Asbestos is no longer a threat because we banned its use in the United States many years ago. No one mines it any more. No one uses asbestos in household products. We only have to worry about the old stuff hanging around, right?
Wrong.
Asbestos is regularly imported into the United States, often without consumer awareness. For example, in 2006 the US imported over 63,000 metric tons of asbestos cement sheets from Mexico, representing an increase of 25 percent over the year 2000. Asbestos cement has not been manufactured in the US since 1992. The handling and installation of these sheets expose numerous workers and citizens to asbestos and the potential threats of this exposure, including asbestos cancer.
Asbestos Uses
Asbestos use became popular in construction and manufacturing because of its ability to insulate heat and maintain high tensile strength. Therefore, it is still a popularly used in certain products such as brake linings and pads, primarily imported from Brazil, China, Columbia and Mexico. Brake friction imports from these countries toppled $90 million in 2006, without any means to track or determine which ones might contain asbestos.
Canada still mines asbestos and the US imports a large percentage of goods and materials from our neighbor to the north. According to the US Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summary for 2008, 86% of the asbestos required for manufacturing needs was imported from Canada for the years 2003 through 2006. An estimated 84% of the asbestos imported was used for roofing products and 16% for other applications. Canada is expected to remain the primary supplier of asbestos for the foreseeable future. For more detailed information, go to http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/asbestos/mcs-2008-asbes.pdf
Asbestos Exposure
What does this mean for the average consumer? Most likely the small amount of asbestos exposure that would come from these products will not cause any health issues. But nothing is certain. Small amounts of asbestos have been known to cause thickening of the lung tissue when inhaled. This is typically the beginning of what may eventually become asbestos cancer, mesothelioma, or asbestosis.
The best way to avoid asbestos exposure is to educate yourself on products used on and in your home, office, school, and other building you may regularly frequent. While it is unlikely to avoid asbestos completely, you should have the right to determine what items are used in your own home. And you cannot assume that the new roof you just installed does not contain asbestos. Some research is required to be sure.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency compiled a booklet titled “Asbestos in the Home”. It is available both online (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/453.html) and via post for a hard copy. The booklet contains excellent information on how to test for asbestos, and how to contact an accredited asbestos professional in case you need to have asbestos removed from your home.
The reality is asbestos is in our environment. It is a naturally occurring mineral and is still widely used in building and construction materials. Before the U.S. stopped mining certain types of asbestos, it was used extensively in government buildings and schools. Thousands of people involved in the mining of asbestos and manufacturing industries contracted asbestos diseases. These diseases are deadly and could have been prevented if precautions had been taken to stop asbestos exposure.
Asbestos is still a danger to us regardless of the regulations presently imposed by the government. As long as asbestos is imported into the U.S. unchecked, it is impossible to know the extent of the damage. Workers and citizens are unwillingly exposed to a substance that is a known carcinogen while believing they are safe due to recent regulations. It’s simply not true.