OK. Amphibole asbestos is definitely dangerous. But 90% of asbestos used commercially is chrysotile, not amphibole species. Considering how many dangerous things there are out in the world today, not limited to coronavirus, corrodible lead car batteries, lead in hunted game, lead in residential garden soil if any paint scraping took place at that spot, psychologically and socially disruptive advertising, and community-weakening communication norms.

Household bleach Is more harmful to the lungs than chrysotile asbestos ceiling tiles. The chlorine in bleach is a chemical warfare agent, and with common indoor use where ventilation is not good, it will result in unnoticeable but real damage to the lungs that will shorten youth and longevity. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral. Ordinary outdoor dust from the ground soil minerals contains a small amount of asbestos. It is natural and the human body is adapted to it. It is extremely rare that it causes a problem, except in modern day life where people have to be careful how they handle it.

Is the world really safe, or do the regulations just have a propensity to give a false sense of security about the world we live in?

Chrysotile has never been proven to cause mesothelioma. There is an unknown danger, but there are many other things with known dangers that are not acknowledged as dangerous, and result in lower quality of life and terrible disadvantages for the population at large.

Naturally-occurring does not necessarily equate to safe, but is usually more safe than altering nature too much.

We are presently more subject to natural forces than they are subject to us -and they will take us out one way or another -but we definitely create more dangerous circumstances.

Asbestos is natural, yet usually localized and minimal -but the high concentrations we can create by collecting it, breaking it down, making things from it and putting it in may places where its dust can reach our lungs are more dangerous.

Sometimes it is more dangerous to remove it from buildings, so they seal it.

It is often those who are employed to mine and collect materials who have it worst -coal, asbestos, radioactive materials, etc.

Such are often collected in areas with few other opportunities, so the pay is very attractive to locals.

That is all very true.

Open communication, education, and independence are so important to prevent exploitation of local communities. They might not know how dangerous something is, so rigid laws are relied upon to keep people safe, by blindly following laws, which is not that safe for the long term.

Yes it is dangerous and if I come across it on any one of my building jobs, I have to get a specialist firm in to take it away and dispose of it. I haven't got the special licences to do it, so I hire people who have. Over here in the UK, ALL ASBESTOS is classed as dangerous, be it the white, brown or blue types. The last two being the most serious ones, as the guys removing it are all properly suited and masked up and remove it in sealed bags and take it straight off site!

Yeah, officially they have to wear those hazmat suits and wrap it up, even tape off the area they have to walk from the place of removal to a van.
But... officially they also now say it isn't that dangerous unless exposed to huge quantities and/or often.
The twit who did an asbestos check before my kitchen renovation found it, the tube from the extractor to the roof, and broke a piece off to bag it for research to be certain. She did that while not wearing gloves, mask or anything. I was shocked and quite PO as it meant I could potentially have asbestos fibres in my kitchen.
She then sprayed it with stuff that would seal it.
I could have it removed but that would mean breaking half my house down as it goes all the way to the roof and through a bedroom too.
Since I also have an asbestos drain pipe from bathroom to the loo downstairs I decided to sod it.

When you privately remove asbestos you can only dump it when wrapped in plastic AND you have to pay a lot of money for it.

Well it is certainly dangerous enough that one should be careful with it and be trained before handling it.

The guys that deal with it get hosed down at the end of their shift also and they have the place sealed off, with plastic tunnels, while dealing with it also! Not dealing with it properly would get me fined and probably a Court appearance, which would harm my firms reputation also, which is certainly not worth it. Took me years to build up my Company's reputation and I have a good set of work ethics which me and my employees stick to at all times!

Asbestos is very dangerous to health ., especially lungs .... avoid !!!

double post

I found this interesting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaHw_bGI2ME

I would have a beer with Mario!! Legend

Any type of asbestos can be bad.

You may not exactly get asbestosis / mesothelioma, but maybe something more akin to silicosis, which still wouldn't be any more fun, or even black lung, like what cowboys and drovers got.

A mate of mine died of mesothelioma, just after turning 50 yo; he did one removal job without protection, and 20 years later he was diagnosed, outlived doctor's time estimates by many years, and amazed many, but it got him, and it was a very sorry sight.

There are stories of old guys in the industry not being affected, but their wives washing their work clothes died of it.

I wouldn't try my luck. I turned down a very lucrative full time removal job, with all safety gear and everything supplied. No thanks.