<P> Approximately 100,000 people in the United States have died, or are terminally ill, from asbestos exposure related to ship building . In the Hampton Roads area, a shipbuilding center, mesothelioma occurrence is seven times the national rate . Thousands of tons of asbestos were used in World War II ships to insulate piping, boilers, steam engines, and steam turbines . There were approximately 4.3 million shipyard workers in the United States during WWII; for every 1,000 workers about 14 died of mesothelioma and an unknown number died from asbestosis . </P> <P> The United States government and asbestos industry have been criticized for not acting quickly enough to inform the public of dangers, and to reduce public exposure . In the late 1970s, court documents proved that asbestos industry officials knew of asbestos dangers since the 1930s and had concealed them from the public . </P> <P> In Australia, asbestos was widely used in construction and other industries between 1946 and 1980 . From the 1970s there was increasing concern about the dangers of asbestos, and its use was phased out . Mining ceased in 1983 . The use of asbestos was phased out in 1989 and banned entirely in December 2003 . The dangers of asbestos are now well known in Australia and there is help and support for sufferers from asbestosis or mesothelioma . </P> <P> Serpentine minerals have a sheet or layered structure . Chrysotile is the only asbestos mineral in the serpentine group . In the United States, chrysotile has been the most commonly used type of asbestos . According to the U.S. EPA Asbestos Building Inspectors Manual, chrysotile accounts for approximately 95% of asbestos found in buildings in the United States . Chrysotile is often present in a wide variety of products and materials, including: </P>

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