Asbestos-Truth

The Second World War was the time when asbestos was used the most by industry since it's introduction in the 19th century. Asbestos became a hot topic during the 1970's in the US when evidence of asbestos appearing in the environment caused legislation to control it's use in industry came into force.

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. Mounting environmental pressure forced people to become better educated about the effects and harm that asbestos poses.

Asbestos fibre occurs naturally as fibre bundles and it was these that were mined to create asbestos used in industry. The reason why asbestos was so widely adopted by industry was because of the heat and chemical properties it possessed. Adoption of the use of asbestos was wide spread in many industries eager make use of it's special properties.

Asbestos based products were used in most walks of life, from lagging boilers to brake pads for cars. The construction industry used asbestos as a fire retardant as well as a sound proofing material. As long as the fibers are encased and contained, with little chance of exposure under normal conditions, all of these uses are legal.

Current medical technology is unable to treat all of the possible effects of asbestos fibres on humans. Asbestosis is probably the most common asbestos related disease, it is often seen as a severe shortness of breath caused by the lining of the lings becoming inflamed by the asbestos fibres.

After Asbestosis, the second major ailment resulting from asbestos exposure is mesothelioma, this is a cancer of the lining of the major organs. If the mesothelioma cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

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. The term Mesothelioma was not used in medical literature until 1931, and was not associated with asbestos until sometime in the 1940s.

As the level of litigation for compensation for asbestos exposure increased, its use has reduced dramatically. 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.