If you you've been exposed to asbestos and have any of these symptoms , contact your doctor or a specialist or an expert in asbestos related disease. The physician will ask what kind of jobs you've worked on in the past and for how long. He may do testing to determine if any problems are developing or may already exist.

Transite is a composite fireproof material that is used in the building trades and has been used in the building trades since the late 1920s. Until the mid 1980s, transite included 12 to 50 percent asbestos, mixed with Portland cement. Transite was used to make roofing shingles, siding shingles and boards, furnace flues and cement siding, especially where fireproof material is desired.

Another type of asbestos is tremolite, which is named after the Val Tremola, a valley in Switzerland. The mineral, which is composed of calcium, magnesium, silicon, hydrogen, and oxygen is formed when dolomite, a calcium-rich mineral, comes into contact with silica and water. The typical colors found in tremolite formations may vary from brown to gray or white to green. The mineral is partially transparent with a pearly luster and may contain streaks of white.

The term "asbestos" refers to six fibrous minerals that have been commercially exploited and occur naturally in the environment. The U.S. Bureau of Mines has named more than 100 mineral fibers as "asbestos-like" fibers, yet only six are recognized regulated by the U.S. government. This is largely due to influential lobbying by the asbestos and stone industries, which powerfully shaped how the public perceives asbestiform minerals.

Crocidolite asbestos is a form of asbestos known to cause mesothelioma. Crocidolite asbestos is an amphibole. Its structure is similar to that of chrysotile in that it occurs as finely textured hair-like fibers that occur in naturally formed bundles. Crocidolite fibers are somewhat brittle but are flexible enough usually to bend beyond 90 degrees before breaking. These fibers are commonly curved, but straight fibers and bundles are also found. In crocidolite iron is the predominant mineral over magnesium and aluminum.

Chrysotile asbestos is a type of asbestos known to cause mesothelioma. It is found in serpentine rock and is sometimes called serpentine. Chrysotile asbestos, or serpentine, is a polymorphous, magnesium-rich mineral that is typically found in metamorphic rocks. It can be non-fibrous or fibrous. In its non-fibrous state it is known as lizardite and antigorite, and in its fibrous state it is called chrysotile. Chrysotile fibers may be found in several forms that result from sheetlike crystals that have curled into tightly rolled tubes.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is found throughout 2/3 of the earth's crust. The fibers are stirred up by erosion and carried by the wind. Residents of the area therefore can be exposed to asbestos fibers. Asbestos is also found in ground water near asbestos mines. Residents in these areas drink water that contains asbestos, but ingested asbestos is not hazardous to health.