Exposure to asbestos can also occur from drinking fibers present in water.
Based on Death certificates where asbestosis is described as being the underlying cause there were 113 deaths due to the disease in 2003.
Asbestos Hazards - Contact a Lawyer
Asbestos Hazards: What is it?
Asbestos is the name applied to a group of six different minerals: amosite, chrysotile, tremolite, actinolite, anthophyllite, and crocidolite that occur naturally in the environment. In 1989, all new uses of asbestos were banned.
No studies are available on the acute (short-term) effects of asbestos in animals or humans. Lung effects are a major health concern from asbestos, as chronic (long-term) exposure to asbestos in humans via inhalation can result in a lung disease termed asbestosis.
Asbestosis is characterized by shortness of breath and cough and may lead to severe impairment of respiratory function and ultimately death. Other effects from chronic inhalation exposure to asbestos include an accumulation of scar-like tissue in the membranes that surround the lung, pulmonary hypertension, and immunological effects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not established a Reference Concentration (RfC) or a Reference Dose (RfD) for asbestos.
No studies are available on the reproductive or developmental effects of asbestos via inhalation, and oral studies in animals have not reported any reproductive or developmental effects. Cancer is a major concern from asbestos exposure, as inhalation exposure can cause lung cancer and mesothelioma (a rare cancer of the thin membranes lining the abdominal cavity and surrounding internal organs), and possibly gastrointestinal cancers in humans. Oral exposure to asbestos may be associated with cancer of the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. However, the evidence on cancer from oral asbestos exposure is not conclusive.
EPA has classified asbestos as a Group A, human carcinogen , based primarily on inhalation studies, and has calculated an inhalation unit risk estimate of 2.3 × 10-1 (fibers/mL)-1.
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