Asbestos-Truth

Industry's adoption of asbestos began during the 19th century and slowly increased until the second world was when it's use rose dramatically. Evidence that asbestos was appearing in the environment was the reason why the Consumer Product and Safety Commission began to legislate on asbestos during the 70's.

The 1980's saw the Environmental Protection Agency take asbestos to task and issued laws stating that asbestos could only be used in uses, which it could be proven that asbestos had been used prior to the laws being passed. Despite all the attention asbestos has received over the years there are a surprising number of people who have no idea how harmful the fibre can be to humans.

It is a mineral that occurs naturally in fibre bundles, and the bundles can be separated into individual fibers. The fact that asbestos will not conduct electricity is fire and chemical resistant made it ideal for industry. Manufacturing was more than eager to use asbestos in its products due to its heat and chemical properties.

Industry thought up many uses for asbestos, including roofing tars, felts, siding, and shingles as well as mud and texture coats. Asbestos can be found in many buildings constructed up until the 1980's as a fire suppressant as well as in use in adhesives. As long as the fibers are encased and contained, with little chance of exposure under normal conditions, all of these uses are legal.

Asbestos exposure can be fatal as many of its effects are incurable with current medication. One of the best-known asbestos diseases is asbestosis, often called asbestos lung, which leads to shortness of breath and lung damage.

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the major organs; it is as a result of exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma usually affects the lungs or the heart of the victim.

It is only in the last 3 decades that it has become apparent the effects on peoples health that asbestos causes. It has taken the medical profession many years to tie asbestos exposure to the disease; this is because it can take from 10 to 50 years for the symptoms to become apparent.

As the level of litigation for compensation for asbestos exposure increased, its use has reduced dramatically. In 1989 the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the Asbestos Ban and Phase Out Rule, which was overturned in 1991.

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.