Asbestos exposure can cause lung cancer years later

A local resident explains to a foreign worker that he should not dry foodstuffs on the asbestos sheet in this filepic, as the fibres are known to cause cancer.

The term asbestos refers to a family of fibrous minerals that have been used extensively in domestic and engineering applications since the Industrial Revolution.

High resistance to chemical, electrical and heat damage made asbestos ideal for use as an insulation material in machinery, and as fire-resistant building material.