What Is Asbestos?

as·bes·tos (s-bsts, z-) (1) A common form of magnesium silicate which was used in various construction products due to it's stability and resistance to fire. Asbestos exposure by inhaling loose asbestos fibers is associated with various forms of lung disease. (2) The name given to certain inorganic minerals when they occur in fibrous form. Though fire-resistant, its extremely fine fibers are easily inhaled, and exposure to them over a period of years has been linked to cancers of the lung or lung-cavity lining and to mesothelioma.

There are six types of asbestos - three of which have been used commercially. These are white (chrysotile), blue (crocidolite) and brown (amosite) asbestos. Over 90% of all asbestos ever used was the white asbestos.

Asbestos is a mineral that was crushed and milled into a fine particulate, and shipped to corporations for building and insulation materials. Asbestos mines around the world, many in Canada, produced over 250 million tons of asbestos for use in the United States between 1890 and 1970. Asbestos was added to a variety of products including insulation, automotive brakes, fireproofing, pipe covering, cements, refractory materials, gaskets, floor tiles and joint compounds.

During the installation, repair, maintenance, renovation and removal of asbestos materials, the products were cut, scraped, sanded and otherwise altered. Some materials, such as cements, were mixed at job sites using raw asbestos fibers. These processes created dust, which was breathed in by the laborers working with and around these materials. Dust from these products also traveled throughout buildings and factories and ships, and remained airborne for weeks. When swept, these materials were re-suspended in the air -- where they were breathed in again by workers in the vicinity.

The dangers of asbestos were known to the companies that made these products as early as the 1920s. However, asbestos was sold and used without warnings up until the 1980s -- when most asbestos products were banned in the United States and other countries. Alternative materials were available that could have been used in place of asbestos.

A wide array of workers were exposed to asbestos including shipyard workers, factory workers, pipefitters, sheet metal workers, plumbers, laborers, machinists, mechanics, powerhouse workers, and electricians. One cloud of dust from asbestos products can contain millions or billions of fibers, and even a small amount of asbestos can cause lung damage. Mesothelioma has been diagnosed in family members of workers exposed to asbestos.

Often, individuals won't recall how they were exposed to asbestos, and may believe that they were not exposed to asbestos at all. A careful examination and review of a person's work and life history often reveals exposures to asbestos products that may not be readily apparent.

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