Asbestos is now known to be a harmful material deriving from a family of minerals similar to metamorphic rock. A long time ago it was used in lamps and has the quality of being resistant to fire and as a result it was used for many purposes. Prior to the government regulating its use, asbestos was used in many commercial products such as flooring, cement and many building materials. Presently this material has been shown to be present in the environment at extremely low levels, but it is still dangerous when it is encountered by humans in the workplace or an office building, where it can be found in higher concentrations. Anybody working in areas where there are high levels of asbestos may be subject to health concerns, especially building and construction workers, auto mechanics and shipbuilders. The occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) has regulated the use of asbestos; however any buildings that were built prior to these regulations still pose health risks with ongoing cases ranging from coughing to more serious chronic diseases.

Inhaling asbestos fibers has been directly linked with the disease mesothelioma. Even if mesothelioma is not always cancerous it is a serious illness that can affect your entire life. This is one of the reasons that asbestos has been banned in many places around the world.

The history of this material dates back to the Romans and Greeks. Ancient Greeks discovered asbestos and ever since that time it was used during the Industrial Revolution and all the way through until the 1970s, as insulation. In addition to old buildings, many asbestos fibers can be found in vehicles and their brake shoes and pads. It was only in the 1940s that it was discovered that all forms, including fibers found in cigarette filters, were directly linked with the onset of mesothelioma. The only evidence that asbestos was harmful prior to that time was in the 1920s when the disease asbestosis was found to have been caused by inhaling cigarette filter fibers from the material. The company that made this discovery was Kent Cigarettes, who used asbestos in their cigarette filters.

Symptoms of illnesses related to asbestos exposure normally don’t appear for up to 30 years, making linking the relationship of asbestos exposure to the onset of disease extremely difficult. Depending on the intensity of the condition, symptoms can include chest pain, serious coughing, breathing difficulties, and fatigue.

Goldberg & Osborne, a personal injury law firm, has provided this article for informational purposes only, written by an independent author, and has not reviewed or edited this article and is not responsible for its content or accuracy.