Asbestos is a group of natural minerals that occur as masses of long, silky fibers. Asbestos is nonflammable and is resistant to heat, corrosion and chemicals. Asbestos may break into a dust of tiny fibers that can float into the air and be inhaled or swallowed. 

If you can crush the asbestos fibers in your hand, they are call “friable fibers.”   Friable fibers are BAD news for human health.

Asbestos was once extensively used by the construction industry as insulation. It was also used in a variety of consumer products. Asbestos may be found in ceilings, wall and pipe coverings, floor tiles, patching and coating materials and a wide variety of cement and wall boards.

Asbestos has also been used in household appliances such as toasters, ovens and heating and cooling systems. Normally, these materials do not present a concern. They become a hazard only when they are damaged and release fibers into the air.

Major health problems associated with asbestos exposure are:

• Lung cancer
• Asbestosis (a noncancerous lung disease)
• Mesothelioma (a cancer of the chest and abdominal lining)

Some medical studies have suggested that exposure to asbestos is also responsible for some cancers of internal organs including esophagus, larynx, oral cavity, stomach, colon and kidney.  In short, asbestos is a carcinogen and may be deadly to persons exposed to friable asbestos fibers.