Asbestos is a word that United Kingdom residents have come to associate with danger. The material was used extensively as a building material in the United Kingdom for thirty years in the late twentieth century and was well known for its fireproofing and insulation properties. In the 1980s asbestos was extensively removed from those same buildings after links were found between asbestos inhalation and cancer.
By itself, when left alone, asbestos is not harmful. When the material is harmed or damaged, however, microscopic fibres can become dislodged and travel through the air. Asbestos inhalation can cause an array of illnesses including mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer. Asbestos is responsible for as many as four thousand deaths every year.
Asbestos has been used for thousands of years in a variety of ways. Evidence shows that it was used by the ancient Greeks. This is a material that can resist heat and erosion and it is this high level of resistance that made it so popular among builders and contractors throughout history. It was even used in clothing for a time because of its ability to stand up to fire.
Asbestos falls into two major types and each type has several subsets. According to the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency, asbestos is “a naturally occurring group of fibrous minerals that are very strong can be woven and resist heat and most chemicals.” Asbestos is not pretty. Typically, asbestos looks quite a lot like the insulation people use in their attics”a large quantity of fuzzy looking material (like a big ball of grey dryer lint).
Asbestos, by itself, is not harmful and poses zero threat. This lack of threat is the reason that builders and contractors will usually decide to simply seal off the asbestos in buildings instead of removing it completely. Once asbestos gets damaged, on the other hand, it must be removed completely and as quickly as possible. When asbestos is damaged, microscopic fibres break off and can be inhaled. People breathe them in and the fibres stay in the lungs for decades, which lead to terrible health conditions.
Asbestos can stay in a person’s lungs for as long as four decades before the person shows any signs of having asbestos-related problems. The amount of asbestos that gets inhaled will also help determine exactly how ill a person will fall. Diagnosing asbestos related health problems is dangerous because the symptoms mirror the symptoms of other diseases. If you have been exposed to asbestos this is the first thing you should tell your doctor because it will help him/her diagnose you!
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