Asbestos

Of the list of carcinogens we had the options to choose from, I found Asbestos to be immediately something of interest because of the knowledge I had about it. Asbestos is unique in the sense that its carcinogenic ability does not come from its chemical property but instead the fibrous material that comes from it. The chemical component of the material is not what makes it hazardous however, its crystallization pattern is what causes the fibrous material to form because of the weaker edged lattices that break under pressure. The large fibrous material we see on the outside of asbestos material is where the problem starts. From this one large strand, hundreds of thousands tiny fibrous strands are released and most are not visible to the human eye. These strands enter the lungs and cause difficulty breathing. The historic background of this material being identified as hazardous can be traced tremendously long ago. As far back as the days of Marco Polo identifying garments being made of this material because they were cleaned by throwing them into the fire. Additionally, Greek geographers noted that slaves who had garments made of asbestos had difficulty breathing. A key component of asbestos related disease is that short term exposure is not dangerous. For asbestos to become a chronic problem, long term exposure to the material must occur. Because of the fibrous nature of asbestos, the strands are easily broken off by little pressure and become airborn very easily. This becomes the chronic problem of asbestos, and makes it very unique compared to other carcinogens. One of the more intriguing aspects of asbestos is that it does not mutate genes but can affect chromosomes within a cell. Essentially the long fibers are consumed by cells and thus suffocate or stab the cell causing it to die.

References:
http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/environmental/asbestoshistory2004.html
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2001pres/20010916a.html