We know today that asbestos is a potent human carcinogen, capable of causing serious illnesses up to and including cancer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, modern America was\u2014in a great many ways\u2014built atop asbestos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For decades, this so-called \u201cmiracle mineral<\/a>\u201d was used to meet unprecedented demand for durable housing and affordable consumer goods. Millions of hardworking men and women made a living off asbestos, which was baked into car parts, used to fireproof homes, and insulate naval vessels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During its heyday, the asbestos industry lined its pockets while denying what is now an indisputable matter of fact: asbestos, resilient and useful as it may be, can kill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even today, nobody knows exactly how many lives asbestos has claimed. However, the federal government believes that an estimated 27 million workers were exposed to aerosolized asbestos<\/a> fibers between 1940 and 1979. These workers were\u2014and remain\u2014at the highest risk of asbestos-related illnesses, including mesothelioma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the American Cancer Society, occupational asbestos exposure remains the leading cause of mesothelioma diagnoses<\/a> nationwide. Asbestos exposure is also believed to exacerbate lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and a host of other serious respiratory disorders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the true scope of America\u2019s asbestos problem is difficult to gauge. While occupational asbestos exposure may be responsible for most mesothelioma diagnoses, scientists believe that secondary asbestos exposure poses a similar threat to public health and well-being. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Asbestos is a type of naturally occurring mineral that is usually categorized into six distinct types. Each type of asbestos has different characteristics and a distinct appearance. However, every variety of asbestos has common characteristics, including a resilience to heat, electricity, and corrosion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During and after the Industrial Revolution<\/a>, asbestos was seen as a relatively cost-effective, risk-free solution to growing demand for safe but otherwise affordable housing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Between the late 19th<\/sup> century and the federal government\u2019s final ban on most asbestos-containing materials in 1989, asbestos was used to fabricate and reinforce an incredible variety of products<\/a>, including: <\/p>\n\n\n\n As early as the 1920s, researchers uncovered evidence that asbestos exposure was associated with significant respiratory distress. Asbestos companies responded to these claims first with silence and later with a protracted cover-up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The asbestos industry\u2019s lies, deceit, and negligence<\/a> cost countless Americans their lives and livelihoods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, while researchers have spent years studying the long-term implications of occupational asbestos exposure, many Americans\u2014people who never worked with or around asbestos\u2014have contracted serious asbestos-related conditions, including mesothelioma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Asbestos exposure can be categorized as either of the following: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the dangers of asbestos were understated for much of the 20th<\/sup> century, asbestos workers often failed to take the precautions needed to remove asbestos dust from their clothes and workspaces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During the early to mid-twentieth century, gender norms precluded most women from performing manual and heavy labor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Among older Americans, men were more likely to have been exposed to asbestos at work, while their wives and children were more likely to have been exposed to take-home asbestos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Asbestos fibers, microscopic and smaller in width than a human hair follicle, are all but impossible to detect with the naked eye. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, despite their small size, asbestos fibers have a rough texture and jagged edges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since asbestos can easily spread throughout any enclosed environment, asbestos-contaminated workplaces are today regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When employees are tasked with removing, installing, or destroying probable asbestos-containing materials, they must receive intensive training, protective equipment, and disposable clothing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the federal government believes that a project poses a high risk of asbestos exposure, businesses may even be required to provide on-site decontamination facilities and employee showers<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, before the dangers of asbestos were well-known, asbestos workers did not know that they needed to exercise caution after a hard day\u2019s work. Instead of showering at work, they would often return home covered in asbestos dust and fiber, tracking it inside their office, their vehicle, and their home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since asbestos does not discriminate, it can transfer from a worker\u2019s hair or clothing onto almost any surface<\/a>: a child\u2019s clothing, or the crevices of a washing machine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, over the course of days, months, or even years, asbestos workers\u2019 family members inhaled massive amounts of asbestos fiber\u2014fiber renowned for its industrial strength and resilience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once inside the body, asbestos is all but impossible to eradicate. Gradually, and over time, asbestos fibers can irritate, inflame, and scar the lungs, causing significant respiratory problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Under certain circumstances, asbestos fibers can provoke abnormal immune system responses, spurring the uncontrollable cellular reproduction characteristic of cancer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Second-Hand asbestos exposure can cause serious medical conditions<\/a> including, but not limited to, the following: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mesothelioma, in contrast to most other cancers, is almost always caused by asbestos exposure. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nUnderstanding Asbestos <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Due largely to its relative abundance and innate characteristics, asbestos was once a mainstay of American industry. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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But doctors began observing that asbestos\u2019s reputation belied dangerous risks to human health. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Second-Hand Asbestos Exposure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Second-hand asbestos exposure was commonly caused by: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The Dangers of Para-Occupational Asbestos Exposure <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If asbestos fibers are aerosolized and scatter into the air, they can easily stick to: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Asbestos regulations and abatement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Effects of Asbestos Exposure on the Body<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Secondary Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma<\/h2>\n\n\n\n