Asbestos is a group of six naturally occurring minerals composed of soft, flexible fibers that are heat-resistant. Asbestos is still used in hundreds of U.S. consumer products. Its use is allowed as long as it accounts for less than 1% of the product. Exposure to asbestos causes cancers and other diseases, including mesothelioma and asbestosis.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral composed of soft and flexible fibers that are resistant to heat, electricity and corrosion. These qualities make the mineral useful, but they also make asbestos exposure highly toxic.
Asbestos is an effective insulator, and it can be used in cloth, paper, cement, plastic and other materials to make them stronger. But when asbestos dust is inhaled or ingested, mineral fibers can become permanently trapped in the body.
Over decades, trapped asbestos fibers can cause inflammation, scarring and eventually genetic damage. A rare and aggressive cancer called mesothelioma is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. Asbestos also causes other forms of cancer as well as progressive lung disease.
The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act of 1986 legally recognizes six types of asbestos that fall into two categories: Amphibole and serpentine.
Amphibole asbestos fibers have a straight, jagged shape. There are five recognized types:
Serpentine asbestos fibers are curly. There is only one kind: Chrysotile, which is also known as "white asbestos."
Although asbestos comes from all over the world, the main exporters are Russia, Kazakhstan and China. The toxic mineral was once mined throughout North America.
Asbestos may be found in large deposits or as contaminates in other minerals such as talc and vermiculite. Chrysotile asbestos is usually found as veins within serpentine rock.
While most commercial asbestos deposits contain 5% to 6% asbestos, some deposits, such as the Coalinga deposit in California, contain 50% or more asbestos.
Scientific studies show exposure to asbestos is linked to several diseases, including cancers.
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. The mineral also causes asbestos-related lung cancer, ovarian cancer and laryngeal cancer.
No amount of asbestos exposure is safe, but asbestos generally has the worst effects when a person is exposed to an intense concentration of it, or they are exposed on a regular basis over a long period of time.
Asbestos accumulates in the body with every exposure, and there is no known way to reverse the damage it causes.
Fibers are easily inhaled once they become airborne. It is important to avoid disturbing products that may contain asbestos. Additionally, people who live near naturally occurring asbestos deposits should avoid disturbing soil that may be contaminated.
The majority of patients with asbestos-related diseases are men in their 60s or older. This is because asbestos-related diseases have a long latency period, often taking decades to develop. They usually trace back to occupational exposure at workplaces historically staffed by men.
The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry shows about 27 million workers were exposed to asbestos between 1940 and 1979. Regulations have reduced the risk of exposure in the workplace, but a degree of risk remains for many occupations.
The U.S. military used asbestos extensively from the 1930s to the 1970s, especially on Navy ships, causing veterans to bear a disproportionate burden of asbestos-related disease.
Family members of veterans and other asbestos industry workers also have an elevated risk of developing an asbestos-related disease because of secondhand exposure.
Living in the vicinity of an asbestos-contaminated mine or processing facility puts individuals at risk of environmental exposure. Asbestos industry work sites have existed across the United States, such as in the town of Ambler, Pennsylvania, and at landmarks such as Grand Central Terminal in New York.
For example, decades of vermiculite mining near the Superfund site at Libby, Montana, caused one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. The ore contained traces of asbestos that contaminated the surrounding area for miles, eventually causing the deaths of hundreds of Libby residents.