According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registration (ASTDR), a division of the United States Department of Helath and Human Services (DHHS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), asbestos use has declined significantly since 1980. In 1980, over 790 million pounds of asbestos were consumed. According to the United States Geological Society, this number had dropped by over 99.5% to less than 3.7 million pounds in 2008. Current uses where asbestos is still used are in roofing materials, friction linings (i.e. brake parts, clutches, and automatic transmission plates), and other applications.

Asbestos-containing material had beencommonly used in buildings in insulation, fireproofing, dry wall, ceiling and floor tile, and othermaterials, and disturbing this material might release asbestos fibers into the air. Therefore, workersinvolved in demolition work or asbestos abatement, as well as in building maintenance and repair, arepotentially exposed to higher levels of asbestos.

Sources:

US Geological Service (USGS). 2009 Mineral Commodity Summaries. http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/asbestos/asbesmcs06.pdf accessed December 6th, 2009