Plastics and Asbestos
Plastics are among the most useful and advanced materials of the 20th century. It seems that each day a new use for plastic is replacing an outdated and less efficient product. They are at the forefront of nearly all product advancements as our economy phases from natural resources to synthetics. Unfortunately, plastics have also long been associated with health hazards through the toxic materials of which they are composed and unstable compositions which may release these toxins. One of the more common toxins associated with a plastics composition is asbestos.
Asbestos has long been mined for its qualities of insulation and its resistance to heat or other temperature transfer. One of its lesser known qualities is its durability. Asbestos fibers are remarkably durable, and some of its prior uses were for this precise cause. Early uses of asbestos including weaving it into fabrics, for the purpose of producing more rigid and warmer textiles. Asbestos has also been added to concrete and roofing compounds to increase their durability. For this reason, asbestos was also commonly added to plastics.
Asbestos was utilized in plastics compositions for many reasons. While it made the plastics more resistance to heat and cold, it also produced more durable compounds. Common uses of asbestos were in PVC, phenolics, polypropylene, nylon, and other plastics. Most often, those at risk of asbestos exposure are not the consumer or those who use these plastics, but those who are involved in the plastics molding process. While mixing compounds, plastic workers regularly dealt with friable asbestos fibers (asbestos fibers are considered friable if they are able to be inhaled or released air into the air).
Asbestos was banned for nearly all uses in the late 1970’s, when a connection between asbestos exposure and respiratory illness became clear to the general public. However, those who worked with asbestos prior to this time and those who encounter it now are still developing asbestos-induced health complications, such as the cancer mesothelioma. Those who have worked in plastics moldings or are regularly dealing with damaged or destroyed plastics products may be at risk for asbestos inhalation. The durability of asbestos, the quality for which it was so extensively used, continues when inhaled and the body is unable to break down the fibers. Asbestos exposure is a real risk in the production of plastics. Those who have worked within this industry should watch their respiratory health closely and have their lung health checked regularly by an appropriate physician or breathing specialist.
