The Cause

Asbestos is a mineral. It is mined from the ground, and is found all over the world÷including the U.S., Canada, Australia, South Africa, and the former Soviet Union.

What made asbestos desirable is its ability to insulate. Because of this property, asbestos was used in manufacturing processes since more than a century ago. Asbestos was used in a variety of trades and industries, in products such as:

• Pipe insulation
• Boilers
• Construction materials (wallboard, joint compound, floor and ceiling tiles, spray-on fireproofing, insulation for electrical wiring)
• Lagging (insulation) for steam locomotives

Insulation for heat-intensive manufacturing processes, like steelmaking and foundry work. What makes asbestos very undesirable is that it is fibrous. The fibers÷most of which are microscopic÷become dislodged when the asbestos is disturbed. Therefore, when the asbestos is mined . . . or when it is installed . . . .or when it is removed . . . tiny fibers are released.

The fibers are very light÷and because of their lightness, they stay airborne for a long time. Because they are so light, the asbestos fibers can travel for a long distance.

People who work around the asbestos generally canât see these fibers. For many years, the people who worked with asbestos never even knew that the fibers were there, in the air that they breathed÷let alone that the fibers were dangerous to them.

But these fibers are dangerous. Again, although too small to be seen by the naked eye, the fibers have sharp "hooks" that can embed themselves into the lining of the lung or other parts of the respiratory tract.

Once the fibers are hooked to the inside of the body, they are there for good. There is no way to get them out.

In some people, the presence of these fibers results in the development of asbestos-related illnesses, including mesothelioma. Although there is no clear medical explanation of how mesothelioma develops÷or why it occurs in some individuals, but not others who may have worked with the same products in the same environment÷remains unclear.

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