Asbestos information

The term asbestos refers to a group of minerals that occur naturally as masses of strong and flexible fibers. This attributes is the main reason that asbestos can be separated into thin threads and woven. Asbestos fibers are resistent against heat and chemicals, and they do not conduct electricity, which led to a widespread use in the industry. Another attribute that the industry concealed from the beginning is, that asbestos fiber masses tend to break easily into micro fine particles of dust that floats in the air, sticks to clothes, thus contaminating individuals.

If you have been exposed to asbestos,
you might claim monetary compensation!

Commercial types of asbestos

A range of four types of asbestos has been in use

Chrysotile asbestos
Also known as white asbestos, has curly fibers and belongs to the serpentine family of minerals. This type of asbestos accounts for about 99 percent of the asbestos currently used in the United States

Crocidolite asbestos
Also known as blue asbestos, amphibole type with rod-like fibers

Amosite asbestos
This amphibole type asbestos has brown rod-like fibers

Anthophyllite asbestos
This amphibole type asbestos has gray rod-like fibers

Use of asbestos

The use of asbestos started with the mining and mainly use for insulatuion and fireproofing in the late 1800s. Northern America has used asbestos commercially ever since, with a massive increase already during the second World War - and even further spreading throughout the industries.

Examples of asbestos use

Asbestos has been used in the building and construction industry for strengthening cement and plastics as well as for insulation, fireproofing, and sound absorption. Asbestos has been used in the shipbuilding industry to insulate boilers, steampipes, and hot water pipes. The automotive industry has been using or is still using asbestos in vehicle brakeshoes and clutch pads. Asbestos is contained in over 5,000 products.

Asbestos containing industrial components and consumer products

Due to asbestos had a widespread use, you can find it in

Restricted use of asbestos

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of asbestos in the late 1970s, however the restricted use referred only to wallboard patching compounds and gas fireplaces for the reason that these products released excessive amounts of asbestos fibers into the environment. The industry followed up with a voluntary withdrawal of asbestos in electric hair dryers. In 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned all new uses of asbestos - uses established prior to 1989 however, are still allowed. The EPA has also established regulations that require school systems to inspect for damaged asbestos and to eliminate or reduce the exposure by removing the asbestos or by covering it up.

Health risks due to exposure to asbestos

Exposure to asbestos may increase the risk and cause a series of serious diseases

Asbestosis
A chronic lung desease that causes shortness of breath, coughing, and permanent lung damage

Lung cancer
A severe and often lethal cancer desease

Mesothelioma
A rather rare cancer of the thin membranes that lines the chest, abdomen and inner organs

Cancer of the larynx, oropharynx, gastrointestinal tract, and kidney

Asbestos particles as cause for Mesothelioma

According to the US american National Cancer Institute, the most "people who develop Mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles". I.e. there are certain occupations with raised possibilities to asbestos affection. This exposure to asbestos is the cause of the chronic lung desease asbestosis. Asbestosis appears as coughing, shortness of breath, and a persistent lung damage.

Other Mesothelioma risk factors

So exposure to asbestos can lead to Mesothelioma - nearly 80 percent of patients stated Mesothelioma have been exposed to asbestos - however, in about 20% of the Mesothelioma cases, patients have not evidently been exposed to asbestos, the cause for the desease in these cases is merely speculative. While smoking might advance Mesothelioma in connotation of asbestos, smoking alone does not evidently further the risk. For the record: currently however, there are no other known triggers for Mesothelioma.