Asbestos-Truth

Asbestos was first used in the 1800's but it was not until the Second World War that it's use became mainstream in industry. Laws on how asbestos could be used were introduced in the US during the 70's that restricted how asbestos was used by industry.

The EPA strengthened the laws on the use of asbestos in the 80's, banning the use of asbestos in any new use. Many people remain ignorant today on how dangerous asbestos is to people and the environment.

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 and construction were most willing to put asbestos to use in industry.

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. In the construction industry, asbestos fibers are used in ceiling tiles; paint that is lead based, plastics, adhesives, soundproofing material and insulation. As long as the fibers are encased and contained, with little chance of exposure under normal conditions, all of these uses are legal.

Exposure to asbestos is serious; the health risks associated with asbestos are high because some of the illnesses caused by asbestos are incurable. 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 almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos. The two common forms of the cancer are pleural mesothelioma, which affects the heart and pericardial mesothelioma, which affects the heart.

The health hazards of using asbestos although well known now have only been around since the 1970's. 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.

Asbestos has been in a marked decline as soon as victims of asbestos exposure began to take legal action for compensation. It is legal to use asbestos if all of the legal safety guidelines are followed; this is despite the known risks associated with 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.