An Asbestos Overview

While asbestos has been appropriately vilified for its role in causing life-threatening and even fatal diseases, it is important to understand all about the substance so that you can know how it became popular, where it might be in your environment, and what sorts of disorders that it causes. Although asbestos has been phased out in the United States starting in the 1980s, it is still a very real presence today as mesothelioma diagnoses are not supposed to peak until 2016.

First, let's take a brief look at the history of asbestos. It has been popular substance for thousands of years, with its presence being recorded even as far back as 3,000 years ago as chinking in living structures found in modern-day Finland. Additionally, ancient Greeks and Romans also appreciated the substance for its flame-retardant capabilities. However, even scholars from these times noted the health risks associated with prolonged, intense asbestos exposure.

After a period of obscurity, asbestos again rose to our notice during the Industrial Revolution. Due to the need for insulating materials to protect against the exponentially increasing presence of motors and engines, people turned to asbestos. Since then, it spread into the shipping, automotive, and construction industries, among others. It was once found in everything from vinyl flooring to stage curtains to car gaskets.

Asbestos has certain qualities that make it so useful. First, it is a silicate mineral, and silicates have a number of beneficial properties. Silicates are resistant to heat, flame, chemicals, electricity, and biodegradation. In addition to these qualities, asbestos has some unique characteristics of its own that contributed to its popularity. It has high tensile strength and flexibility, which allows it to be added to almost anything.

However, asbestos can easily be split into a multitude of microscopic fibers that can become lodged in your body whether inhaled or ingested. The body is unable to digest and break down asbestos fibers, which means that they can stay in your body for years. The body forms nodules around the fibers, which can turn into cancer and other diseases.

There are several disorders that can be caused by asbestos, including:

Lung cancer

Mesothelioma

Asbestosis

Pleural plaques

Pleural effusion

Asbestos warts

After recognizing these problems, people began to call for the outlawing of asbestos primarily beginning in the 1970s. Thus, the United States government finally took certain measures to protect us against asbestos. The Environmental Protection Agency issued the Asbestos Ban and Phase-Out in 1989, which prevents against adding the material to new products and spreading older products that already contain asbestos.

Sadly, this ban came too late for many people. Asbestos is still very much a presence in our lives, in things like brake pads and housing insulation for homes built before the phase-out. Treating an asbestos-related disease can be difficult and expensive. If you or someone you know has been illegally exposed to asbestos, relating in mesothelioma or another such disease, you should talk to a lawyer about your options.

For more information, contact an asbestos attorney at the firm of Williams Kherkher today.

Joseph Devine

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.