By Russell Dias
Nine out of ten cases of mesothelioma are caused by exposure to asbestos. This information can help you to avoid this deadly disease. If you already have the disease, this information can help you to understand where it came from. Asbestos is a mineral that is mined in many countries around the world. The people that worked in the mines where exposed to the dangers along with people in the construction industry. Asbestos was widely used in the construction of many buildings for a century or more. Asbestos fibers are stronger than steel, resistant to chemicals, resistant to high temperatures, it does not conduct electricity, and they are very flexible. All of this adds up to an excellent building material.
Asbestos has been used in thousands of products over the years. Many years ago, it was used in many different types of buildings for insulation, soundproofing, electrical wiring, and many other areas. Then it was found that when damaged asbestos releases fibers into the air. When these fibers are inhaled into your lungs, the effects are devastating. Even the slightest second hand exposure is found to be dangerous. With asbestos being used widely in buildings where people lived and worked this had to be fixed. Inhalation of the fibers causes fibrosis in the lungs leading to mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other types of cancers and lung problems.
Many people have been exposed to asbestos. There may still be people that have been exposed to asbestos and do not know it since it can take ten to forty years for the effects of asbestos contact to appear. People that lived or worked in a building with asbestos could have been exposed. Construction workers, electricians, plumbers, ship builders, and demolitions workers and their families could all have been exposed. Their families could have been exposed by the workers carrying the fibers home in their work clothes. The use of asbestos was stopped many years ago, and any building that contained the substance was supposed to have been cleaned up but there may still be a chance of coming into contact with asbestos in a home or building that was not cleaned.
Russell Dias is a graduate student at University Of Queensland, Australia.
For more information on asbestos related topics view http://www.asbestosadvice.net
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