Asbestos-Truth

Industry first began to use asbestos during the 19th century and its use rose substantially during the period of the Second World 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.

The 1980's saw new laws passed on the use of asbestos in the US, further restricting the ways in which it could be used. 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 is a mineral that occurs naturally in nature in fibre bundles. There are few products that have the same fire and chemical resistance that asbestos possesses. The wide spread use of asbestos was because of the almost magical properties it possessed, gaining it many uses in manufacturing.

The list of uses for asbestos goes on and on but here are a few of the more well known uses it was put to vinyl floor tiles, sheeting, adhesives, clutch plates and stage curtains. The construction industry used asbestos as a fire retardant as well as a sound proofing material. Industry can still use asbestos but only if it can be proven that it is not possible for the asbestos to come into contact with people or the environment.

Asbestos exposure can be fatal as many of its effects are incurable with current medication. Lung damage caused by breathing in asbestos fibres is called asbestosis; it causes permanent lung damage resulting in a shortness of breath.

Another source of asbestos litigation is for mesothelioma, which is a cancer that develops in the protective lining of the body's major organs. In severe cases of mesothelioma, the person may have many tumour masses. The individual may develop a pneumothorax, or collapse of the lung. The disease may metastasise, or spread, to other parts of the body.

Despite centuries of asbestos mining and usage, asbestos exposure has only recently been recognized as a health hazard. Asbestos exposure symptoms may take up to 50 years to show, it is for this reason that the medical profession took so long to links asbestos to the diseases that it causes.

The use of asbestos by industry dropped dramatically once the levels of litigation from its victims began to increase. Asbestos fibers are still legal, despite the hazards of exposure, only if manufacturers follow all legally required 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.