Asbestos

Asbestos is a soft and flexible mineral, widely used beginning in the late nineteenth century for a variety of things. The name asbestos was given to this mineral by the Ancient Greeks, and literally the word means inextinguishable. They gave it this name because of its amazing fireproof qualities, although they also noted the harmful effects that asbestos had upon workers.

The modern use for asbestos is for insulation, and it is used in a wide range of items and structures, from ceilings and walls to toasters and hairdryers. This mineral became popular during the industrial revolution as an effective and safe form of insulation–safe in that it was fireproof, but certainly not safe in any other sense.

Asbestos means technically a group of six different fibrous minerals (amosite, chrysotile, crocidolite, and the fibrous varieties of tremolite, actinolite, and anthophyllite) that occur naturally in the environment. All forms of asbestos are hazardous, and all can cause cancer in general and Mesothelioma in particular.

That is why we believe that brief list of common products containing asbestos can be useful in finding if a person has been exposed to asbestos without know it:

asbestos pipe covering, asbestos cement, asbestos packing, asbestos gaskets, asbestos fire brick, asbestos furnace cement, asbestos flexible duct connectors, asbestos tape, asbestos blankets, asbestos wire, asbestos cable, asbestos containing heater cord, asbestos brake linings, asbestos clutches, asbestos corrugated sheets, asbestos gloves, asbestos leggings, aprons or other clothes, asbestos ceiling tiles, asbestos floor tiles, asbestos fire-proof spray insulation, asbestos wall board, asbestos joint compound, asbestos roofing shingles, asbestos roofing paper or felt. These are some of the products that could have caused mesothelioma or other forms of asbestos lung cancer injuries.