How are people exposed to asbestos?

When asbestos products were installed, repaired, maintained, renovated or removed, the asbestos was scraped, cut, sanded, or mixed with other products, such as cement. These processes created asbestos dust, which was then breathed in by workers. Asbestos dust remains airborne for weeks, affecting those who worked directly with asbestos, as well as those who simply worked nearby. When an area is swept, the dust is stirred up and airborne again. One cloud of dust contains millions or billions of asbestos fibers.