Asbestos-Truth

Asbestos was first used in the 1800's but it was not until the Second World War that it's use became mainstream in industry. Its popularity came to an abrupt halt in the 1970s however, when the United States Consumer Product and Safety Commission passed the first laws banning its use in certain products, because the asbestos fibers were being released into the environment.

In the 1980s, the Environmental Protection Agency added to those laws by banning any new uses for it, although laws still allowed for the use of it in any way that existed prior to that time. If you ask people today, most of them are aware of the harmful nature of asbestos to those who are exposed to the fibres.

Asbestos is a mineral that occurs naturally in nature in fibre bundles. Resistance to chemical attack and heat made asbestos irresistible to industry. The special properties of asbestos found many uses in manufacturing and construction.

Asbestos has been banned from being used in auto parts such as brake pads, brake shoes and clutch plates. The construction industry used asbestos as a fire retardant as well as a sound proofing material. Asbestos is legal if it can be proven that its use will not harm humans or the environment.

Asbestos exposure is taken very serious, as some of the diseases associated with asbestos are untreatable. One of the best-known asbestos diseases is asbestosis, often called asbestos lung, which leads to shortness of breath and lung damage.

After Asbestosis, the second major ailment resulting from asbestos exposure is mesothelioma, this is a cancer of the lining of the major organs. Mesothelioma usually affects the lungs or the heart of the victim.

Despite centuries of asbestos mining and usage, asbestos exposure has only recently been recognized as a health hazard. Because symptoms of exposure can take 10 to 50 years to show up, it took medical professionals a great deal of time to connect the disease to it.

Production of asbestos in Japan peaked in 1974 and went through ups and downs until about 1990, when production began to drop severely after is was proven that asbestos was dangerous to human health. Follow the right safety guidelines and it is legal for manufacturers to use asbestos.

The author of this web articles has written many other articles about asbestos. If you are interested you can find links to some of their other work below.