Asbestos Answers

What is asbestos?

From the Asbestos Institute, an association of asbestos producers:

"Asbestos is a commercial term given to six naturally occurring minerals that are incombustible and separable into filaments: chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, anthophyllite, tremolite and actinolite…

"chrysotile, or white asbestos, currently accounts for more than 98% of world asbestos consumption. Its fibers are characterized by high tensile strength, resistance to alkalies, high flexibility and good spinnability."

From the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences:

"Asbestos is the name we use to describe a group of natural mineral fibers that are known for their strength and fire-resistant properties. Asbestos has been used in thermal insulation and fire proofing for the construction industry, and in brake and clutch linings for the automotive industry. Although asbestos fibers come in blue, brown, and green colors, most asbestos used in the United States is white asbestos, and is called chrysotile. Some asbestos fibers are so small that a microscope is necessary to see them. These small fibers can be floating in the air, and we can breath them deeply into our lungs, where they can become lodged. Inhaling asbestos fibers increases the chances of developing lung cancer, mesothelioma (a cancer of the lining of the body cavities), and asbestos, which cause shortness of breath and coughing."

Asbestos is mineral fiber that hurts people when microscopic fibers are inhaled into the deep recesses of the lungs. Asbestos was used in many, many applications over the years.

Who is exposed to asbestos today?

In 2001 OSHA estimated that 1.3 million U.S. employees in construction and general industry face significant asbestos exposure on the job. The construction industry poses the biggest dangers to workers, particularly during the removal of asbestos during renovation or demolition of old buildings. Employees can also be exposed to fibers during the manufacture of asbestos products (such as textiles, friction products, insulation, and other building materials) and during automotive brake and clutch repair work.

What should you do if you were exposed? Find out here.

What is Mesothelioma?

The National Cancer Institute states that: "Malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the sac lining the chest (the pleura) or the abdomen (the peritoneum)."

How do workers get Mesothelioma?

Most people with malignant mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they breathed asbestos. Others have been exposed to asbestos at home, often without knowing it. There have been cases of the family members of asbestos workers contracting illness from asbestos-covered clothing brought home from work.

It takes surprisingly little exposure to get the disease. An exposure of as little as one or two months can result in mesothelioma 30 or 40 years later.

How long does it take after exposure for the disease to show up?

Sometimes it takes decades. People exposed in the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and 70s are now being diagnosed with mesothelioma because of the long latency period of asbestos disease.