Once employed extensively in construction materials, the mineral releases harmful fibers into the air when disturbed, which can adhere to the lungs and cause cancer over many years.
Although it is no longer used in most parts of the world, many older structures still have it.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), it is mostly found in asbestos roofing used in Gaza’s eight urban refugee camps, which were established for Palestinians who were forced from their homes or fled during the 1948–1949 Arab–Israeli war.
Up to 2.3 million tons of rubble could contain asbestos, according to a UNEP assessment from October 2024.
