That, in a nutshell, is the story of asbestos. And the back story as well of one of the most controversial industries today, the asbestos removal industry. The ancients considered asbestos magical and wove it into cloth. But it was during the Industrial Revolution that it began to be widely used for its heat- and chemical-resistant properties, mainly as insulation in turbines, boilers, kilns and ovens. It is also highly resistant to electricity. In the 20th century, there was even more widespread use of asbestos in buildings and homes, automobiles, and clothing.
That, in a nutshell, is the story of asbestos. And the back story as well of one of the most controversial industries today, the asbestos removal industry. The ancients considered asbestos magical and wove it into cloth. But it was during the Industrial Revolution that it began to be widely used for its heat- and chemical-resistant properties, mainly as insulation in turbines, boilers, kilns and ovens. It is also highly resistant to electricity. In the 20th century, there was even more widespread use of asbestos in buildings and homes, automobiles, and clothing. Asbestos products such as asbestos cement sheet walls and ceilings, and asbestos roof tiles were popular in home construction because they were believed to lessen the risks of fire. It has also been used in water and sewage systems. One of the heaviest users of asbestos was, in fact, the US military, especially the Navy, which used massive amounts in building warships and other vessels. This was despite growing proof of the danger to health caused by asbestos exposure. Among the diseases linked to being exposed to asbestos are asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma, a particular form of cancer directly caused by asbestos exposure, pleural plaques and pleural thickening. Many large asbestos companies, in fact, continued to use it in construction and manufacturing well into the 1980s. They would hide their health hazard findings to get around the multi-million dollar lawsuits filed by victims of asbestos cancer. But as the evidence became cleared, government began banning the use of asbestos. Today, 60 countries have total or partial bans in place. In the US, although the Environmental Protection Agency has no general ban on asbestos uses, it was one of the first pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act and its use in many applications prohibited by the Toxic Substances Control Act. With so much asbestos in houses and buildings, the problem now became how to remove it safely. This gave birth to what is now the multi-billion dollar asbestos removal industry. Much of the asbestos used in buildings comes in what is called bonded form, meaning it is mixed in with a another material like cement that it is unlikely to be released in harmful levels unless disturbed or broken. Friable asbestos on the other hand, can easily become a powder and be released in the air as dangerous crystals that can be inhaled. You can definitely such on the Internet about the different asbestos removal companies so that you will be able to compare the prices and services offered by them and go for the one which is best suited to your needs and budget. Asbestos abatement contractors will vary in cost and quality so it pays to do your research prior to hiring one. Asbestos is a toxic and potentially deadly mineral found in nature all around the globe. On average we inhale approximately 10,000 particles of it daily, but that's not a sufficient amount to bring about any obvious damage. Nevertheless, breathing asbestos particles in greater quantities and over extended periods of time can result in lung cancer, asbestosis (chronic lung illness), and mesothelioma (cancerous growth in the mesothelium which lines the lungs, abdominal cavity, and other internal organs). Asbestos possesses many positive qualities and was used throughout much of the 20th century to produce thousands of products including electrical insulation, ceiling and floor tiles, spray-on insulation, roof shingles, fireproofing materials, chemical filters, acoustic and decorative wall and ceiling plaster, and different industrial products.