Source: HSE
Asbestos is responsible for over 4000 deaths every year. Younger people, if routinely exposed to asbestos fibres over time, are at greater risk of developing asbestos-related disease than older workers. This is due to the time it takes for the body to develop symptoms after exposure to asbestos (latency).
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Asbestos was a widely used material within commercial buildings, homes and machinery
until 1999, when it
was banned. This means that asbestos is common in the general environment.
However, working directly with asbestos- containing materials (ACMs) can give personal exposures to airborne asbestos that are much higher than normal environmental levels. Repeated occupational exposures can give rise to a substantial cumulative
exposure over time. This will increase the risk of developing an asbestos-related disease in the future.
Read more: http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/index.htm