FACTS ABOUT ASBESTOS

What Is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral with several important characteristics. It is flexible, virtually indestructible, and fire resistant. These qualities make asbestos quite useful to manufacturers and builders. It is estimated that more than 3,000 products used in our society today contain asbestos. Below is a partial listing:

· Building insulation

· Pipe covering, insulation and cement

· Boilers, furnaces and turbines

· Roofing materials

· Fire proofing and acoustical sprays

· Wall and ceiling panels

· Carpet underlays

· Artificial fireplaces and materials

· Refractory products

· Cement board

· Brake linings and clutch pressure plates

· Patching and spackling compounds

· Electrical wiring

· Cement and cement piping

· Textured paints

· Floor tile, ceiling tile and linoleum

· Pot holders and ironing boards

· Toasters and other household appliances

· Fireproof cloth

In addition to being flexible, durable and fire resistant, asbestos is cheap to mine. It is no wonder, then, that this mineral became so popular with manufacturers and builders. The first commercial asbestos mine opened in Canada in the 1870s. Since then, asbestos has been mined in Africa, Australia, Russia and the U.S.

The use of asbestos in insulation and other products became widespread after World War II. By some estimates, about 30 million tons of asbestos fibers have been used in the United States in the 20th century. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are asbestos-containing materials in most of the nation's approximately 107,000 primary and secondary schools and 733,000 public and commercial buildings.

Today in the U.S., the EPA's Asbestos Ban and Phase Out Rule restricts the importing or use of some asbestos products. However, millions of tons of asbestos remains embedded in our buildings and in many of the products we use every day. The September 11 terrorist attack against the World Trade Center in New York reportedly unleashed many tons of asbestos into the air, perhaps affecting the future health of thousands of people-and demonstrating just how vulnerable we remain.

What is Mesothelioma?

Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer that occurs in the tissue covering the outside surface of the lung (pleural tissue) or in the tissue covering the stomach and bowels (peritoneal tissue). Malignant mesothelioma nearly always results from exposure to airborne asbestos that is either inhaled or swallowed. The small asbestos fibers work their way to the outside surface of the lung or the outside surface of the bowel where they become trapped. Over many years, these trapped fibers can cause a reaction that may lead to malignant mesothelioma. The time required from first exposure to airborne asbestos fibers to the appearance of malignant mesothelioma can be twenty years or more. This time lag is referred to as the latency period.

Malignant mesothelioma is not typical lung cancer:

Malignant mesothelioma is different from what people typically refer to as lung cancer. Lung cancer arises in the inner tissues of the lung and is much more common than mesothelioma. Lung cancer is primarily caused by cigarette smoking although exposure to asbestos can also cause lung cancer. Cigarette smoking does not cause mesothelioma. Exposure to airborne asbestos fibers is the major cause of mesothelioma. For more detailed information about the disease visit the National Cancer Institute's malignant mesothelioma page.