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. 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 EPA issued additional laws governing the ways in which asbestos could be used during the 1980's. 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 fibre occurs naturally as fibre bundles and it was these that were mined to create asbestos used in industry. Asbestos has some remarkable properties; it is fire and chemical resistant as well as not conducting electricity. Manufacturing and construction were most willing to put asbestos to use in industry.

Asbestos based products were used in most walks of life, from lagging boilers to brake pads for cars. The construction industry used asbestos as a fire retardant as well as a sound proofing material. Asbestos is legal if it can be proven that its use will not harm humans or the environment.

Unfortunately, asbestos exposure can carry significant health risks, some of which are untreatable and incurable at the present time. One of the best-known asbestos diseases is asbestosis, often called asbestos lung, which leads to shortness of breath and lung damage.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is caused by asbestos; it forms around the protective lining of the bodys major organs. If the mesothelioma cancer has spread beyond the mesothelium to other parts of the body, symptoms may include pain, trouble swallowing, or swelling of the neck or face.

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. Asbestos disease can take several decades after the initial exposure to finally appear in the victim; it is for this reason that it took medical professions many years to establish the link between asbestos and the diseases that it is responsible for.

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. It is legal to use asbestos if all of the legal safety guidelines are followed; this is despite the known risks associated with 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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