What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a fibrous, silicate mineral known for its durability, heat-resistance, and chemical inertness. These attributes made asbestos a commonly used material in construction and industry before its cancer-causing tendency was discovered. There are three main types of asbestos.

• Chrysotile, or white asbestos, is the most common form of asbestos in the United States and Canada and may be the least harmful. The fibers are fine, smooth, and white.
• Amosite, or brown asbestos, is most often used in thermal insulation systems. The fibers are brittle and straight.
• Crocidolite, or blue asbestos, consists of straight fibers and is used less often than the other two.

Products and buildings that include asbestos are known as Asbestos Containing Materials, or ACM. Anthopylite, Tremolite, and Actinolite are three other forms of asbestos that can also be found in ACM.

Asbestos and disease

Asbestos fibers are harmful to humans if inhaled. When a person breathes in the small fibers, they remain in the lungs and cause scar tissue to form on the walls of the alveoli (the tiny air sacs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged). The amount of oxygen that is available to the body is reduced through asbestos exposure and worsened through repeated encounters with ACM. There are several asbestos-related diseases that can result from inhaling asbestos fibers:

Asbestosis is a chronic condition that results from scar tissue being built up in the lungs. Asbestosis sufferers may experience shortness of breath and increased risk of lung infection. Damage to the lungs is often permanent.

• Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that results from asbestos exposure. It affects the chest or abdominal cavity.
• Lung cancer can also be caused by asbestos exposure.
• Other cancers that may result include esophageal, stomach, colon, and pancreatic.

Numerous studies attest to the link between cancer and asbestos. Many people who have been exposed do not develop asbestosis or cancer until fifteen or more years after their contact with ACM. Smokers have a significantly higher risk of contracting an asbestos related disease than non-smokers.

Where is Asbestos found?

In the United States, asbestos has been used in a variety of industries and products. Some examples of products that contain asbestos include:

• Building materials, like cement and plastics
• Heat insulation and fire proofing
• Brake shoes and clutch pads in vehicles and airplanes

There are several general categories into which ACM can be classified:

• Surfacing materials, such as the acoustical material on the ceilings of many homes, schools, and other buildings
• Thermal System Insulation (TSI), such as the wrapping around boilers, pipes, and duct systems
• Other materials, such as floor tile, electrical panel insulation, and caulking

Who is most likely to be exposed?

Although the use of asbestos was so prevalent in the United States that almost everyone has had some contact with ACM, certain people are much more at risk of being affected by their exposure. People at high risk include those who work with or near the substance. The Environmental Protection Agency asserts that there is no known level of safe exposure, but the following groups are thought have the highest exposure to ACM:

• Construction workers
• Janitors
• Plumbers
• Electricians
• Firefighters
• Telephone repair workers
• Mechanics
• Maintenance personnel
• Insulation installers

In addition, people who live or work near a facility that uses asbestos risk inhaling fibers that have been released into the air.