Attacking asbestos from all angles

Ads in which a lawyer talks about compensation for asbestos exposure and mesothelioma have been a television mainstay in the U.S. for a long time. Watching those, one might assume that the science of asbestos—how it’s formed, how it’s transported in the environment, and how it causes lung cancers—is a closed book. It turns out, however, there’s still lots to learn about the long, thin fibrous material. Prized for its flame and heat resistance, asbestos was used for decades in products such as floor and ceiling tiles, wallboard, electrical insulation, and brake linings. Once the mineral’s link to mesothelioma was established, the use of asbestos in the U.S. plummeted but never completely stopped. Many other countries banned new uses of asbestos minerals (see page 28). Still, asbestos waste lingers at various sites across the globe, and buildings containing the material continue to age and decay. By some estimates, as many