How does asbestos damage ones health?
U.S. EPA and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry have developed fact sheets and a toxicological profile on asbestos explaining long-term health effects due to repeated, high-level exposures, such as those experienced by workers in an industrial setting. Those effects include asbestosis (scarring of the lungs), lung cancer or other lung disease. No studies are available on the acute (short-term) effects of asbestos exposure in animals or humans. In addition, the OSHA website has a fact sheet about the hazards of working with asbestos. Another fact sheet available through the Illinois EPA provides a general understanding of the statutory and regulatory requirements governing managing asbestos. Links to these fact sheets are provided below.
