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Sep 27, 2024 · Exposure to asbestos, including chrysotile, causes cancer of the lung, larynx and ovaries, and mesothelioma (a cancer of the pleural and peritoneal linings). There is also clear scientific evidence that asbestos causes chronic respiratory diseases such as asbestosis (fibrosis of the lungs), and other adverse effects on the lungs.
- Overview
- Uses of Asbestos
- How Asbestos Gets Into The Environment
- Exposure to Asbestos
- How Exposure to Asbestos Could Affect Your Health
- What to Do If You Are Exposed to Asbestos
- Additional Sources of Information
Asbestos is a general name given to several naturally occurring fibrous minerals that have crystallised to form fibres. Asbestos fibres do not dissolve in water or evaporate, they are resistant to heat, fire, chemical and biological degradation and are mechanically strong. Asbestos is generally divided into two sub-groups; serpentine and amphiboles...
The properties of asbestos made it an ideal material for use in a number of products, including insulation material for buildings, boilers and pipes; car brakes and floor tiles, insulating board to protect buildings and ships against fire; asbestos cement for roofing sheets and pipes. Due to the risks to health following inhalation exposure to asbe...
Asbestos is widespread in the environment. It may enter the atmosphere due to the natural weathering of asbestos-containing ores or damage and breakdown of asbestos-containing products including insulation, car brakes and clutches, ceiling and floor tiles and cement.
People may come into contact with asbestos from existing asbestos-containing materials in buildings and products. If they are intact, they pose very little risk. However, if asbestos containing products are damaged in some way, fibres may be released. Caution should be taken when doing DIY work in buildings containing asbestos. Find further advice ...
The presence of asbestos in the environment does not always lead to exposure as you must come into contact with the fibres. You may be exposed by breathing, eating, or drinking the substance or by skin contact. Following exposure to any hazardous chemical, the adverse health effects that you may encounter depend on several factors, including the am...
Intact asbestos materials in a place where they are unlikely to be disturbed should not cause any harm. If you come into contact with asbestos fibres, you should remove yourself from the source of exposure. If you have got asbestos fibres on your skin and clothes do not shake or brush the fibres off as this will make them airborne and prone to bein...
NHS.UK information about asbestosisAsbestosis is a rare but serious lung condition that affects people exposed to asbestos (a building material used from the 1950s to the 1990s). It cannot be cured, but treatment may improve the symptoms. You may be able to claim compensation if you get asbestosis.
Apr 25, 2024 · Health effects of acute exposure. The major route of exposure is through inhalation and to a lesser extent ingestion. In general asbestos is not considered acutely toxic. Acute high-level...
Those considered most at risk of exposure to asbestos fibres are tradesmen and maintenance workers who disturb the fabric of buildings during the course of their work. Precautions must be...
A fact sheet about asbestos, the health hazards of asbestos exposure (including mesothelioma), and who's at risk for an asbestos-related disease. Also presented are resources for information related to asbestos exposure and programs to help exposed individuals.
Oct 25, 2024 · Published: October 25, 2024 5:14am EDT. Asbestos may have been banned from use in the UK since 1999 but the hazardous material continues to pose a serious danger to the population. Low levels of ...
