No meeting of the minds on asbestos

Journal Article · Fri Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 1991 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

OSTI ID:5815664

The debate on the health hazards of asbestos has become so polarized that researchers from one camp no longer go to the other camp's meetings. One view suggests that a spate of asbestos-triggered diseases would strike thousands of construction workers, firemen, custodians, and other people exposed to microscopic asbestos fibers that crumble from building and pipe insulation, brake pads, and hundreds of other sources. Other researchers believe that chrysotile asbestos, the most commonly used type in the US, poses relatively little health risk to the general public at the levels of exposure generally encountered, and that expensive removal of properly maintained asbestos-containing materials such as insulation and cement is not warranted.

• OSTI ID: 5815664
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Vol. 254:5034; ISSN 0036-8075
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ASBESTOS
HEALTH HAZARDS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
MAN
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
RISK ASSESSMENT
ANIMALS
HAZARDS
MAMMALS
PRIMATES
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560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology