WHAT ARE THE HEALTH HAZARDS FROM ASBESTOS?
Asbestos is a family of naturally occurring minerals that are widely used as insulating material. Asbestos has over 3,000 uses, including insulation for boilers and pipes, automobile brake linings, and, until recently, insulating hair dryers. An estimated 30 million tons has been used in the United States since 1900. Asbestos can cause serious disease when inhaled over a period of time. Minute asbestos fibers are taken up by the lung cells; unlike many ordinary dust particles, these fibers cannot be removed by the lung defenses. The physical property of the fibers (small size, thin, and narrow) allows them to penetrate the deepest lung tissues where they reside throughout life. Many years later, even two to three decades after exposure, one of several diseases can show up, including asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma, and some less common conditions. Asbestosis Asbestosis is the most common form of asbestosrelated lung disease. It occurs in only a small number of people who have wo
