Asbestos is a natural mineral product that's resistant to heat and corrosion.
Asbetosis is a chronic lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. Prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers can cause lung tissue scarring and shortness of breath. Symptoms and repercussions do not appear until may years of prolonged exposure to the harmful mineral.
Previously, it was largely found in insulation materials, packing materials, and paint. Workers exposed to asbestos were found to be linked to malignant mesothelioma in the United States in the 1930s and literature continued to be published. It was not until the early 1970's that the Occupational Health and Safety Administration took action to regulate workplace exposure.
Today, asbestos is strictly regulated in the workforce environment, although it has not gone away. About 1.3 million workers in the U.S. are still subjected to asbestos exposure on the job today. New diagnoses for mesothelioma have dropped to between 2,000 and 3,000 per year and appear to have reached a plateau, or close to it.
Resources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asbestosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20354637
https://www.mesotheliomahelp.org/asbestos/history/
http://www.asbestosnews.com/asbestos/statistics/
Inhaling asbestos can cause Mesothelioma, in which people have worked in jobs that may have been exposed to asbestos used in manufacture of products or in construction industry, the problem is that few treatment options and the prognosis is not favorable.
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