Asbestos and Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Asbestos is a toxic mineral that came into wide use in the late 1800s and gained popularity for decades because it was a cheap and readily available insulator with its heat resistance and fireproofing properties. Because of this, it could be found in everything from construction materials to hair dryers and clothing.

Asbestos is not actually a single material, but a set of six natural minerals that have been mined to use for commercial and industrial purposes. Chrysotile belongs to the serpentine class of asbestos, while actinolite, amosite, anthophyllite, crocidolite, and tremolite belong to the amphibole class. The different classes are distinguished by their chemical composition and potency of health hazard, but all forms are of asbestos are known to cause cancer in humans. Chrysotile is the most widely used type of asbestos, and can be found in nearly 95% of asbestos-containing building materials in the United States.

The problem with asbestos is that its tiny particles, when inhaled or ingested, can become lodged in the body. Decades later, these asbestos fibers can lead to the development of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Industry knew about the dangers of asbestos for many years before the knowledge spread to the general public, but it wasn’t until the 1970s and 1980s that regulations were put into place and started to be enforced to protect public health. Even today, however, asbestos has not been banned in the United States.

There are strict guidelines for the use and handling of asbestos-containing materials, but the fact remains that asbestos is still being used today. Although asbestos is no longer allowed to be used in the production of many things, existing asbestos products are everywhere. Many older buildings contain asbestos insulation, and the asbestos can be disturbed during renovation projects and demolition.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has rules in place for how asbestos materials must be treated, but the risk of asbestos exposure still remains when these regulations are not followed, whether willfully or out of ignorance. Fires and disasters like the World Trade Center collapse can also release asbestos particles into the environment, putting public health at risk.

Although the EPA has standards for “acceptable limits” of asbestos, there is no known “safe limit” of asbestos exposure. While it is a common belief that asbestos exposure must be of a high concentration over a long period of time before there is a health risk, even brief or low levels of exposure can be hazardous. Many mesothelioma victims have been exposed to asbestos in the workplace, but others have been exposed to it environmentally or even secondhand from loved ones who have been exposed.