What are the dangers of Asbestos Exposure

Commercial exploitation of asbestos started in during the 1800's but increased dramatically during 1939-45. Laws on how asbestos could be used were introduced in the US during the 70's that restricted how asbestos was used by industry.

Industry found that the use of asbestos was further restricted after the Environmental Protection Agency issued more laws controlling the use of asbestos in industry during the 1980's. Mounting environmental pressure forced people to become better educated about the effects and harm that asbestos poses.

It is a mineral that occurs naturally in fibre bundles, and the bundles can be separated into individual fibers. The reason why asbestos was so widely adopted by industry was because of the heat and chemical properties it possessed. Products containing asbestos were wide spread throughout most industries.

Asbestos was used to make joint compound, gaskets and various fire proofing aids. It would be well to assume that any building built before the 1990's have been constructed with asbestos or materials containing asbestos. Asbestos is legal if it can be proven that its use will not harm humans 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 disease caused by asbestos is a cancer of the lining around the major organs of the body called mesothelioma. Symptoms of mesothelioma include weight loss and abdominal swelling and pain due to ascites (a build-up of fluid in the abdominal cavity).

History notes that Greek and roman slaves whose job it was to weave asbestos fibres into cloth often suffered from damaged lungs. 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. 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.

Massachusetts Asbestos Shingles Removal
Massachusetts Statute Of Limitations For Asbestos Removal
Master Asbestos Removal Inc
Mesothelioma Asbestos Disease Lawyers 91080 Com Me
Mesothelioma Law Galveston Veterans Asbestos Fund Asbestos Removal Laws Mesothelioma Info 4you Com
Metropolitan Life Insurance Asbestos Settlement Fund
Michigan Asbestos Lead Abatement Contractors Association