Ive read and heard in school that asbestos isnt as bad as they say it is. For example the stink began in like the 20's and most cases of asbestosis are/were from factory workers. I think they still use it in Europe and elsewhere in the world. I'm not advocating for asbestos, but just that maybe, maybe we over reacted a bit in this country. Maybe not.
but really whats the difference in fiberglass and asbestos? they are basically the same thing. both are small fibers that imbed themselves in your lungs and cause problems.
None of this is correct. I hold 3 different certifications in asbestos identification, removal and abatement. I do asbestos work for a living.
It's still used everywhere in the world -- asbestos is not illegal. Only asbestos in certain applications has been banned in the US, for example, spray-applied fireproofing and pipewraps are banned. But you can walk into any Home Depot or Lowe's and buy asbestos containing roofing materials. That's a common misconception among people -- they think that asbestos has been banned. I go into buildings to do asbestos inspections all the time, and the owner of the building will say, "Why are you here? This building was constructed in 2005?" I bet you anything I will find asbestos in every single building, no matter when it was built. Asbestos is still very commonly used in building materials all over the US.
As for most cases being workers that were exposed to it continuously -- that's true. However, asbestos causes several different conditions. Asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma are the big three. Mesothelioma is a cancer caused only by asbestos (there are no other causes of it). There is no cure, and no treatment for mesothelioma -- it is 100% fatal. The big deal with mesothelioma is that it only takes ONE fiber embedded in your lungs to get the disease. You don't have to be exposed to large amounts of asbestos over several years. You can just walk by a construction site on one day, and breath in one microscopic particle. Mesothelioma has a dormancy period of several years to several decades, so people that never thought they had been around asbestos contracted this disease from one isolated incident of exposure.
The other big thing about asbestos exposure is that the risks of contracting lung cancer from it are 15 times higher for smokers than for non-smokers. This puts some people disproportionately at risk moreso than others. But the way I figure, if you are a smoker, you obviously aren't very concerned about lung cancer in the first place, so why would asbestos bother you?
Fiberglass is a fiber that gets embedded in the lungs, but it does not cause several different cancers and diseases like asbestos does.
Not only is asbestos classified as a carcinogen in California, but it is classified as a carcinogen in every single state. It's a well-known and common carcinogen; however, it's only unsafe if pulverized and airborne.
Vinyl floor tiles almost always contain asbestos, as does the mastic (glue) that holds the tiles and carpets down. Asbestos in this form isn't dangerous to you or I, because we can't breath it in. That's why only certain applications -- materials that can easily be pulverized, such as spray-applied fireproofing and insulting tapes -- have been banned, but not others, like flooring, glues and roofing.
I don't think that the US has over-reacted to asbestos. I work with it every day and am exposed to it every day in its stable forms and its dust forms. There are plenty of alternatives to asbestos that work just as well, so it's not really harming anyone to not use it.
Another thing is, asbestos is a mineral (duh) and is commonly found in the same mines as gypsum (which is also a mineral). Wallboard is made out of gypsum. When you buy gypsum wallboard, it is almost always contaminated with asbestos, since those two minerals naturally occur together and it's hard to separate the two. Asbestos is everywhere, and it's nasty nasty stuff.
It's not just miners and manufacturers that are at risk. As someone said, lots of military personnel have died from asbestos related diseases. Submarines were insulated heavily with asbestos, and the ceilings above the bunk beds were routinely less than a foot away from the servicemen's heads when they slept. LOTS of navy personnel contracted fatal diseases from serving on subs because they'd breath this stuff in every time they slept. In fact, this particular situation was one of the biggest motivators to look into restricting the uses of asbestos containing materials. Construction workers, or anyone that works around dust when buildings are renovated or demolished are also at high risk. As are any bystanders that walk by during these activities. Or people that live in nearby neighborhoods. It's very untrue to say that only manufacturers and miners are at risk. Entire towns have had to be evacuated and abandoned because of asbestos particles in the air from nearby activities, and the people from these towns have astronomically high cancer rates.
It's a good thing that there are restrictions on what it can be used for, but it's also a good thing that there isn't an outright ban on it, because there are ways that it can be used safely.
