Asbestos: the History of a Health Crisis

Date Posted: February 1, 2012

Asbestos has been used since ancient times, and was especially popular for its utility as an industrial material during the 19th and 20th centuries. As an inexpensive material with insulating characteristics, asbestos found use in everything from car brake pads to the ceiling material used in public buildings and schools. These characteristics led to asbestos being used extensively in shipbuilding and home insulation, especially during and immediately after the Second World War, when thousands of ships were produced using asbestos. Asbestos usage also included applications such as “flocking” or adding simulated snow to Christmas trees, as well as providing insulation for residential homes, apartments, and schools during most of the postwar era.

Unfortunately, the very attributes that made asbestos so useful as a construction and insulating material also proved dangerous to those who were exposed to asbestos while working in those fields. This exposure resulted in the incredibly fine asbestos fibers easily finding their way into the lungs of those who worked with asbestos. The nature of these asbestos dangers result in health issues that include a variety of serious diseases ranging from lung cancer to Mesothelioma, an incurable form of cancer that strikes at the membranes of the lungs, heart, and abdomen, among other organs.

However, the nature of asbestos related health conditions is such that there is an extremely long latency period between the initial exposure and the onset of asbestos related diseases. For example, Mesothelioma has a latency period of between 10 and 60 years after the period of asbestos exposure. This has resulted in many workers becoming ill years or even decades after they have worked with asbestos. Because of this, even industries that have ceased to make use of asbestos must face that fact that many former workers will develop asbestos related health problems. Furthermore, individuals exposed to asbestos due to living in homes with asbestos insulation or other construction material may have been exposed without their knowledge and be unaware of the asbestos dangers they may face.

While the use of asbestos in the United States is partially regulated, the there is no overall asbestos ban in the United States, and the mineral is still used in a variety of industries. Additionally, many homes and businesses still have asbestos on site, posing a risk to workers and residents alike. Thus, asbestos remains a very real threat to many people across America.

The consequences of this massive use of asbestos in virtually all occupations continue to haunt the present. Many Americans are confronting the medical, financial, and personal consequences of asbestos related illnesses, whether personally or via a family member or friend. Given the long latency period and high cost of these illnesses, the challenges raised by the widespread use of asbestos will be with America for many years to come.