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. 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. There was much publicity about asbestos and many people today are aware of the dangers asbestos poses for the general public at large and also for the environment.

Asbestos bundles that occur naturally can be split into individual asbestos fibres. Asbestos has some remarkable properties; it is fire and chemical resistant as well as not conducting electricity. Manufacturing and construction were most willing to put asbestos to use in industry.

Asbestos was used in thermal pipe insulation; fireproof clothing for fire fighters and fire doors. Asbestos can be found in many buildings constructed up until the 1980's as a fire suppressant as well as in use in adhesives. The use of asbestos is legal as long as that use means that the asbestos will not come into contact with people or the environment.

Exposure to asbestos can be fatal as there are several possible asbestos related ailments, which are incurable. One of the best-known asbestos diseases is asbestosis, often called asbestos lung, which leads to shortness of breath and lung damage.

Shortness of breath, cough, and pain in the chest due to an accumulation of fluid in the pleural space are often symptoms of another asbestos related ailment called mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the lining of the lungs, pericardial mesothelioma affects the heart.

Asbestos became more widespread during the industrial revolution; in the 1860s it was used as insulation in the U.S. and Canada, this is long before the modern world recognised the hazards of asbestos. 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.

The use of asbestos by industry dropped dramatically once the levels of litigation from its victims began to increase. 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.