Asbestos

Asbestos is a toxic mineral fiber made from six different fibrous materials, including amosite, chrysotile, crocidolite, tremolite, actinolite and anthophyllite. Asbestos products were used for many years because of its resistance to heat, chemicals and electricity.

Products that may include asbestos:
  • Insulation
  • Roofing Shingles
  • Ceiling Tiles
  • Floor Tiles
  • Paper Products
  • Asbestos Cement Products
  • Auto clutch, brake & transmission parts
  • Heat-resistant fabrics
  • Packaging
  • Gaskets
  • Coatings
  • Some vermiculite or talc products
  • Spray-on Fireproofing
  • Pipe Insulation

Asbestos fibers can be so small that its particles that start breaking apart can stay suspended in the air and water for a long time and can be carried long distances. Generally asbestos is released into the air by disturbing the material during the use of the product, remodeling, and demolition work. The original form of asbestos is so strong that it does not break down into other compounds for very long periods.

Asbestos fibers are extremely fine and can be inhaled, which causes a certain types of lung cancer called mesothelioma or asbestosis after many years of exposure. The disease is generally found in construction workers (an estimated 1.3 million) who have been exposed to asbestos for an extended amount of time. The symptoms of asbestosis and mesothelioma don't start showing up for a number of years after the prolonged exposure.

When disposing of asbestos, the Environmental Protection Agency has recommended that the asbestos be "adequately wet," which means that it be sufficiently penetrated with liquid to prevent the release of particulates. Asbestos can also be pulverized by use of Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM), which fries the asbestos particles. *Please visit the Environmental Protection Agency for more details.

Asbestos has become an epidemic. It kills 10,000 people per year in the U.S. and yet still hasn't been completely banned from manufacturing and distribution. Responsibility was passed back and forth between the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) during the Reagan years, then in 1989 the EPAfinally put a ban on Asbestos containing materials. In 1991, Corrosion Proof Fittings filed a lawsuit against the EPA claiming that the that the Toxic Substances Control Act passed by the EPA to ban asbestos was too costly and that the alternatives were neither more effective nor safer than asbestos, so the U. S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the the ban, resulting in asbestos containing materials still being manufactured and distributed.