Asbestos-Truth

The Second World War can be traced back to the reason why industry suddenly began to use asbestos in large quantities. During the 1970's the United States Consumer Product and Safety Commission issued the first laws banning the use of asbestos due to evidence that the fibres were finding their way into the environment.

More laws were passed during the 80's by the EPA controlling how and where asbestos could be used by industry. Many people remain ignorant today on how dangerous asbestos is to people and the environment.

Asbestos fibre occurs naturally as fibre bundles and it was these that were mined to create asbestos used in industry. Asbestos has amazing fire and chemical resistance, coupled with the fact that it is not a conductor of electricity. Manufacturing was more than eager to use asbestos in its products due to its heat and chemical properties.

Asbestos products include brake shoes and clutch pads for automobiles, insulation for boilers and steam pipes on ships, and strengthening agents for cement and talc-based crayons. If a building was built in or before the 1980's then you should assume that it contains asbestos as it's use was wide spread in the construction industry right up until it was banned. If it can be ensured that the asbestos is contained and unable to reach the outside environment then the use of asbestos is legal.

Exposure to asbestos is serious; the health risks associated with asbestos are high because some of the illnesses caused by asbestos are incurable. One of the commonest ailments caused by exposure to asbestos is asbestosis, which is inflammation of the lungs caused by inhaling asbestos fibres.

A second common ailment of asbestosis is mesothelioma, which is a form of cancer affecting the major organs of the body. 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.

Asbestos has been used through out history; the original name came from the ancient Greeks who recognised that there were hazards associated with the material. Asbestos disease can take several decades after the initial exposure to finally appear in the victim; it is for this reason that it took medical professions many years to establish the link between asbestos and the diseases that it is responsible for.

The use of asbestos by industry dropped dramatically once the levels of litigation from its victims began to increase. Now that the hazards of asbestos exposure are known the only legal way to use asbestos is for manufacturers to follow legal safety standards.

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.