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Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long (ca. 1:20 aspect ratio), thin fibrous crystals.

The prolonged inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious illnesses, including malignant lung cancer, mesothelioma (a formerly rare cancer strongly associated with exposure to amphibole asbestos), and asbestosis (a type of pneumoconiosis). The European Union has banned all use of asbestos and extraction, manufacture and processing of asbestos products.

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11y ago
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12y ago

Evidence from studies in both people and laboratory animals has shown that asbestos can increase the risk for some types of cancer.

When asbestos fibers in the air are inhaled, they may stick to mucus in the throat, trachea (windpipe), or bronchi (large breathing tubes of the lungs) and may be cleared by being coughed up or swallowed. But some fibers may reach the ends of the small airways in the lungs or penetrate into the outer lining of the lung and chest wall (known as the pleura). These fibers may irritate the cells in the lung or pleura and eventually cause lung cancer or mesothelioma.

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Q: Does asbestos cause cancer
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Related questions

Aluminum hematite asbestos or quartz which can cause cancer?

Asbestos is known to cause cancer.


Can exposure to asbestos cause astrocytomas?

An astrocytoma is a form of brain cancer. Asbestos has not been associated with brain cancer.


Does asbestos cause prostate cancer?

No. It may cause lung cancer, but it has no effect on the prostate.


What kind of cancer does asbestos cause?

Asbestos can cause:Pleural plaquesAsbestosisLung cancer andMesotheliomaAlthough each of these conditions can be caused by asbestos, one condition does not lead to another; each is independently caused by the presence of asbestos in the body.


Is asbestos linked to prostate cancer?

No. It is the cause of Mesothelioma.


What kinds of problems does asbestos cause?

Asbestos can be the cause of:lung cancer (can be confounded with other environmental exposures),asbestosis ( today considered to be rare), andmesothelioma (cancer of lining of the lung).


What is the correlation between asbestos exposure and lung cancer?

Asbestos is a direct cause of lung cancer. This relationship was first determined in 1925. Nonsmokers exposed to asbestos are five times more likely to develop lung cancer than other nonsmokers.


What are the hazards of the asbestos?

One type of asbestos (chrysotile) can cause a type of lung cancer (mesothelioma) and most types of asbestos cause a lung disease called asbestosis (a type of silicosis), when small airborne fibers of the asbestos are inhaled.


What are the disadvantages of the asbestos?

The primary disadvantage of asbestos is that it can cause lung cancer and mesothelioma if the fibers are breathed in. Some suspect cancer can also result if the fibers are in the water you drink.


does asbestos cause mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma can only be caused by asbestos exposure. It is a type of cancer that is specific to individuals who have inhaled or been exposed to asbestos in some way.


Does asbestos give you cancer?

The relationship between asbestos and cancer is that exposure to asbestos can cause some forms of cancer in some of the people who are exposed. In particular, exposure to airborne asbestos has been associated with lung cancer and mesothilioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest cavity and lungs.


Why isn't asbestos used much in the US today?

Asbestos has been found to cause cancer, so it is no longer used in construction.