Nearly five centuries ago mankind identified a mineral that had special properties. At that time, it would have easily been considered magical, especially due to its resistance to fire and heat. Because of its tremendous properties we find perfect for our complex world, asbestos exposure has become a very great danger.
The idea that a material was flexible, strong, could insulate against both sound and heat all at once made it a dream material for builders. Electrical wires, heat resistance mittens for the kitchen and many other use were developed to take advantage of its properties. In the nineteenth century, it became even more popular, , especially in building ships and ironically for protective gear for firefighters.
There are six types of silicates classified as asbestos. The all form as metamorphic rock shaped by tremendous heat and pressure, but easily separated into thin sheets that are strong and resistant to heat. Because the fibers are flexible, they a can be woven into cloth, and that made them very popular for things that put them in close proximity to humans.
Slaves were the first to experience the health ramifications of working with this material. The owners recognized that something was amiss and slaves who worked with these minerals did not live as long as most of their workers. Still with the nearly magic characteristics of the quarried minerals, the loss of slaves was not incentive enough to end the practice.
We may have ended the practice of using slave labor to mine the minerals, but our labor forces continued to work with this dangerous fiber for a long time. Even as early as 1898, mesothelioma causes were claimed to have easily demonstrable hazards to health. That did not stop the construction and manufacturing industries from increasing its use for the next hundred years.
For the past century, even knowing that the fibers are dangerous, their characteristics have made them popular in as many as 3,000 different products. It is so dangerous that the European union has banned the use extraction and processing of the mineral. It will take more than a generation to deal with the mesothelioma causes this one material has wrought; asbestos exposure is a tragedy that could have been prevented.
The idea that a material was flexible, strong, could insulate against both sound and heat all at once made it a dream material for builders. Electrical wires, heat resistance mittens for the kitchen and many other use were developed to take advantage of its properties. In the nineteenth century, it became even more popular, , especially in building ships and ironically for protective gear for firefighters.
There are six types of silicates classified as asbestos. The all form as metamorphic rock shaped by tremendous heat and pressure, but easily separated into thin sheets that are strong and resistant to heat. Because the fibers are flexible, they a can be woven into cloth, and that made them very popular for things that put them in close proximity to humans.
Slaves were the first to experience the health ramifications of working with this material. The owners recognized that something was amiss and slaves who worked with these minerals did not live as long as most of their workers. Still with the nearly magic characteristics of the quarried minerals, the loss of slaves was not incentive enough to end the practice.
We may have ended the practice of using slave labor to mine the minerals, but our labor forces continued to work with this dangerous fiber for a long time. Even as early as 1898, mesothelioma causes were claimed to have easily demonstrable hazards to health. That did not stop the construction and manufacturing industries from increasing its use for the next hundred years.
For the past century, even knowing that the fibers are dangerous, their characteristics have made them popular in as many as 3,000 different products. It is so dangerous that the European union has banned the use extraction and processing of the mineral. It will take more than a generation to deal with the mesothelioma causes this one material has wrought; asbestos exposure is a tragedy that could have been prevented.
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Get the ultimate inside scoop on asbestos exposure, health effects, and what to do if you suspect exposure now in our review of Mesothelioma symptoms on http://www.mesotheliomaquestions.org/causes-of-mesothelioma.htm
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