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What is Asbestos?

Asbestos (from Greet άσβεστη meaning "unquenchable") is a natural mineral fiber, best known for its resistance to flame and its ability to be woven into cloth. Because of these properties, it was used to make fireproof stage curtains for theaters, as well as heat-resistant clothing for metal workers and firefighters.

From nuclear submarines to household cleansers

In the past century, asbestos fibers have been used to produce asbestos-reinforced cement products including pipes, sheets, and shingles used in building construction. Asbestos is also used as insulation for rocket engines in space shuttles and as a component in the electrolytic cells that produce oxygen in submerged nuclear submarines. Much of the chlorine used in bleach, cleansers, and disinfectants is produced using asbestos products.

However, the versatility of asbestos is severely compromised by its severe health risks:

• According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 27.5 million people have been exposed to asbestos while on the job in the United States.
• Despite its decline in use since the 1970s, asbestos-related deaths have continued to persist, with 2,156 reported deaths due to mesothelioma and 96 deaths due to asbestosis in 2007 according to HSE (Health & Safety Executive).
• Asbestos-related deaths have increased fourfold in the last three decades according to a 2004 report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• While the CDC reports people suffering from lung diseases caused by inhalation of mineral or metallic dust—such as coal—have dropped 70% since 1982, deaths due to asbestos exposure have increased at a steady rate, due to a long latency period of diseases and a record high usage during the mid-20th century.
• UK projections suggest that the number of men dying from mesothelioma in Western Europe each year will double over the next 20 years, from 5,000 in 1998 to about 9,000 around 2018, before declining.