• cAUzapNEAGLb@lemmy.world
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      25 days ago

      At one point, it was thought to be very safe because of its fire resistance, treated as a miracle material. many buildings throughout the world were made with asbestos, and many still exists.

      for the most part it is only harmful when disturbed, either when mining and processing, or when destroyed.

      • Troy@lemmy.ca
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        25 days ago

        And even then, it would likely have to be repeated occupational exposure to cause issues, not a one-off dust event.

        This isn’t cyanide or something

        • Saleh@feddit.org
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          24 days ago

          problem is you can get a deadly exposure and not realize at the time, because it will take 20 years until the effects destroy your lungs.

    • Omnificer@lemmy.world
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      25 days ago

      I think you’ll be surprised at how much asbestos is still used worldwide, including in the US. We’re not using it as wall and ceiling insulation anymore, but it’s still used for things like pipes and vinyl floor tiles.

    • naeap@sopuli.xyz
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      25 days ago

      Russia still is the largest exporter of asbestos in the world and is still used in large parts of the world

      https://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma/worldwide/

      Edit: have to add, that I was completely flabbergasted by that, because I thought asbestos was completely illegal like FCKW (sorry, not English native speaker, seems the abbreviation is CFC - the stuff we put into refrigerators before we figured it produces an ozone hole)
      Russia mining companies say though, that their asbestos is safe and it’s just western propaganda to keep them out of business)

    • seathru@lemmy.sdf.org
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      25 days ago

      Because besides the pesky cancer side effect, it’s an incredible building material.