Many products contain asbestos. From 1900 until well into the 1980s, asbestos was commonly used in over 3,000 different products produced through:
· Construction· Mining· Milling· Processing
Asbestos and its products create many small fibers that, when breathed into the lungs, cause serious health problems. The most dangerous health problem is Mesothelioma, a cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs.
In many countries this is still mined, processed and used. In a growing number of others, it is either banned, or its use is severely restricted because of the serious health risks associated with it.
It can be found in numerous everyday places, such as:
· Ducts· Furnaces· Vinyl flooring· Shingles· Siding· Asbestos insulation· Ceiling tiles· Ceramic tiles· Acoustic tiles· Sheetrock· Paint· Automobiles
Asbestos can also exist in surprising places:
· Adhesive· Fake Snow· Ironing Board Covers· Mittens and Mitts· Wallpaper· Yarn
How is asbestos used?
· The Construction Industry
It is used in many aspects of building and construction for insulation, sound absorption, pipe insulation and to strengthen cement.
· In the Automobile Industry
The automotive industry manufactures cars with asbestos in the brake shoes and often in the clutch pads.
· In The Shipbuilding Industry
This is used to insulate boilers, steam pipes, and hot water pipes. Sometimes, asbestos insulates ship's nuclear reactors.
· Everyday Exposure
Asbestos paper makes daily life more convenient. For example, table pads use it, as well as beverage filters, wire insulation and heat mats.
In 1979, approximately 560,000 metric tons of asbestos was used in domestic products. That number is reduced today to less than 55,000. However, many products still exist that were produced before its use was restricted.

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There are two common types of asbestos, amphibole and chrysotile. Several studies show that amphibole fibers stay in the lungs longer than chrysotile, and this may explain the tendency to increase their toxicity (harmfulness to the body).

Which differ in their physical characteristics. chrysotile asbestos develops in a layered or tiered form, whereas amphibole asbestos has a chain-like structure.

Asbestos Common Types

The three most common types of fibers are:

* Chrysotile (white asbestos): A white curly fiber, chrysotile accounts for 90% of asbestos in products and is a member of the serpentine group. It is a magnesium silicate.
* Amosite: Brown or gray, straight amosite fibers belong in the amphibole group, and contain iron and magnesium.
* Crocidolite (Riebeckite): A member of the amphibole group, crocidolite takes the form of blue, straight fibers. It is a sodium iron magnesium silicate.

The other asbestos types, all in the amphibole group, are anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite. Anthophyllite ranges in color from white to gray to brown. It is associated with talc and other minerals, and is a magnesium iron silicate hydroxide.

• Anthophyllite asbestos is commonly identified by its white brittle fibers that are made of crystals and have a chain-like appearance. This type of asbestos is formed by the breakdown of talc in ultramafic rock, and as such, anthophyllite is a common contaminant of talc. Although anthophyllite asbestos is not often used for industrial purposes, the fibers can occasionally be found among the natural minerals that expand with the application of heat, such as vermiculite (which is commonly added to gardening soil).

• Relatively Tremolite is a common mineral found in most metamorphic rocks. Its color ranges from a creamy white to dark green. Tremolite asbestos has been used for industrial purposes (though not as much as chrysotile) and has been identified as an ingredient in some household products, primarily talcum powder (which is also a known carcinogen). This form of asbestos is the major asbestiform contaminant of The Infamous vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana.

• Actinolite asbestos is a Relatively common mineral in metamorphic rocks existing. This type of asbestos is usually green, white, or gray and it is closely related to the aforementioned minerals tremolite (actinolite contains a greater presence of iron over magnesium than tremolite). Actinolite does not have a strong history of commercial or industrial use, but it may be a contaminant in asbestos products. There are non-fibrous actinolite variants of that do not pose the same health threats associated with exposure to Commercially exploited forms of asbestos.

Asbestos is a group of highly fibrous minerals with separable, long, and thin fibers. Separated asbestos fibers are strong and flexible so that it can be woven as well as spun. It is a considered a miracle evil as it is heat resistant and is extremely useful for industrial purposes, but it is seen to be causing life threatening asbestos diseases like mesothelioma. Due to their durability, asbestos fibers that get into lung tissue will remain for long periods of time.
As it is resistant to heat, chemical damage, electricity, sound absorption as well as tensile strength, it is extensively used by manufacturing as well as construction companies.
It is also mixed with cement to make fabric or mats. Due to its heat resistance, asbestos is also used in gaskets, brake shoes, electric oven and wiring of hotplates. Asbestos is also used in building materials for insulation and as a fire retardant like in furnaces, pipes, roof shingles, textured paints, coating materials, and floor tiles.
Asbestos is a silicate mineral containing of silicon, oxygen, hydrogen, and various metals.
Materials containing asbestos is substandard, spoiled or removed which results in release of fibers or dust. in the air.
Due to the fineness of its fibres, it can be dangerous and its inhalation can cause lung diseases, mainly:
Asbestosis leading to scarring of the lungs
disease of the lining of the lung (pleura) or mesothelioma
lung cancer
All types of asbestos exposure lead to cancerous or non-cancerous diseases which usually show its symptoms 10 to 30 years after asbestos exposure.
The first asbestos related cases were found among the British. These workers at some point due to their working in mills, mines, construction companies, factories, companies involved in processing of asbestos or when removing asbestos dust.

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