Asbestos was used and can still be found as an insulating material on pipes and boilers, and as a fire retardent sprayed onto steel structures and the like. It is found in our homes, schools, hospitals and workplaces. It is when the dust is inhaled into the lungs that potentially fatal problems can be caused.

Asbestos dust kills thousands of people every year in the UK, resulting from people’s exposure to dust many years ago usually during their employment.

If you are or were a builder, joiner, plumber, electrician, lagger, or worked in the restoration and refurbishment of old buildings, then you might have been exposed to Asbestos dust.

People were exposed in their employment to Asbestos dust, either because of working themselves with Asbestos, or because they worked in the vicinity of others working with Asbestos.

Some people are known to have been exposed to Asbestos by cleaning the overalls of someone who worked with Asbestos dust, or simply because they lived in the vicinity of a factory making Asbestos.

Find out more about specific asbestos related diseases by clicking the links below

What is Mesothelioma

What is Pleural Plaques