A Quick and Dirty Discussion of Asbestos

With all the information we know about asbestos and the harm it can cause, you might be surprised to find out the number of materials where this known carcinogen can still be found. Most of these materials are found in trades such as construction and ship building, as well as mining. Cement pipes, vinyl and asphalt floor tiles, laboratory gloves, fire blankets and different kinds of adhesives, caulking, and putties all contain asbestos. But what is asbestos really?

There are six mined minerals that can be loosely defined as part of the asbestos “family.” These are: actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, chrysotile, crocidolite, and tremolite. Different products contain different minerals. For example, Kent brand cigarettes used crocidolite in their “Micronite” filters from 1952 to 1956. These minerals are found throughout the world, but asbestos is mostly mined in Russia, China, and Kazakhstan. The first known asbestos-related death goes back as far as 1906, when scientists and researchers began to notice that asbestos mining towns contained large numbers of lung problems and early deaths.

Yet its use continued to be prevalent, especially during World War II. At Hampton Roads, Virginia, a large shipbuilding area, asbestos was used to line boilers, wrap pipes, and cover turbine and engine parts. It has been estimated that for every thousand workers, 14 died of asbestos related illnesses. Mesothelioma, an asbestos related cancer, is seven times higher in the Hampton Roads area than it is nationally. Asbestos was used in the first 40 floors of the World Trade Center. After the attack of 9/11, one of the particles which contaminated the air in lower Manhattan was asbestos.

Asbestos has been banned for use in construction projects in the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. However, the United States continues to allow asbestos in construction, just as the rapidly growing countries of India and China where it is most commonly used for roofing and walls of homes. The Environmental Protection Agency issued the Asbestos Ban and Phase Out Rule in 1989. This was overturned in 1991 in the Corrosion Proof Fittings v. U.S. Environmental Agency, ensuring that asbestos will continued to be used, albeit in trace amounts.

There are many known substitutes for asbestos, including fiberglass, and stone- and glasswool insulation. Organic fibers have been incorporated in many products by companies that used to produce asbestos-cement products. While many sectors continue to use asbestos, many fire departments and the space agency have begun to use plybenzimidazole (PBl) fibers. This synthetic has a high melting point and will not ignite. Lastly, asbestos can be recycled into silicate glass, commonly used in the fabrication of semiconductor devices, but is defined as a hazardous waste in landfills.

When asbestos reaches the lungs, there is a chance the person who inhaled the particles will develop mesothelioma. This type of cancer is not caused by anything other than asbestos exposure and kills one of every one million people. While this number may not seem that high, the fact remains that a known dangerous product like asbestos is still in use with federal consent.