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Although both the Greeks and Romans noted the lung problems that arose in asbestos miners and slaves who wore asbestos fibers, we continued to use this material for the majority of the 20th century. Sadly, now we know that asbestos causes terrible health problems like asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Asbestos was first used 3,000 years ago by ancient civilizations that populated the area that is now Finland. They used it for chinking for their houses and in pottery. Its popularity continued with the Greeks, Romans, and Persians 2,000 years ago. They mostly used the substance either in funerary rites or for cloths that often needed cleaning, such as napkins or tablecloths.

The popularity of asbestos declined until the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. With the rise in machinery came the need for a material that was a suitable insulator for the heat, flames, and electricity that was either used or produced by the machines. Asbestos was found to be a perfect insulator for all of these things. Additionally, it protects against chemicals and resists degradation. As a silicate material, it also has high tensile strength and flexibility. Continue reading ‘Asbestos Usage in the 20th Century’ »

Early civilizations in what is now Finland recognized the usefulness of asbestos about 3,000 years ago. The Persians, Greeks, and Romans continued its popularity 1,000 years later. Even up through the 20th century, we utilized asbestos in a number of different products until it was phased out and banned starting in 1989.

Asbestos is extremely useful both due to its own characteristics, but also as a silicate mineral. Silicates in general tend to be highly resistant to many different things, which makes them great insulators. Silicate minerals protect against chemicals, heat, flame, and electricity. They are also highly resistant to biodegradation. Additionally, asbestos has several useful properties on its own. It has high tensile strength and is very flexible, which means that it can easily be spun into cloth as well as added to other materials. Continue reading ‘Types of Asbestos and Their Uses’ »

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has wanted to ban all uses of asbestos since 1979, and this year it’s closer to succeeding than ever before. In a recent policy speech, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said that reforming the regulation of dangerous materials and chemicals was one of her department’s top priorities. The focus of their reform is the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act. The EPA is working with New Jersey senator Frank Lautenberg on legislation that he will introduce to update and toughen that law.

The original law assumed that all chemicals were benign until proven otherwise, and placed the burden of proof on the EPA. The new legislation will reverse this arrangement: manufacturers will be required to prove that their products are safe. All chemicals and materials will now be evaluated against current standards for human health and environmental safety. The revised legislation also requires that the standards be based on valid scientific research. Continue reading ‘EPA Takes Aim at Asbestos’ »

The idea of a World War was something that couldn’t be imagined prior to the 20th century. Then we had two in a matter of 35 years. The number of people killed in the wars was staggering. The fact that people continued to die for forty or fifty years after the end of World War II was all the more shocking until the cause was discovered.

Asbestos has long been considered a miracle material of sort. It is highly resistant to heat, which makes it a great insulator and fire wall wherever heat and electricity are found. This was a known fact for hundreds of years, but never really led to its use in a major way. Then World War II rolled around. Despite being the second of the two huge wars, it was the first that involved a really massive production of military materials. This led to the widespread use of asbestos and a resulting Mesothelioma nightmare. Continue reading ‘Mesothelioma – How World War II Killed Many Years Later’ »

Asbestos is a toxic substance that is used in construction and for various chemical purposes.  The history of this chemical is very interesting and controversial, especially for Canada which is one of the leading manufacturers of this chemical worldwide. Asbestos became widely used in the late 19th century by manufacturers and builders. Because of its resistance to heat, electricity and chemical damage, its sound absorption and tensile strength it was used in buildings, cloth, fire retardant coatings, concrete, bricks, pipes and fireplace cement, heat, fire, and acid resistant gaskets, pipe insulation, ceiling insulation, fireproof drywall, flooring, roofing, lawn furniture, drywall joint compound and even electric oven and hotplate wiring.  Until the mid 1980th when it was proven that asbestos leads to serious illnesses, like malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis (a type of pneumoconiosis).

Continue reading ‘Dangerous Products – Asbestos’ »

Mesothelioma is primarily caused by long-term, regular exposure to asbestos. People who have been exposed to asbestos insulation in the workplace have a higher death rate than anyone else from this type of cancer. In fact, they are about three hundred times more likely to die from it than those who are not in regular, direct contact with it. In some cases, people who were exposed to asbestos in the workplace have family members who develop the disease. This is thought to be possible because the workers bring the asbestos home on their clothes and their family members are in direct contact with it.

Pleural Mesothelioma, the most common form of the cancer, is thought be caused from the inhalation of asbestos dust. The fibers of asbestos are so small that the lungs are not able to filter them, allowing them to embed in the tissue of the lungs and form into cancer. Sometimes Mesothelioma is located in the lining of the abdomen. This is called peritoneal Mesothelioma , and is thought to be caused by ingesting asbestos. Asbestos can be ingested by eating food that has been contaminated with asbestos. Continue reading ‘Asbestos, The Deadly Time Bomb’ »

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Since asbestos was discovered to be a dangerous material which could induce health problems it has stopped being used in buildings in the UK, and was banned in the European Union from January 1st 2005. Inhalation of asbestos spores can lead to serious health complications such as asbestosis, mesothelioma and malignant lung cancer, and it is still unknown how much of the UK population will develop health problems as symptoms often do appear for many years.

Continue reading ‘Asbestos Management: Your Options’ »

If you’re worried about the risk, call an asbestos removal specialist today. For new homeowners, there is a chance that it’ll be present in your new home. For businesses and industry, it’s essential to get your workplace checked out by a specialist. The health risks are too serious to ignore.

Continue reading ‘Asbestos Removal Can Save Your Life’ »

Damage induced to humans by asbestos in their environment has been a constant issue for a number of years. This damage will not manifest itself until years after the injured party was encountered with asbestos. In fact it may take as long as thirty years before any effects are noticed in a victim. The damaging effects are no less serious.

Continue reading ‘A Brief Guide To Asbestos Lawyers’ »

Asbestos is the common name for any variety of silicate materials that are fibrous in structure and are more resistant to acid and fire than other materials. It has two forms, serpentine and amphibole, and is made of impure magnesium silicate. Asbestos has been used in thousands of materials and products throughout the world. They can be found almost anywhere but are most commonly found in areas likely to experience intense heat, friction or excessive wetting that would cause other products to deteriorate. Within a house or a building, asbestos is most commonly found in asbestos cement sheeting, also known as ‘fibro’. Asbestos cement sheeting can be found in a flat form in internal and external walls and ceilings. A corrugated form of asbestos cement sheeting, also known as ’super six’ or ’super eight’, is commonly found on roofs, as fences and sometimes as external wall cladding.

Continue reading ‘Asbestos Explained’ »