Mesothelioma and Asbestos Disease Society: About Asbestos

	Statistics According to EPA, 27 million Americans had significant asbestos exposure on the job between 1940 and 1980. According to OSHA, "An esimated 1.3 million employees in construction and general industry face significant asbestos exposure on the job. Heaviest exposures occur in the construction industry, particularly during the removal of asbestos during renovation or demolition. Employees are also likely to be exposed during the manufacture of asbestos products (such as textiles, friction products, insulation, and other building materials) and during automotive brake and clutch repair work." EPA has estimated as many as 3,000 consumer products were once made with asbestos. In 2001, the U.S. consumed 26 million pounds of asbestos in the form of roofing products, gaskets, brakes and other products. Asbestos has been banned in more than 30 countries, but not in the United States.

Asbestos is everywhere — in brake pads, roofing shingles, insulation, fire protection equipment and floor tiles. Despite the fact that most Americans believe that we have we have banned asbestos, this hazardous substance is still being added to products on purpose. While U.S. consumption has dropped significantly in recent years, it is still being used in some products. In 1989 EPA tried to ban it, but the asbestos industry successfully sued and overturned the EPA's rules.

Asbestos is deadly. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency have determined that asbestos is a carcinogen. It produces asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma (a cancer of the membrane that surrounds the lungs and internal organs.)

We must do something about it. During the Reagan Administration, the EPA successfully finalized an asbestos phase-out and ban rule. But in 1991, the asbestos industry filed a lawsuit and overturned the rule. Asbestos, while tightly regulated, is still legal in the U.S. in some applications. This doesn't make sense given the known dangers of asbestos exposure and the availability of substitutes for asbestos.

We must protect workers and consumers from contaminant asbestos.* Miners may be exposed to asbestos fibers when mining for other minerals. We need to ensure the safety of these workers. Also, asbestos has been found as a contaminant in vermiculite in Zonolite home insulation and also in lawn and garden products.

The health effects of asbestos take years to set in. It can take between 15-40 years for exposure to result in cancer or other diseases. Exposure can also cause non-cancerous disease, such as asbestosis, a scarring of the lungs which impairs breathing.

*According to OSHA, "An esimated 1.3 million employees in construction and general industry face significant asbestos exposure on the job."

Asbestos Uses

- 62 % of asbestos is used in roofing materials

- 22% gaskets

- 12% friction products (brakes, brake pads)

- 4% other

Asbestos Sources

- The last remaining asbestos mine in the U.S. closed in 2002. Today, 100% of the asbestos used in America comes from Canada.