About Asbestos

About Asbestos

If you are like a lot of people, then you are probably curious as to how things work. After all, it is important to know how things work so that you can live a better life. Something that is very important to learn about is asbestos. After all, asbestos is a product that has done a lot of good and a lot of harm. You may not know much about asbestos so if you want to learn more then keep reading.

About asbestos uses

The main thing that you need to know about asbestos is what it is used for. Asbestos is mainly used to make sure that things do not catch on fire. Two hundred to one hundred years ago, asbestos was the main way that fires were prevented. Asbestos is very fibrous, which is good because it can be woven into a lot of different materials. In the past, asbestos has been woven into blankets. Before asbestos was used, many people would have their entire house burn down because their blankets got too close to their fires. Asbestos prevented the blankets from catching on fire, which saved people a lot of money.

Other asbestos uses

Asbestos is not just used in fabrics though. Asbestos is also used in concrete and other building materials. In the olden days, builders would mix the fibers of asbestos in the concrete. This would make it a lot harder for the buildings to burn down.

Why asbestos is not safe

Unfortunately, asbestos is not that safe in high concentrations. In high concentrations asbestos has been known to cause very bad cases of lung cancer. This is why this flam retardant is not used much anymore. Asbestos is very good at being able to prevent flames from sparking, but it really is not good for our bodies. It is better to just take the chance of an object burning. After all, you do not want to get cancer. Even if your house did burn down, it would be better than getting cancer.

 

Now that you know more about asbestos, hopefully you can see why this product used to be so useful in the olden days. One hundred to two hundred years ago, asbestos really was the best way to prevent fires from starting. However, we now know that asbestos is really not good for the human body. Luckily, it is easier to prevent fires from starting now, so we do not have to worry about things catching on fire as easily. Asbestos is not harmful in small concentrations, but in larger concentrations it really can be harmful. The reason that asbestos is harmful in high concentrations is because it can cause lung cancer. Many fire fighters who helped in 9/11 died because of too much asbestos. When the World Trade Center buildings collapsed, it release a few tons of asbestos into the air, which had an adverse effect on the fire fighters’ lung capabilities. While asbestos used to be a good product, it is banned in many developed countries today.