Look at the image above. There is a man working around a huge quantity of asbestos and he probably does not know much about how bad asbestos can be. He is working without any personal protective equipment; he should be wearing respiratory protection at the very least.

Asbestos can affect more than just the person working with or near it – if you have close family members who work, or have worked in industries where they could have been regularly exposed to these fibres, you may worry about their long-term health. But you should also be aware that as someone who lives/lived with them, you belong to an at-risk group as well.