Asbestos Exposure in the Workplace: Warnings for Engineers

Essential information for Engineers on Asbestos.

Asbestos is a widely used, mineral-based material that is resistant to heat and corrosive chemicals.

Typically, asbestos appears as a whitish, fibrous material which may release fibers that range in texture from coarse to silky.

However, airborne fibers, that can cause health damage, may be too small to see with the naked eye.

Inhaling these airborne asbestos fibers can cause asbestosis (scarring of the lungs resulting in loss of lung function that often progresses to disability and to death); mesothelioma (cancer affecting the membranes lining of the lungs and abdomen); lung cancer and cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon, and rectum.