Are You Safe?

Most of you must have already heard about asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral fiber that has been used commonly in a variety of building construction materials for insulation and as a fire-retardant. Because of its fiber strength and heat resistant properties, asbestos has been used for a wide range of manufactured goods, mostly in building materials (roofing shingles, ceiling and floor tiles, paper products, and asbestos cement products), friction products (automobile clutch, brake, and transmission parts), heat-resistant fabrics, packaging, gaskets, and coatings.

What many people are unaware of during the early times was that exposure to asbestos fibers can cause very severe respiratory diseases. This is because it takes quite sometime for the negative effects the asbestos fibers have in the lungs to manifest. Exposure to asbestos has proven to result in a wide range of health conditions, including Mesothelioma, a deadly cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs, heart or abdomen. This rare form of cancer is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure.

This is the reason why the use of asbestos has been banned in whole or in part in many countries worldwide including in the European Union, Japan, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Australia to name a few. Sadly, in many developing countries such India, Southeast Asia, asbestos material is still much a part of the construction industry. When it will be finally controlled or banned in these countries remains a big question because it involves the economy and livelihood of many.

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