system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why is fiberglass safe vs asbestos?

They're both made of tiny fibers. What is the difference between them?
gpt
First of all, the premise of the question is wrong: fiberglass is not safe, especially if it is made out of exceedingly thin fibers. Inhalation of fine fiberglass dust will probably lead to silicosis and other unpleasant health effects.

The difference in harmfulness between fiberglass and asbestos is due to the different chemical composition and the ease of forming ultrathin, fine airborn dust. Asbestos is a mineral that naturally separates into fine, fragile fibers. Fiberglass is produced by drawing glass fibers out of a melt. They are much thicker and much less fragile than asbestos.