What are the dangers of Asbestos Exposure

Commercial exploitation of asbestos started in during the 1800's but increased dramatically during 1939-45. Environmental pressure forced laws through in the 70's the constrained the use of asbestos in industry.

The EPA strengthened the laws on the use of asbestos in the 80's, banning the use of asbestos in any new use. 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. 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. There are legal uses of asbestos, where it can be proven that asbestos will not be able to contaminate the environment then that use is considered legal.

Humans can die from a number of incurable and untreatable ailments associated with coming into contact with asbestos. 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.

Another source of asbestos litigation is for mesothelioma, which is a cancer that develops in the protective lining of the body's major organs. Symptoms of mesothelioma include weight loss and abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a build-up of fluid in the abdominal cavity).

It is estimated that approximately 100,000 people in the United States have died, or will die, from asbestos exposure related to ship building, such is the hazards of the material. Because symptoms of exposure can take 10 to 50 years to show up, it took medical professionals a great deal of time to connect the disease to it.

The use of asbestos has declined due to the level of litigation that has taken place by its victims once the link between asbestos and the diseases it caused had been established. The British Government's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has promoted rigorous controls on asbestos handling, because of many reports linking exposure to asbestos dust or fibres with thousands of annual deaths.

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.

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