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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 references describe the health hazards of asbestos and how to recognize them.

  • Asbestos [63 KB PDF*, 2 pages]. OSHA Fact Sheet, (2002).

  • 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) Workplace 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.
  • TOXNET for Asbestos. The National Library of Medicine Hazardous Substance Database.

  • Report on Carcinogens (RoC). Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Public Health Services, 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. The listing of substances in the RoC only indicates a potential hazard and does not establish the exposure conditions that would pose cancer risks to individuals.
  • International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks for Humans [1 MB PDF, 454 pages]. World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC Classification: Carcinogenic to humans (Group 1).

  • Toxicological Profile for Asbestos. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), (2001, September). Characterizes the toxicological and adverse health effects information of asbestos.

  • ToxFAQs for Asbestos. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), (2001, September). Answers the most frequently asked health questions about asbestos.

  • Asbestos (CASRN 1332-21-4). Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). Discusses the health effects of asbestos.

  • Asbestos. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Lists asbestos as a Hazardous Air Pollutant (HAP) under the National Emissions Standard Hazardous Air Pollutants section of its Clean Air Act.

  • Asbestos Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
  • Asbestos [706 KB PDF, 6 pages]. New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet, (2001, January). Provides a summary source of information of all potential and most severe health hazards that may result from asbestos exposure.

  • Asbestosis. American Lung Association (ALA). Provides fact sheets on asbestosis, links to its asbestos page, and to reports on other forms of lung disease. Founded in 1904 to fight tuberculosis, ALA today fights lung disease in all its forms.

  • Asbestos Statistics and Information. US Geological Survey (USGS), (2010). Includes commodities production summaries, minerals yearbook and special publications.

  • Fact Sheet on Asbestos Exposure and Cancer Risk: Questions and Answers. National Cancer Institute (NCI).

  • Online Safety Library: Asbestos. Oklahoma State University. Provides information about asbestos monitoring, exposure, toxidynamics, asbestos policy, regulatory standards and removal.

  • International Chemical Safety Cards. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Summarizes essential health and safety information.

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