Asbestos, a naturally occurring complex silicate, was extensively used in many industries, including insulation in ship building, manufacture of brake linings, and automobiles. Asbestos is a common name given to a group of six fibrous minerals which have their existence in two general forms, friable and non-friable. The friable Asbestos gets crumbled to its most hazardous powder form even on the application of hand pressure. It is comparatively difficult to crumble non-friable Asbestos to powder form. However, in a highly damaged condition, non-friable Asbestos gets crumbled to powder on application of even minimal pressure. The dry powders of non-friable Asbestos or friable Asbestos are hazardous to human health, and therefore are required to be handled with caution, packaged with care and disposed of with conformity.

In recent times, in the United States, strict measures have been taken for the preventive control of exposure of these hazardous materials to the industrial workers. Workplace exposure limits for Asbestos fibers longer than 5 micrometers have been set. It should, however, be considered that Asbestos, being a carcinogen in humans, has no safe level of exposure.

The toxic effects induced by Asbestos inhalation include desquamating alveolitis, bronchiolitis, and pulmonary fibrosis. Other more serious health ailments caused by Asbestos exposure include pleural effusion, pleural plaques, pleural calcification, and mesothelioma (a highly malignant disease).

Asbestos lawyers are the lawyers that specialize in the cases dealing specifically with the hazardous effects induced by Asbestos exposure. They work in the area of law and bring home justice in the form of compensation to those who have damaged their health, because of Asbestos in the present and/or past environment. Asbestos litigation is a multi-billion dollar industry of lawyers and law firms specializes in provision of compensation to people suffering/suffered from mesothelioma and/or other serious Asbestos-related health ailments.

Since recent times, this element of danger has always been the target of benefit by the fraudulent people with interest in monetary gain by wrong means. However, not all cases filed in law are unreal, and not all provided with compensation are undeserving.