ASBESTOS has been used for over 4,500 years, and in the ancient world was recognised at the 'magic mineral' due to its abundance and fire-resistant properties.
But it has been banned from construction works as it is a highly dangerous substance — it can severely damage your lungs and is a carcinogen, meaning it can cause cancer.
What is asbestos and what is it made of?
Asbestos is a mineral substance that is found through mining.
It is made from naturally occurring fibres that are resistant to fire, heat and electricity, and can even absorb sound.
This is why the material began to be used in housing construction for insulation.
Are there illegal baby names? Surprising monikers that are BANNED in other countries, from Sarah to Thomas
It would be sprayed into ceilings and walls before it was banned.
It was also used in old vehicles and pipe insulation.
Due to the mineral being naturally occurring, it can be found in trace amounts in make-up and other products.
What does asbestos look like?
In its natural form asbestos looks like any other mineral, full of fibres.
When it is sprayed into walls, it has a fluffy texture when found in buildings.
It is white in colour and has the appearance of candy floss or thick spider webs.
Asbestos panelling can be removed from housing and replaced with modern insulation.
How many types of asbestos are there?
There are six varieties of asbestos most of which were used for insulation until it was banned.
Chrysotile, white asbestos, is the most common type of fibre found in housing.
The ones that were used less were amosite (brown) and crocidolite (blue) asbestos, although these fibres can be found as pipe insulation or in cement sheets.
All about Rachel Nickell who was murdered in front of her son Alex Hanscombe
Anthophyllite (grey/green) was used in even smaller amounts and is mainly found as a contaminant.
Not used commercially but still found as a contaminant are tremolite and actinolite, which can be green, blue, brown or white.
Talc was contaminated by these types of asbestos as the minerals can be found near each other in the ground.
When was asbestos banned in the UK?
The dangers of asbestos were spotted early on, with the UK government banning blue and brown asbestos in 1985.
It took another 15 years for white asbestos to be banned too, as it can take as long as 15 years for symptoms to show up.
In 1999 the government banned the usage of all asbestos because of the severe health risks.
People can be exposed to asbestos by inhaling fibres in the air or swallowing the fibres.
It can cause mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the mesothelial tissue in the chest — there is no cure for this aggressive form of the disease.
After inhaling the fibres, they work their way into the lungs and irritate the organ's pleura lining.
The fibres may cause mutations that provoke the growth of cancer.
Fibres can become stuck in the lung tissue, leading to lung cancer or asbestosis — a condition where there is scarring on the lungs.
This condition develops as fibres damage the lungs over time.
Symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, extreme tiredness and a persistent cough.
