Most of us however do not become ill as a result of our exposure. Since that time asbestos containing products were used by the construction and building trades the automotive industry and the manufacturing industry. Although awareness of the dangers of asbestos and public concern over the issue have led to a decline in domestic consumption over the years a total ban on asbestos has not come to fruition. See our page on mesothelioma risk factors. S. At some point in our lives nearly all of us have been exposed to asbestos in the air we breathe and the water we drink from natural deposits in the earth and from the deterioration of asbestos products around us.