Asbestos-Truth

War is the mother of invention and this is born out by the sudden increase in the use of asbestos during the Second World War. 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.

Industry found that the use of asbestos was further restricted after the Environmental Protection Agency issued more laws controlling the use of asbestos in industry during the 1980's. Although there has been much publicity about asbestos and many regulations passed either banning or controlling it's use many people are unaware of how harmful asbestos can be.

Asbestos occurs naturally as a mineral that is mined and processed into asbestos. Asbestos looked like the wonder product for industry because of its heat and chemical resistance. The special properties of asbestos found many uses in manufacturing and construction.

Stage curtains, caulk, joint compound as well as less obvious uses such as crayons are just some of the uses for asbestos. Wall and ceiling tiles, adhesives and joining compounds all contained asbestos and were used by the construction industry up until they were banned. It is legal to use asbestos in ways where it is guaranteed that they cannot come into contact with humans or animals.

Current medical technology is unable to treat all of the possible effects of asbestos fibres on humans. Inhaling asbestos fibres commonly results in asbestosis, an inflammation of the lungs caused by the asbestos fibres aggravating the lining of the lungs.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is caused by asbestos; it forms around the protective lining of the bodys major organs. The two most common forms are pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lining around the lungs, and pericardial mesothelioma, which affects the lining around the heart.

Despite centuries of asbestos mining and usage, asbestos exposure has only recently been recognized as a health hazard. It can take up to 50 years for mesothelioma or asbestosis to become apparent in the victim; this is the reason why it has taken so long for the link between the diseases and asbestos to be made.

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.