ASBESTOS HISTORY

Asbestos is a mineral that is made up of silicon, oxygen, hydrogen and other metal ions. These needle shaped fibers are so small that they cannot be seen unless the concentration in the air is very heavy. Asbestos is an excellent material for insulation because the fibers are strong, flexible and will not burn. The three most common forms of asbestos fibers are chrysolite, amosite and crocidolite. Because asbestos is such a tiny fiber, it needs to be attached to something. When asbestos fibers are mixed with other materials, it produces what is called an asbestos containing material.

Many industrial products are made of asbestos, including thermal insulation (pipe, block & cement); fireproofing acoustical texture products; textile and cloth products (asbestos gloves, blanket, etc.); spackling, patching & taping compounds; gaskets and packing, asbestos-cement pipe and sheet material, ceiling tiles, wall board, siding and roofing; friction materials (brakes & clutches). Asbestos materials had been used by the automotive industry, shipping industry and NASA for insulating the Space Shuttle.

The dust that is created from the manufacture, installation and eventual deterioration of asbestos materials releases asbestos in the air. Asbestos becomes a health hazard only when these materials crumble, fall apart, are damaged or ripped. When asbestos materials are damaged, fibers are released into the air, where they may stay suspended for long periods of time. Asbestos can then be inhaled and the fibers can lodge deeply in the lungs.

The Federal government placed a moratorium on the production of most asbestos products in the early 1970's, but these products continued to be installed through the late 1970's and even into the early 1980's. Asbestos cement pipe which would need to be cut, beveled, and grinded by pipe fitters had continued well into the late 1980s and sometimes the 1990s.

Commercial production of asbestos insulation began in 1879, and the first case of asbestos-related disease, described as "curious bodies" in the lungs was detected in 1899. The first cases of asbestosis and lung cancer attributable to asbestos exposure were diagnosed in the United States in 1935. The Congressional Library of Congress has had a book on the harmful effects of asbestos and its link to cancer causation as it discusses the analysis of work place illnesses on its shelves since it was published in 1939.

Most health information on asbestos has been derived from studies of workers who have been exposed to asbestos in the course of their occupation. Asbestos fiber concentrations for these workers were many times higher than those encountered by the general public. Although the risks associated with low-level non-occupational exposure are not as well established, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concludes that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos fibers.

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