For much of the 20th century, asbestos was celebrated as a miracle material. It was heat-resistant, strong, and cheap — the perfect ingredient for insulation, roofing, and countless industrial applications. But beneath its usefulness lies a dark legacy: a silent killer that still claims thousands of lives every year.
When asbestos fibers are inhaled, they can lodge deep in the lungs and remain there for decades. Over time, this can lead to diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. The latency period — the time between exposure and illness — can stretch 20 to 50 years, making diagnosis difficult and often too late for treatment.