Asbestos-Truth

Commercial exploitation of asbestos started in during the 1800's but increased dramatically during 1939-45. The United States was the first country to issue laws banning the use of asbestos after irrefutable evidence came to light that asbestos was finding it's way into the environment.

During the 1980's the EPA added to the laws issued by the Consumer Product and Safety Commission by passing laws stating that asbestos could not be used for any use which it had not been put to up until that time. Despite all the attention asbestos has received over the years there are a surprising number of people who have no idea how harmful the fibre can be to humans.

Asbestos fibre occurs naturally as fibre bundles and it was these that were mined to create asbestos used in industry. There are few products that have the same fire and chemical resistance that asbestos possesses. Construction and manufacturing were ready willing and able to put asbestos to work in a wide variety of applications.

Stage curtains, caulk, joint compound as well as less obvious uses such as crayons are just some of the uses for asbestos. 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.

Unfortunately, asbestos exposure can carry significant health risks, some of which are untreatable and incurable at the present time. Lung damage caused by breathing in asbestos fibres is called asbestosis; it causes permanent lung damage resulting in a shortness of breath.

Mesothelioma is often reported as a disease resulting from asbestos exposure that is listed in many asbestos litigation cases. 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 asbestos have only been realised in the last 30 years by the legal and medical profession. The first documented death related to asbestos was in 1906; in the early 1900s researchers began to notice a large number of early deaths and lung problems in asbestos mining towns.

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