What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a lightweight mineral made up of millions of tiny, heat-resistant fibers. These fibers make the material a good insulator.

Asbestos was used extensively in housing construction and ship insulation prior to 1999. Because of its light weight, it was also used as a filler in concrete9-10.

Asbestos has been linked to lung cancer and other lung conditions in addition to mesothelioma. Because of this, in 1989 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned many uses of asbestos in the United States. The ban was later revised and not implemented until 199911-12.

However, asbestos can still be found in new materials, such as flooring tiles, automotive brake pads, cement products, and asbestos clothing12. Asbestos products made before the ban also still remain.

9Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. ToxFAQ for Asbestos. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts61.html

10United States Environmental Protection Agency. Libby asbestos background. http://www.epa.gov/region8/superfund/libby/lbybkgd.html

11United States Environmental Protection Agency. Asbestos Materials Bans: Clarification – May 18, 1999. http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/asb-bans2.pdf

12United States Environmental Protection Agency. Asbestos Ban and Phase Out. http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/ban.html

Courtesy of Montana Department of Health and Human Services