What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is the general term applied to a family of
naturally occurring silicate minerals in fiber form. These
fibers are durable, strong, resistant to heat and fire and
because of their fibrous nature, they can be woven and
fabricated into many different types of materials. Of the
different many forms of asbestos fibers, three were most
often used for commercial purposes:
- Chrysotile, or white
asbestos, has been very widely used in the US. It is
white-gray in color and found in serpentine rock.
- Amosite or brown asbestos.
- Crocidolite or blue
asbestos.
Amphibole asbestos (e.g.
amosite and crocidolite) is very dangerous because of the
shape of its fibers: microscopically small needles. Workers
of persons exposed to this type of asbestos inhale the dust,
which then becomes trapped in the lungs. Over time, this can
lead to asbestosis, lung cancer or malignant mesothelioma.
Which Products Contain or
Contained Asbestos?
Asbestos-containing products
are used to prevent the transfer of heat from one place to
another, or to keep heat out otherwise known as thermal
insulation. Nearly all insulation materials manufactured
before 1975 or so did contain some asbestos. Many products
have, at one time or another, contained asbestos, including:
Adhesives, asbestos cloth,
asbestos cement pipe, brake and clutch assemblies, ceiling
tile, duct insulation, fireproofing spray, insulating
cement, pipe-covering, refractory and boiler insulation
materials, packing materials and insulating block materials.
As it was fireproof, asbestos containing materials were also
used in the construction trades: acoustical tiles, transite
board, gaskets, joint compound, vinyl floor tile, mastics,
coatings, roofing products, insulated electrical wire and
panels, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
Is Asbestos Still a Health
Risk?
Yes! Asbestos is still a health risk as it may still be part
of buildings that were built decades ago and that utilized
asbestos containing materials in the construction or
renovation of those structures. Asbestos-containing
materials may be in factories, office buildings, ships, and
other structures and products. Significantly, medical
science believes that the latency period for malignant
mesothelioma (the time it takes for a disease to develop and
for the patient to notice or feel symptoms) may be up to 40
years after the initial exposure. The incidence of all
asbestos related diseases increases with the intensity and
duration of a person’s exposure to asbestos.
Asbestos FAQs
What is asbestos?
Where is asbestos found?
Are asbestos dangerous?
What other health effects are there?
When was asbestos found to be a health hazard?
Who needs to be examined for exposure?
I may have been exposed to
asbestos. Will I get sick?
Is
there a cure for asbestos-related disease?
Who is responsible for
asbestos being on the market?
How many people have been
harmed by asbestos?
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