Asbestos is a mineral fiber, identifiable with only a special microscope. They are of a wide variety and in the past, they were used in industries because of their property of strengthening products and provision of fire resistance and heat insulation. Mesothelioma is cancer of mesothelium, a membrane which covers and protects most of the internal organs of the body. The major cause factor for mesothelioma is asbestos exposure, even though in many cases, obvious asbestos exposure is absent. Asbestos exposure involves ingestion or inhalation of asbestos fibers into the body wherein they enter the body cavities and cause inflammation or infection.
List of asbestos products
Asbestos occurs naturally as a fibrous substance which was used widely in many industries in the 20th century, particularly the construction industries. Hence, many houses, majorly built in the early 1900’s have a lot of asbestos content which needs to be taken care of.
There are many asbestos products one can find internally. Some internal ceilings have asbestos sheet lining. There can also be incidents of debris left in ceiling spaces which are later broken down to install ducted air conditioning. Such ceilings could contain asbestos bulk heads. Floor Tiles (Floor covering) laid down with glue containing asbestos is another main site of concern involving a lot of wear and tear and hence, leads to the release of a lot of asbestos fibers in the air which thereafter are ingested by humans. There could be vinyl flooring insulated with asbestos. The wiring of light fittings was often insulated using asbestos. Another common example would be an ironing board. These could have an asbestos panel to stand the hot iron which would have experienced a lot of wear and tear in due time. Also, the electrical cables and fuses were often covered with an insulated asbestos covered sheath. Overtime the asbestos breaks down. Gas Heaters used an asbestos rope as a heat seal. Internal wall cladding was also done with asbestos sheeting. In the bathrooms, asbestos can also be found in the splash back panels around the vanity. Similarly, asbestos sheeting is also used in the splash back panels around the kitchen sink, drain boards along with the ones used in the laundry area.
There are many common external asbestos products. Any kind of debris comprising of damaged asbestos containing materials always poses a threat to the health of human beings living in its vicinity. This debris was often used for packers in home construction. Carports and verandahs often have eaves lined with asbestos sheeting. Asbestos cement fencing commonly known as “Deep 6” is very common in many areas. Though it is very safe in good condition, wear of tear of the same can prove to be hazardous. The fire door could also have damaged insulation and cracks which could be a source for the release of asbestos fibers into the environment. The same concern is there for the fire blanket. One should ensure that both of these are in good condition. Out-buildings use a lot of asbestos in the form of asbestos wall cladding, asbestos corrugated sheet roof and the steps made of thick sheet asbestos. Asbestos ropes are used in pipe lagging and suffer from a lot of wear and tear over time. Asbestos provides insulation in piping and hence was commonly used in the same. As mentioned for the out-buildings, asbestos corrugated sheets roofs (“deep 6”) are also prevalent. Meter boxes were often lined with asbestos sheeting. External walls, windows are doorway panels are the other sites of concern.
Other than these asbestos can also be found in cement wallboards, cement pipes, flooring backing, acoustical or decorative plaster, textured paints or coatings, lay-in panels, spray applied insulation, blown-in insulation, fireproofing materials, thermal taping compounds, high temperature gaskets, laboratory table tops, laboratory gloves, fire blankets and curtains, elevator equipments panels, elevator brake shoes, boiler insulation, breaching insulation, cooling towers, Pipe insulations, heating and electrical ducts, electrical panel partitions, chalkboards, roofing shingles, base flashing, thermal paper products, fire doors adhesives, wallboard, joint compounds, vinyl wall coverings, etc.
Asbestos products manufacturers
There are a lot of companies manufacturing asbestos products:
- A.B.B. Lummus Global Inc.
- Abex Corperation
- A. P. Green Industries
- Armstrong World Industries
- Babcock and Wilcox
- Bell Asbestos Mines
- Bestwall Gypsum | Georgia Pacific
- Bondex
- Borg Warner Company
- Celotex
- C. E. Thurston & Sons
- Certainteed Corportation
- Dana Corporation
- Eagle Picher Industries Inc.
- E.J. Bartells Co.
- Foseco
- Foster Wheeler
- Federal Mogul Corporation
- GAF Corporation
- Garlock
- General Electric
- General Motors
- Gold Bond
- H. K. Porter Inc.
- Harbison Walker Refractories Co.
- Honeywell Heating
- Ingersoll Rand
- J T Thorpe
- Kaiser Aluminum
- Kelly Moore Paint Co.
- Kentile Floors
- Lincoln Electric
- Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing
- Mobil Oil Corperation
- National Gypsum
- Nicolet Keasby & Mattison
- North American Refractories
- Owens Illinois
- Pacor Incorporated
- Pittsburgh Corning
- Plibrico Company
- Porter Hayden Company
- Shook and Fletcher
- Synkoloid Company
- The Flintkote Company
- Unarco
- Union Carbide
- United States Gypsum
- W.R. Grace