Asbestos, according to the NHS, is "a group of minerals made of microscopic fibres that used to be widely used in construction" between the 1950s and 1990s. The use of asbestos was banned in 1999 so the risk of exposure is much lower now than it used to be. But materials containing asbestos are still found in many older buildings.
Exposure to asbestos can be deadly and more than 2000 people are dying each year in the UK from conditions linked to the mineral. Asbestos is a group of minerals made of microscopic fibres that used to be widely used in construction between the 1950s and 1990s. (Image: Getty Images) Does asbestos cause cancer? Put simply, yes, asbestos can cause cancer.
The UK Government labels asbestos as a carcinogen which is a substance, organism or agent capable of causing cancer. The UK Government adds: "Chronic low level inhalation exposure may cause pleural disorders, mesothelioma, or lung cancer; chronic high dose exposure may cause asbestosis." It is almost always the cause of mesothelioma - a type of cancer that develops in the lining that covers the outer surface of some of the body's organs.
The NHS adds: "Mesothelioma mainly affects the lining of the lungs (pleural mesothelioma), although it can also affect the lining of the tummy (peritoneal mesothelioma), heart or testicles." More than 2700 people are diagnosed with this form of cancer each year and unfortunately there is no cure. Is smoking going to be banned in the UK? How it happens is the tiny fib.
