asbestos Combine "opened Plant No. 6 and will now produce an extra 320,000 tons of asbestos fiber."¹⁵

The largest complex

In 1975 Asbestos called the Uralasbest Combine at Asbest "the largest mining-milling complex, with a total annual capacity of about 1-million tons."¹² The sources give different figures for that year: the Minerals Yearbook said the complex "produced an estimated 1.4 million tons in 1975," while Asbestos reported that "output in 1975 was reported at 1,250,000 metric tons."^16,17 The trade journal called it "the largest asbestos mine in Russia, having produced approximately 73% of the country's total output in 1976."¹⁸ The Minerals Yearbook for 1977 printed a table "based on planned production data" from Johns-Manville officers who had visited Soviet officials, giving Uralasbest Groups 1–6 at 1,700 and Group 7 at 500 (thousand short tons).¹⁹

Asbestos reported in December 1978 that "three adjacent open pit asbestos mines are operating at Uralasbest," producing "some 1.8-million tons per year of asbestos Grades 1-6, in twenty types and mixes," plus "an additional 350,000 tons of Grade 7."²⁰ It said "the processing plants operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year," and "about 20,000 workers are employed at the mining, maintenance and auxiliary operations."²⁰ In December 1979 it gave "some 1,870,000 tons per year of Chrysotile Grades 1-6, plus some 350,000 tons of Grade 7," and in January 1981 it said production "is expected to remain unchanged at about 1.54-million tonnes per annum."^21,22

The Minerals Yearbook for 1981, drawing on a translated article in the Asbestos Bulletin, described the combine as having "20 sections and subsections, including two asbestos mines, three asbestos milling plants, anthophyllite asbestos mining, an asbestos millboard factory," and works for building panels.²³ It said Uralasbest "produced 62.4% of the Soviet asbestos output," that it "also provided all the asbestos exported from the Soviet Union," and that "the total personnel numbered about 19,000, including 15,000 of labor force."²³ For 1985 the yearbook reported that "reconstruction and modernization of equipment at the Uralasbest complex was reported to have increased mine efficiency."²⁴

JSC Uralasbest

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that in 1994 "MDS of Germany agreed to invest $4.1 million in money or equipment in JSC Uralasbest in return for the right to purchase 15% of JSC Uralasbest."² MDS "did not meet the terms of the agreement," the Survey said, so an arbitration court decided that the 15% share "would revert back to state ownership."² These pages name the company, not the mine.²

For 2000 the Survey called Uralasbest "the leading Russian asbestos producer," reported "erratic production resulting from power outages," and said production "was reported to have increased by 11% to 460,000 t in 2000."^3,25 The same year Solikamsk, which had been producing magnesium, "announced plans to use asbestos tailing from Uralasbest's Bazhenovskoye asbestos mine," and Uralasbest itself announced plans for "a 50,000 t/yr magnesium plant at its operation in Sverdlovsk"; the Survey reported in 2001 that the company "continued with its plans."^3,25

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.²⁵

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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
1923	7,999 short tons	1
1937	125,000 metric tons	6
1938	86,000 tons	6
1938	86,000 metric tons	7
1975	1,400,000 tons	16
1975	1,250,000 metric tons	17
1976	1,990,000 tons (estimate)	18
1978	1,800,000 tons per year of Grades 1-6	20
1979	1,870,000 tons per year of Chrysotile Grades 1-6	21
1980	1,540,000 tonnes per annum	22
2000	460,000 metric tons	25

Year by year

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

1923

• Output: “443,540 poods (or 7,999 short tons)” (Uralasbest), as reported by Gorni Journal (Moscow), as extracted in Asbestos (magazine), p. 16¹
• Worked: “only those of the Bajenowsky District ... were in operation” (Ural Asbestos Trust (Uralasbest)), as reported by Gorni Journal (Moscow), as extracted in Asbestos (magazine), p. 16¹

1931

• Mill: “Concentration plant No. 6, annual capacity 7,000 tons, began operations in 1931” (Uralasbest), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 28⁴

1932

• Mill: “New concentration plant "Gigant" began to operate in 1932, capacity 40,000 tons asbestos per annum” (Uralasbest), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 28⁴

1933

• Description: “Trust "Uralasbest" owns 8 excavators, many 10 ton wagons, elevators of 27 tons capacity” (Uralasbest), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 28⁴
• Description: “Main asbestos mining area in Russia 3 1/2 miles long, divided into Northern, Central and Southern Groups; little stripping”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 4¹³
• Reserves: “Northern and Central Groups average 4%, Southern Group about 2%”, as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 4¹³
• Fiber: “The fiber is the chrysotile variety occurring in serpentine”, p. 7⁸
• Description: “The principal asbestos-producing area of the Soviet Union is the Bajenova district, about 90 kilometers northeast of Sverdlovsk (Ekaterinburg)”, p. 7⁸

1935

• Mill: “Asbo-Gigant No. 2 (40,000 tons a year) built 1928-1932; Asbo-Gigant No. 3 (80,000 tons) completed; Asbo-Gigant No. 4 planned at Bazhenovo mine” (Uralasbest), p. 5⁵
• Description: “Bazhenovo mine (name as printed)” (Uralasbest), p. 5⁵

1937

• Output: “A production of 125,000 metric tons was reported for 1937”, p. 12⁶

1938

• Output: “86,000 tons for 1938”, p. 12⁶
• Output: “No production statistics are available since 1938, when an output of 86,000 metric tons was reported”, p. 10⁷

1941

• Fiber: “Large quantities of chrysotile asbestos, similar to that obtained in Canada, are produced in the Bajenova district in the Ural Mountains”, p. 12⁶

1942

• Mill: “Under the third Five-Year-Plan, an expansion of production capacity to 220,000 metric tons a year was contemplated”, p. 10⁷
• Mill: “Nearly all the Russian asbestos produced originates in the Bajenova district of the Urals, where there are both mines and mills”, p. 10⁷

1960

• Exploration: “Development plans for the Bazhenovo chrysotile asbestos deposit ... were discussed”, as reported by Mining Journal (Moscow), p. 8⁹
• Fiber: “chrysotile asbestos deposit”, p. 8⁹
• Mill: “a new and very large mill is to be built in the Bazhenova region”, as reported by Canadian Mining Journal, p. 16¹⁰

1961

• Exploration: “A new deposit was discovered at Bazhenov”, as reported by Mineral Trade Notes, p. 10¹¹

1969

• Mill: “rated annual capacity of 12 million tons”, as reported by Mining Journal (London), p. 9¹⁴
• Mill: “The No. 6 plant at the Urals asbestos complex was completed”, as reported by Mining Journal (London), p. 9¹⁴

1970

• Mill: “opened Plant No. 6 and will now produce an extra 320,000 tons of asbestos fiber” (Urals Asbestos Combine), p. 22¹⁵

1975

• Mill: “The largest mining-milling complex, with a total annual capacity of about 1-million tons” (Uralasbest Combine), p. 38¹²
• Output: “The Uralasbest complex produced an estimated 1.4 million tons in 1975”, p. 10¹⁶
• Output: “Output in 1975 was reported at 1,250,000 metric tons” (Uralasbest Combine), p. 37¹⁷

1976

• Output: “the largest asbestos mine in Russia, having produced approximately 73% of the country's total output in 1976; 1976 1,990,000” (Uralasbest Combine), p. 31¹⁸
• Output: “Uralasbest: Groups 1-6 1,700; Group 7 500 (1976)” (Uralasbest), p. 10¹⁹

1978

• Output: “Three adjacent open pit asbestos mines are operating at Uralasbest; produces some 1.8-million tons per year of asbestos Grades 1-6” (Uralasbest), p. 40²⁰
• Workforce: “About 20,000 workers are employed at the mining, maintenance and auxiliary operations” (Uralasbest), p. 40²⁰

1979

• Output: “Three adjacent open pit asbestos mines are operating at Uralasbest ... producing some 1,870,000 tons per year of Chrysotile Grades 1-6, plus some 350,000 tons of Grade 7” (Uralasbest), p. 36²¹

1980

• Output: “Production is expected to remain unchanged at about 1.54-million tonnes per annum” (Uralasbest), p. 28²²

1981

• Buyers: “It also provided all the asbestos exported from the Soviet Union” (Uralasbest), as reported by Asbestos Bulletin (translation of A. A. Kovolev, "Uralasbest in the Final Year of the Current 5-Year Plan"), p. 8²³
• Workforce: “The total personnel numbered about 19,000, including 15,000 of labor force” (Uralasbest), as reported by Asbestos Bulletin (translation of A. A. Kovolev, "Uralasbest in the Final Year of the Current 5-Year Plan"), p. 8²³
• Description: “two asbestos mines, three asbestos milling plants, anthophyllite asbestos mining, an asbestos millboard factory” (Uralasbest), as reported by Asbestos Bulletin (translation of A. A. Kovolev, "Uralasbest in the Final Year of the Current 5-Year Plan"), p. 8²³
• Output: “It produced 62.4% of the Soviet asbestos output” (Uralasbest), as reported by Asbestos Bulletin (translation of A. A. Kovolev, "Uralasbest in the Final Year of the Current 5-Year Plan"), p. 8²³

1985

• Mill: “Reconstruction and modernization of equipment at the Uralasbest complex was reported to have increased mine efficiency” (Uralasbest), as reported by Industrial Minerals (London) (J. Griffiths, "Asbestos"), p. 6²⁴

1994

• Ownership: “agreed to invest $4.1 million ... for the right to purchase 15% of JSC Uralasbest” (MDS (Germany)), as reported by Industrial Minerals in the CIS, p. 2²

1996

• Ownership: “the 15% share of JSC Uralasbest would revert back to state ownership” (JSC Uralasbest), as reported by Industrial Minerals in the CIS, p. 2²

2000

• Description: “plans to use asbestos tailing from Uralasbest's Bazhenovskoye asbestos mine” (Uralasbest), as reported by Mining & Metals Report, p. 3³
• Description: “plans for installing a 50,000 t/yr magnesium plant at its operation in Sverdlovsk” (Uralasbest), as reported by Mining & Metals Report, p. 3³
• Worked: “erratic production resulting from power outages” (Uralasbest), as reported by Industrial Minerals, p. 3³
• Output: “increased by 11% to 460,000 t in 2000” (Public Jt. St. Co. Uralasbest), as reported by Industrial Minerals, p. 3²⁵

2001

• Description: “plans to build a 50,000-metric-ton-per-year-capacity magnesium plant at its asbestos operation in Sverdlovsk” (Public Jt. St. Co. Uralasbest), as reported by Industrial Minerals, p. 3²⁵

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 (9)

• Feletto E 2017: A comparison of parallel dust and fibre measurements of airborne chrysotile asbestos in a large mine and processing factories in the Russian Federation: “Historic dust concentrations are available in a large-scale cohort study of workers in a chrysotile mine and processing factories in Asbest, Russian Federation.”
• Feletto E 2022: Developing a company-specific job exposure matrix for the Asbest Chrysotile Cohort Study: “The Asbest Chrysotile Cohort Study is a historic cohort study of workers employed in the chrysotile enrichment factories and mine of the Joint Stock Company (JSC) Uralasbest in Asbest, Southern Urals”
• Olsson A 2020: Tobacco smoking among chrysotile asbestos workers in Asbest in the Russian Federation: “A historical cohort study of cancer mortality is being conducted among workers in a chrysotile mine and its enrichment factories in the town of Asbest, Russian Federation.”
• Schonfeld SJ 2017: Temporal Trends in Airborne Dust Concentrations at a Large Chrysotile Mine and its Asbestos-enrichment Factories in the Russian Federation During 1951-2001: “Mining and processing of chrysotile, an established carcinogen, has been undertaken in Asbest, Russian Federation since the late 1800s. Dust concentrations were routinely recorded at the open-pit mine and its asbestos-enrichment factories.”
• Schüz J 2013: A retrospective cohort study of cancer mortality in employees of a Russian chrysotile asbestos mine and mills: study rationale and key features: “We have begun fieldwork on a retrospective cohort study of employees of one of the world’s largest chrysotile mine and mills, situated in Asbest, Russia.”
• Schüz J 2020: Comparison of Two Information Sources for Cause-of-Death Follow-up in the Russian Federation: The Asbest Chrysotile Cohort Study: “Asbest Study: occupational exposure to chrysotile in workers in mines and processing facilitates in Asbest, Russian Federation.”
• Schüz J 2020: Occupational cohort study of current and former workers exposed to chrysotile in mine and processing facilities in Asbest, the Russian Federation: Cohort profile of the Asbest Chrysotile Cohort study: “A historical cohort study in workers occupationally exposed to chrysotile was set up in the town of Asbest, the Russian Federation, to study their cause-specific mortality, with a focus on cancer.”
• Schüz J 2024: Cancer mortality in chrysotile miners and millers, Russian Federation: main results (Asbest Chrysotile Cohort-Study): “We investigated mortality in workers of the world’s largest chrysotile mine and enrichment factories located in the town of Asbest, Russian Federation.”
• Tossavainen A 2000: Pulmonary mineral fibers after occupational and environmental exposure to asbestos in the Russian chrysotile industry: “the level and type of asbestos ®bers were determined from lung tissue samples of workers and residents who resided in the area of the world's largest asbestos mine at Asbest, Russia.”

Studies of people who lived nearby (1)

• Kovalevskiy EV 2016: Comparison of mortality in Asbest city and the Sverdlovsk region in the Russian Federation: 1997-2010: “Asbest city is a monotown in the region situated next to one of the largest open-pit chrysotile asbestos mines currently operational.”

Studies of the mine’s fiber (4)

• Durnev AD 1993: Peculiarities of the clastogenic properties of chrysotile-asbestos fibers and zeolite particles: “Chrysotile-asbestos fibers (Bazhenov, Russia, the length of the fibers did not exceed 10 /~m) and zeolite particles”
• Furalev VA 2002: Cytotoxic effects of macrophages and asbestos on transformed rat mesothelial cells: “On the next day textile Bazhenov chrysotile asbestos (50% fibers thin- ner than 1 µ, 70% fibers 10-50 µ long) was added to a final concentration of 5 µg/cm2”
• Kravchenko IV 2001: Inhibition of asbestos-induced transformation of rat pleural mesothelial cells in co-culture with rat macrophages: “The cells were treated with 5 µg/cm2 chrysotile asbestos (Bazhenov deposit, 50% of fibers with a thickness <1 µm, 70% of fibers with a length of 10–50 µm)”
• Skuland T 2020: Synthetic hydrosilicate nanotubes induce low pro-inflammatory and cytotoxic responses compared to natural chrysotile in lung cell cultures: “Natural chrysotile was purchased from Bazhenovskoe field, Russia. The silica nanoparticles with nominal size of 10 nm”

Other names

Documents call this mine “Bajenova district”, “Bazhenovo chrysotile asbestos deposit”, “Bazhenov”, “Urals asbestos complex”, “Uralasbest complex”, “Uralasbest”, “Uralasbest combine”, “JSC Uralasbest”, “Uralasbest's Bazhenovskoye asbestos mine”, “Uralasbest operation in Sverdlovsk”, “Bajenowsky District”, “Bazhenovo mine”, “Bazhenova region”, “Urals Asbestos Combine”, “Uralasbest Combine”.

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1925, May 1925 (May 1, 1925), p. 16.
2. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1996 (January 1, 1997), p. 2.
3. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 2000 (January 1, 2001), p. 3.
4. Asbestos Magazine, 1933, March 1933 (March 1, 1933), p. 28.
5. Asbestos Magazine, 1935, April 1935 (April 1, 1935), p. 5.
6. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1941 (January 1, 1942), p. 12.
7. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1942 (January 1, 1943), p. 10.
8. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1934 (January 1, 1935), p. 7.
9. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1960 (January 1, 1961), p. 8.
10. Asbestos Magazine, 1961, April 1961 (April 1, 1961), p. 16.
11. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1961 (January 1, 1962), p. 10.
12. Asbestos Magazine, 1975, December 1975 (December 1, 1975), p. 38.
13. Asbestos Magazine, 1933, May 1933 (May 1, 1933), p. 4.
14. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1969 (January 1, 1970), p. 9.
15. Asbestos Magazine, 1970, December 1970 (December 1, 1970), p. 22.
16. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1975 (January 1, 1976), p. 10.
17. Asbestos Magazine, 1976, December 1976 (December 1, 1976), p. 37.
18. Asbestos Magazine, 1977, December 1977 (December 1, 1977), p. 31.
19. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1977 (January 1, 1978), p. 10.
20. Asbestos Magazine, 1978, December 1978 (December 1, 1978), p. 40.
21. Asbestos Magazine, 1979, December 1979 (December 1, 1979), p. 36.
22. Asbestos Magazine, 1981, January 1981 (January 1, 1981), p. 28.
23. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1981 (January 1, 1982), p. 8.
24. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1985 (January 1, 1986), p. 6.
25. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 2001 (January 1, 2002), p. 3.