What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a mineral which is mined in Canada, Russia, China and South Africa.
The term asbestos encompasses two groups of minerals – serpentine and amphiboles. The most common example of the serpentine group is chrysotile (white asbestos).
Asbestos has been in use since the late 1800s but its use increased greatly during World War II. Since then it has been used in many industries. For example, the building industry uses asbestos for strengthening cement and plastics, as well as for insulation, fireproofing and sound absorption. The shipbuilding industry has used asbestos to insulate boilers, steam pipes, hot water pipes and nuclear reactors in ships.
The car manufacturing industry has used asbestos in vehicle brake shoes and clutch pads. More than 5,000 products contain or have contained asbestos. Plumbers, laggers, electricians, building workers, heating engineers, joiners and garage workers are just some of the occupations that may have been exposed to asbestos