Asbestos
Asbestos is the name given to a group of fibrous minerals that have tremendous resistance to heat. Because of these properties, asbestos has been mined for use in a wide range of manufactured products, mostly in building materials, friction products, and heat-resistant fabrics. Asbestos was widely used as insulation in commercial and industrial facilities.
Many workers have knowingly or unknowingly come into contact with asbestos fibers through their jobs (occupational exposure). Some of the work environments or occupations in which workers are now or were exposed in the past include:
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Work Environments
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- Asbestos product manufacturing (insulation, roofing, building, materials)
- Automotive repair (brakes & clutches)
- Construction sites
- Manufacturing plants
- Maritime operations
- Mining operations
- Offshore rust removals
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- Oil refineries
- Paper Mills
- Power plants
- Railroads
- Sand or abrasive manufacturers
- Shipyards / ships / shipbuilders
- Steel mills
- Textile mills Occupations
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Occupations
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- Asbestos removal workers
- Workers at exfoliation facilities where vermiculite ore from Libby, Montana, was processed
- Demolition workers
- Workers at asbestos product manufacturing plants
- Auto mechanics
- Boilermakers
- Bricklayers
- Building inspectors
- Carpenters
- Drywallers
- Electricians
- Floor covering manufacturers or installers
- Furnace workers
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- Glazers
- Grinders
- Hod carriers
- Insulators
- Iron workers
- Laborers
- Longshoremen
- Maintenance workers
- Merchant marines
- Millwrights
- Operating engineers
- Painters
- Plasterers
- Plumbers
- Roofers
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This list of sites and occupations is not exhaustive. Individuals who have worked in the above work environments and occupations or have otherwise been exposed to asbestos should consult with a physician with expertise in the evaluation and management of asbestos-related lung disease.
Asbestos is hazardous, and can cause cancer. Workers who repeatedly breathe in asbestos fibers may develop a slow buildup of scar-like tissue in the lungs and in the membrane that surrounds the lungs. This scar-like tissue does not expand and contract like normal lung tissue and so breathing becomes difficult. Blood flow to the lung may also be decreased, and this causes the heart to enlarge. This disease is called asbestosis. People with asbestosis have shortness of breath, often accompanied by a cough. This is a serious disease and can eventually lead to disability or death in people exposed to high amounts of asbestos over a long period.
Asbestos workers have increased chances of getting several types of cancer including: cancer of the lung tissue itself and mesothelioma, a cancer of the thin membrane that surrounds the lung, cancer of the esophagus, stomach, intestines and other internal organs, These diseases do not develop immediately following exposure to asbestos, but appear only after a number of years. These cancers can be fatal, while mesothelioma is almost always fatal, often within a few months of diagnosis.
Our attorneys have handled hundreds of asbestos claims before the North Carolina Industrial Commission. These include claims for mild cases of asbestosis and death claims due to asbestos-related cancer.
If you have any questions about these issues, or any other concerns, please feel free to contact our office at 1-800-849-5291 or use this convenient form.