Asbestos is a fibrous, incombustible form of magnesium and calcium silicate used in making insulating materials. By the late 1970s, over 6 million tons of asbestos were being produced worldwide. About two-thirds of the asbestos used in the United States is used in building materials, brake linings, textiles, and insulation, while the remaining one-third is consumed in such diverse products as paints, plastics, caulking compounds, floor tiles, cement, roofing paper, radiator covers, theater curtains, fake fireplace ash, and many other materials.

It has been estimated that of the eight to eleven million current and retired workers exposed to large amounts of asbestos on the job, 30 to 40 percent can expect to die of cancer. Several different types of asbestos-related diseases are known, the most significant being asbestosis. Asbestosis is a chronic disease characterized by scarring of the lung tissue. Most commonly seen among workers who have been exposed to very...