Asbestos - The Ill-Fated 'Miracle Mineral' by David S Judge

Flexibility, durability and the ability to withstand high amounts of heat made Asbestos known as the 'Miracle Mineral' in Ancient Greece. Used for a wide variety of purposes such as funeral outfits for cremation of their kings to everyday household items such as wicks for oil lamps, 'asbestos' itself was a Greek word meaning 'inextinguishable'. Even in the ancient times, this highly valuable substance came to be known as dangerous to the human lungs and was only handled in it's raw form by slaves.

Even in ancient times, the Greeks recognized that asbestos was dangerous; slaves who worked with the material experienced damage to their lungs. Over the years, asbestos was made into cloths that wowed the guests of royal Persian and Chinese households.

Beginning with the industrial revolution in the mid-nineteenth century, asbestos became a popular source of insulation due to its fire retardant properties. In 1879, the first asbestos mine opened up in the Appalachian region of Quebec. Asbestos became widely used in the twentieth century as a fire-retardant coating. It's use ranged from inside drywall, common household roofing and extended to products such as outdoor furniture.

Medical practitioners of the early twentieth century began to consider the safety implications that surrounded this commonly used substance. It wasn't until 1906 that the first asbestos related death was recorded. Yet, due to corporate business interests, the governments of the world were very slow to stop the production of asbestos. In the US, for example, it wasn't until the late 1970s that problems with asbestos came to the public attention, even though the government had known about the health risks posed by asbestos decades earlier.

What Exactly Is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a silicate mineral made up out of long, stringy crystal fibres. Inhaling these toxic fibres causes serious lung damage, leading to mesothelioma (a form of lung cancer nearly always produced from asbestos exposure), other forms of lung cancer, and asbestosis, a chronic inflammatory condition of the lungs.

Asbestos fibres are much thinner than the human hair. These fibres are highly dangerous as they can easily become airborne and find their way into the eyes, skin and lungs. Repeated, prolonged exposure to asbestos leads almost inevitably to serious illness.

Asbestos in Australia -

In Australia during the post-war period of 1945 to 1980, asbestos was used heavily in construction, shipyards, and power stations. It was also mined in Australia and exported around the world. Although the dangers of the material were already known, it took until the mid-1970s for the use of asbestos to slow down. Today, people exposed to asbestos in Australia thirty or forty years previously are suing mining companies and other industries for asbestos-related illnesses.

Asbestos Removal in Brisbane -

Asbestos removal in Brisbane is big business: several asbestos companies offering Brisbane Asbestos Removal exist to remove asbestos from homes, buildings, and especially asbestos removal from roofs, where asbestos in home construction was concentrated. Roof replacement in Brisbane should be only ever handled by a licensed, fully certified company. Consider that asbestos removal and Brisbane roofing replacement due to asbestos can put families at risk if they are not properly handled, so finding an asbestos removal Brisbane company that is qualified to do this job is of prime importance. Likewise, when it comes to roof replacement, Brisbane companies chosen for the job should be thoroughly investigated before hiring them.

About The Author

Metal Technology Roofing (http://www.mtr.net.au ) are a fully certified in Asbestos Removal.. MTR offer specialist advice on all areas concerning Asbestos Removal Brisbane and other related areas including re-roofing and Metal Roofing.