What are the dangers of Asbestos Exposure

Industry's adoption of asbestos began during the 19th century and slowly increased until the second world was when it's use rose dramatically. 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. There are probably not many people in the modern world who are not aware of the dangers of inhaling asbestos.

It is a mineral that occurs naturally in fibre bundles, and the bundles can be separated into individual fibers. Asbestos fibers are resistant to heat, fire and chemicals, and they do not conduct electricity. With it's unbeatable properties of heat and chemical resistance many uses for asbestos were found in the home and industry.

The applications that asbestos found its way into is long and varied. The construction industry used asbestos as a fire retardant as well as a sound proofing material. 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.

The medical profession takes asbestos exposure very seriously because there are a number of possible health risks, which are untreatable with current medical technology. 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.

A less commonly known ailment of asbestos is mesothelioma; it is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos that effect 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.

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

After the medical profession proved the link between asbestos, litigation by lawyers has caused industry to revaluate the use of asbestos and it's use has declined. Follow the right safety guidelines and it is legal for manufacturers to use 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.

Specializing In Asbestos Surveys Abatement Leadbased
Storage Of Asbestos Following Removal
Texas Department Of Health Lead Asbestos Abatement
Texas Law Firm Tobacco Settlement Asbestos
The Asbestos Groupcouk
The Truth About Asbestos Exposure
Timber Asbestos Garage Removal