Asbestos
There is a worldwide campaign against the use of asbestos, and laws have been laid banning its production. Asbestos was named after the Greek word for indestructible. A great reason why asbestos is such a deadly mineral is its indestructibility. Asbestos was used as a cheap and stable ingredient of construction that was resilient to corrosion, heat, fire etc. Chrysotile is the most popular form although Crocidolite and Amosite are used too.
Asbestos is a stable mineral which was used for lot many purposes before its potential risk was discovered. It is used along with concrete for ceilings, as a thermal insulation layer, and also as fire retardant, because of the nature of its particles which are not easily affected by heat, or pressure.
Asbestos is dangerous because the particles of asbestos could live on and on for a long time. Through demotion of buildings, renovation etc, asbestos fibers can be released in air and might find their way into water resources too. These particles are extremely small, sometimes 700 times smaller than human air, which makes them extremely difficult targets for cleansing. This particulate matter finds its way into the body where it causes numerous health issues. Most of the asbestos particles can enter the human system through inhalation or ingestion.
Asbestos has been deemed as a category 1 carcinogen, and most people with prolonged exposure to this deadly mineral have been seen to develop cancer in the long term. The asbestos particles are very durable, and do not evaporate in heat or dissolve in liquids. Hence these particles cannot be easily destroyed and hence remain in the human system once they enter it causing irreparable damage.
People exposed to asbestos debris have a high chance of developing lung cancer, and the survival rate is rather low over a one to five year period. Asbestos fibers that are breathed also injure the delicate lining of the lungs and other internal organs. The scar tissues due to abrasion caused by asbestos fibers also known as pleural plaques result in asbestosis. Mesothelioma is another cancer caused by breathing in air with high asbestos content. This develops from Mesothelium which is a protective lining of most of the internal organs.
Even family members, who wash clothes of the person exposed to asbestos, are susceptible to this form of cancer. This cancer could develop, in some cases, years after a worker has stopped working at construction sites. This fact is what makes asbestos exposure all the more dangerous.
The law prohibits hiring workers for asbestos removal or renovation, without proper certification or approval. There are special contractors, who specialize in dealing with asbestos and only they should be hired for the task. Removing asbestos while destroying older buildings is hence done very careful after lot of wetting. This ensures that the asbestos powder is not dry and released in the air as small particles. Instead, the wet asbestos and concrete particles could be collected in polythenes that can be later sealed and disposed off. The disposal of asbestos too needs special permissions.