What are the dangers of Asbestos Exposure

Mining and commercial use of asbestos began in the 1800s, and grew significantly during World War II. Looking back it was the 70's when the first laws controlling the use of asbestos began to reduce its use by industry.

The 1980's saw the Environmental Protection Agency take asbestos to task and issued laws stating that asbestos could only be used in uses, which it could be proven that asbestos had been used prior to the laws being passed. Although there has been much publicity about asbestos and many regulations passed either banning or controlling it's use many people are unaware of how harmful asbestos can be.

Asbestos bundles that occur naturally can be split into individual asbestos fibres. The reason why asbestos was so widely adopted by industry was because of the heat and chemical properties it possessed. The special properties of asbestos found many uses in manufacturing and construction.

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. It would be well to assume that any building built before the 1990's have been constructed with asbestos or materials containing asbestos. 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.

Asbestos exposure can be fatal as many of its effects are incurable with current medication. One of the best-known asbestos diseases is asbestosis, often called asbestos lung, which leads to shortness of breath and lung damage.

Another disease caused by asbestos is a cancer of the lining around the major organs of the body called mesothelioma. Pericardial mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the heart; pleural mesothelioma affects the lining of the lung.

Asbestos has been used through out history; the original name came from the ancient Greeks who recognised that there were hazards associated with the material. It can take up to 50 years for mesothelioma or asbestosis to become apparent in the victim; this is the reason why it has taken so long for the link between the diseases and asbestos to be made.

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. 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.

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