Although the commercial use of asbestos has been greatly reduced, the material is still legal, and asbestos cancer remains a health risk as a result.

While use of asbestos building materials has largely been phased out since the 1980s, the mineral is still used in the manufacture of auto parts and steam pipes. However, hundreds of thousands of buildings across the country still contain asbestos – often without the occupants’ knowledge.

Regulatory efforts at a total ban were stymied by the courts in 1991 after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) attempted to stop all use and imports. A ban has remained on the deadliest forms of asbestos, and there are restrictions in place on the use of common “white” asbestos.

According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control, more than 1 million U.S. workers continue to suffer on-the-job exposure and are at risk for asbestos cancer and other diseases.

History and Geology of Asbestos

Asbestos
is a term applied to a number of silicate minerals that are characterized by their fibrous structure and flexibility. The website Gizmodo explains that asbestos was known to the ancient Romans and Persians, and was used in pottery as well as to make fire-proof cloth. Charlemagne, the 8th century king of the Franks, was said to own an asbestos tablecloth, with which he amused his guests by throwing it into a blazing fire for cleaning  The heaviest use of asbestos began in the 19th century and the growth of industrialization.

There are two primary forms of asbestos: amphibole, or “hard” asbestos, and “serpentine,” also called “white” or “soft” asbestos. The latter, which is soft and curly, has historically been far more commonly used, particularly in building construction. However, amphibole asbestos – primarily crocilodite and tremolite – were often employed in electrical systems and industrial machinery.

Asbestos Cancer

Medical science began to realize the health dangers of asbestos around 1906; by the 1930s, the links between asbestos and cancer had been confirmed. However, the asbestos industry went to great lengths for more than 40 years to keep health dangers of asbestos a secret from the public. It was not until the discovery of the infamous “Sumner Simpson Papers” in 1977 that the public learned the truth about asbestos dangers, according to ProtectConsumerJustice.org.

Asbestos cancer may be one of two types: asbestos lung cancer, and mesothelioma, a cancer that attacks the visceral lining around the internal organs. The latter is the result of inhalation and/or ingestion of “hard” asbestos fibers, which are similar to microscopic needles that literally drill through bodily tissues. In both cases however, the cancer is the result of scarring and chronic inflammation, which causes DNA mutations that eventually lead to malignancy.

Other Asbestos Diseases

In addition to asbestos cancer, long term exposure to asbestos-containing materials can cause a condition known as asbestosis. This is essentially a form of fibrosis, resulting from a buildup of scar tissue. Another condition caused by asbestos exposure is diffuse pleural thickening, or pleural plaque, in which lung tissue thickens and becomes calcified.