ASBESTOS CANCER

What is asbestos?

“Asbestos” is the name given to a group of minerals that occur naturally as bundles of fibers which can be separated into thin threads. These fibers are not affected by heat or chemicals and do not conduct electricity. For these reasons, asbestos has been widely used in many industries. Four types of asbestos have been used commercially:

Chrysotile, or white asbestos;
Crocidolite, or blue asbestos;
Amosite, which usually has brown fibers; and
Anthophyllite, which usually has gray fibers.

Chrysotile asbestos, with its curly fibers, is in the serpentine family of minerals. The other types of asbestos, which all have rod-like fibers, are known as amphiboles.
Asbestos fiber masses tend to break easily into a dust composed of tiny particles that can float in the air and stick to clothes. The fibers may be easily inhaled or swallowed and can cause serious health problems.

What are the health hazards of exposure to asbestos?

Exposure to asbestos may increase the risk of several serious diseases:

Asbestosis—a chronic lung ailment that can produce shortness of breath, coughing, and permanent lung damage;
Lung cancer;
Mesothelioma—a relatively rare cancer of the thin membranes that line the chest and abdomen; and other cancers, such as those of the larynx oropharynx gastrointestinal tract, and kidney.

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