| The history of asbestos as we know it dates back | | | | sprayed asbestos fire retardants |
| 2000 years. It was the Greeks who named this | | | | Asbestos Industry |
| mineral asbestos, meaning inextinguishable. The ancient | | | | In the past, the asbestos industry used around 3000 |
| Greeks observed the harmful biological effects but | | | | products manufactured worldwide, most commonly in |
| continued to use the mineral said to have magical | | | | the construction, car manufacturing and textile |
| properties. Pliny (Roman naturalist) and Strabo (Greek | | | | industries. It was generally manufactured in the |
| geographer) noted an appearance of "sickness of the | | | | following forms: fibrous (limpet asbestos), woven (cloth, |
| lungs" in slaves who wove asbestos into cloth. The | | | | tape or sleeving), wound (rope) or mixed with a binder, |
| Greeks also used asbestos for the wicks of the | | | | such as calcium silicate (to make asbestos cement or |
| eternal flames of the vestal virgins, as the funeral | | | | vinyl floor products containing asbestos). |
| dress worn by kings and for napkins. They were so | | | | Because of its strength and its ability to resist heat and |
| impressed with the magical properties of the mineral | | | | chemicals, asbestos was used in a range of insulation |
| that they were willing to overlook its harmful | | | | materials. |
| symptoms for humans. They went as far as calling | | | | Older commercial industrial buildings and private |
| asbestos "amiantus", meaning "unpolluted. | | | | dwellings may contain a variety of asbestos products, |
| During the middle ages, it was believed that the | | | | such as asbestos-cement sheeting in walls and ceilings, |
| Frankish king, Charlemagne had asbestos tablecloths. | | | | or roof cladding made from corrugated |
| Asbestos products were used in the 1700 hundreds | | | | asbestos-cement. Asbestos may be found in |
| but did not really become popular until the late 1800's. | | | | structures built as late as the mid- to late 1980s. |
| The industrial Revolution demanded new uses for the | | | | Asbestos Related Occupations |
| mineral. It was used as insulation for steam pipes, | | | | Asbestos has been used in association with a number |
| turbines, boilers, kilns, ovens, and other high-temperature | | | | of occupations such as the US military and armed |
| products. | | | | forces, particularly the Navy. Massive amounts of |
| The history of asbestos use continued into the | | | | asbestos were used in shipbuilding and commercial |
| twentieth century and researchers began to | | | | construction prior to the mid-1970's. |
| investigate the harmful toxic affects. It was first | | | | Other workers in occupations which have been |
| noticed in 1917 and 1918 that a great number of young | | | | associated with asbestos use are: |
| people in asbestos mining towns prematurely died. | | | | Insulators, Pipe Fitters, Plumbers, Electricians, Painters, |
| Researchers in England carried out clinical studies on | | | | Crane Operators, Floor Coverers, Pot Tenders, |
| asbestos workers in 1924, after the recorded death of | | | | Welders, Paper Mill Workers, Custodians, Steam |
| a young woman who had been diagnosed with the | | | | Fitters, Tile Setters, Aerospace Workers, Mechanics, |
| new disease they called asbestosis. Twenty-five | | | | Building Engineers, Demolition Crews, Former US Navy |
| percent of the test subjects showed evidence of | | | | Personnel, Packing/Gasket Manufacturing Workers, |
| asbestos-related lung disease. Legislation was enacted | | | | Protective Clothing Manufacturing, Rubber Workers, |
| in 1931, to increase ventilation and to recognize | | | | Warehouse Workers, Home Improvement, Hospitals, |
| asbestosis a work-related disease. | | | | Schools, Loading Docks, Glass Factory Workers, |
| The 1930's brought in with it, the surge of major | | | | Building Inspectors, Bulldozer Operators, Manufacturing |
| medical research articles, warning about the asbestos | | | | Workers, Excavating machine operators, Heavy |
| connection with lung cancer partially due to a new | | | | Equipment Mechanics, Job and Die setters, |
| disease, silicosis, caused by in haling silica dust particles. | | | | Contractors, Building Managers, Mixing Operatives, |
| Much of this research continued to be ignored. Large | | | | Laborers, Sawyers, Teachers, Tinsmiths, Weavers, |
| Asbestos companies continued to use asbestos in | | | | Excavators, Technicians |
| manufacturing and construction, despite that fact that | | | | Risks of Asbestos Exposure |
| safer alternatives such as fiberglass insulation were | | | | Humans come into contact with asbestos when they |
| created to replace it. These companies hid their lung | | | | swallow or inhale the fibers. These particles can then |
| cancer findings to avoid the million dollar lawsuits | | | | become embedded in the tissues of the respiratory or |
| brought upon them by asbestos cancer victims. The | | | | digestive systems. |
| history of asbestos use and company profiteering has | | | | Three Main Diseases Caused by Asbestos Exposure |
| no doubt exploited asbestos workers then and now. | | | | Asbestosis |
| Today, victims exposed to asbestos are faced with | | | | Asbestosis causes widespread scar tissue between |
| mesothelioma cancer and certain death. | | | | the alveoli, or spread over the lung. It is difficult to |
| What is Asbestos? | | | | distinguish from other causes of interstitial fibrosis. Only |
| Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber mined | | | | confirmation of exposure to asbestos or detection of |
| from the earth. It is strong, flexible, and resistant to | | | | unusually high numbers of asbestos fibers in the lung is |
| heat, chemicals and electrical conditions. | | | | considered conclusive evidence of this disease. |
| Forms of AsbestosThe three most common forms of | | | | MesotheliomaMesothelioma is a tumor of the chest |
| asbestos are divided into two groups. The serpentine | | | | lining, abdominal lining and occasionally the heart lining. |
| group includes white (chrysotile) asbestos. The | | | | Asbestos is not the only cause of this disease, but it is |
| amphibole group includes brown (amosite) and blue | | | | the most important cause in modern times. Crocidolite |
| (crocidolite) asbestos. | | | | is the most important asbestos-related factor, but |
| Asbestos Properties | | | | amosite, chrysotile and tremolite are also linked. This |
| Asbestos has many properties that once made it | | | | disease takes 20-50 years to appear, with the highest |
| attractive to industry. It is stable when heated, it | | | | risk around 30-35 years after exposure. It is typically |
| provides strength under tension, it is resistant to | | | | dose-related, but in rare cases has been known to |
| chemicals and does not absorb water (depending on | | | | occur in patients with little known occupational |
| type of asbestos). Asbestos is suitable for weaving | | | | exposure to asbestos. |
| and can be used to reinforce materials such as | | | | Lung Cancer |
| concrete. And lastly, it is a good resistance to | | | | Lung cancer is relatively common among the general |
| electricity. | | | | public and is the cancer most frequently associated |
| Asbestos Categories | | | | with asbestos. Tumors grow and eventually obstruct |
| 'Bonded' is used to refer to asbestos being so firmly | | | | airways. No characteristics specify a lung cancer as |
| embedded in a material that these materials are | | | | being caused by asbestos; we cannot distinguish a |
| unlikely to release measurable levels of asbestos fiber | | | | 'cigarette' lung cancer from an 'asbestos' lung cancer |
| into the air if they are left undisturbed. Therefore, they | | | | or 'another' lung cancer. Smoking increases the risk of |
| generally pose a lower risk to health. | | | | death due to lung cancer for asbestos workers. |
| Bonded asbestos-containing materials include asbestos | | | | The history of asbestos and how it is has endangered |
| cement products (flat and corrugated sheeting used in | | | | human mortality has plagued different societies since |
| walls, ceilings and roofs, molded items such as down | | | | ancient times. Throughout history must of these |
| pipes), vinyl floor coverings. | | | | warnings have been ignored. Today, the use of |
| 'Friable' is used to refer to asbestos-containing | | | | asbestos is banned in the US and many other |
| materials that can be easily reduced to powder by | | | | countries. This ban applies to manufacture, supply, |
| hand, when dry. These materials are more likely to | | | | storage, sale, use, reuse, installation and replacement of |
| release measurable levels of asbestos into the air | | | | asbestos, except in special circumstances (e.g. |
| when disturbed, and generally pose a greater risk to | | | | removal and disposal of asbestos, and research work). |
| health. Friable asbestos-containing materials include | | | | |