Asbestos used to be used in the manufacture of clutches, brakes and other products.
Asbestos is a silicate of iron, alumina and lime whose fibers are flexible . The term derives from the Latin amiantus , a word popularized by Pliny and which in turn comes from the Greek asbestos . This word was the result of the sum of two different parts:
- The negation prefix a- .
- The verbal adjective miantos , which can be translated as “defiled.”
It should be noted that asbestos and asbestos are often used synonymously , although in reality they refer to two different minerals. Asbestos has fibers that are harder and more rigid, even though the composition and characteristics of the mineral are similar to those of asbestos.
Asbestos use
Asbestos fibers can intertwine. As the material has great resistance to high temperatures , it was used for a long time for the production of tiles, tiles, coverings, brakes and clutches, among other products .
Its use was reduced when various studies confirmed that elements made with asbestos can promote the development of cancer . At the beginning of this century, asbestos began to be banned in different nations, especially European ones. In some nations, however, it is still used.
Due to the risk it poses to health, the use of asbestos is prohibited in many regions.
Health risk
It is important to keep in mind that, already in ancient times, there were warnings about the health risks when handling asbestos. However, the mechanical, physical and chemical properties of the material, added to the ease of obtaining it, made it used in a large number of industrial activities. Given the certainties about the damage that inhaling asbestos causes to the lungs, its use was finally largely set aside.
Among the inconveniences caused by inhalation of asbestos or asbestos is asbestosis , a pneumoconiosis (lung disease ) that causes pain, dyspnea and cough and can lead to cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ).
In addition to everything stated above, asbestos is considered to be very dangerous for health because it can cause the appearance of other diseases such as the following:
- Malignant mesothelioma , a type of cancer that directly affects the peritoneum and pleura. It is an incurable disease with a life expectancy of about nine months.
- Lung cancer , which will be much more serious and if, in addition, the person who suffers from it consumes tobacco regularly.
- Although it has not yet been scientifically confirmed, it is also believed to cause uterine and breast cancer .
Asbestos in Spain
In Spain , for example, asbestos has been totally prohibited since 2001 . However, in previous times several of its modalities were prohibited.
Specifically, in 1993 brown asbestos was completely eliminated and a few years before, exactly in 1984 , the same was done with so-called blue asbestos .