Asbestos workers have increased chances of getting two principal types of cancer: cancer of the lung tissue itself and mesothelioma, a cancer of the thin membrane that surrounds the lung and other internal organs. These diseases do not develop immediately following exposure to asbestos, but appear only after a number of years. The following documents describe the health hazards of asbestos and how to recognize it.

  • Potential Asbestos Contamination in Soft Concrete. Hazard Information Bulletin (HIB), (1998, October 8). Alerts construction workers and employers to the hazard posed by “soft concrete”, a mixture of asbestos/concrete, that was used as a 2 to 10 inch roofing layer. The removal of this type of soft concrete is a task that requires extensive precautions and control methods as prescribed by OSHA construction standard 29 CFR 1926.1101(g), methods of compliance, and the revised 1926.1101(h), respiratory protection. Other sections of 29 CFR 1926.1101 are also applicable.
  • Asbestos Standard for the General Industry. OSHA Publication 3095, (1995). Also available as a 190 KB PDF, 34 pages. Provides general OSHA guidelines for asbestos.
  • Asbestos. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Safety and Health Topic. Includes recommendations for preventing occupational exposure to asbestos and other resources.
  • Revised Recommended Asbestos Standard. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 77-169, (1976, December). Provides extensive discussion of asbestos hazards and control measures. Though the material is dated, this is a valuable resource.
  • Asbestos-Contaminated Vermiculite mined from Libby, Montana
  • Take Home Toxins. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Provides information on contamination of workers’ homes by hazardous substances transported from the workplace.

    • Protect Your Family – Reduce Contamination at Home. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 97-125, (1997). Summarizes a NIOSH conducted study of contamination of workers’ homes by hazardous substances transported from the workplace.
    • Protecting Workers’ Families – A Research Agenda: Report of the Workers’ Family Protection Task Force. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2002-113, (2002, February). Represents the Task Force’s commentary on the 1995 NIOSH Workers’ Home Contamination Study report, identifies gaps in the current knowledge about take-home exposures and related health effects, and provides a prioritized agenda for federally sponsored research.
  • Toxicological Profile for Asbestos. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), (2001, September). Characterizes the toxicological and adverse health effects information of asbestos.
  • National Toxicology Program (NTP). US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Assesses the carcinogenicity of chemicals and hazardous substances, including these respirable-size mineral fibers assessed as “carcinogens” or “reasonably anticipated” carcinogens.