An In-Depth Look at the Hazards of Asbestos

The inhalation of asbestos fiber has been associated with chronic lung diseases including asbestosis, as well as various types of cancer including mesothelioma. Asbestos fibers are small and readily inhaled, and are also tasteless and odorless. In the workplace and in many other environments, individuals may suffer exposure to asbestos. Asbestos can be found in a wide variety of products and locations, including:

• Industrial or workplace linings, panels, tiles and heat-resistant materials and paints.
• Sprays, adhesives and cements
• Heat-resistant blankets, protective clothing, oven mittens, textiles
• Certain ropes, tapes, caulks, coatings
• Asphalt and cement products
• Brake linings, pads and shoes, clutch and transmission components, gaskets, shock absorbers
• Fireproofing products and materials
• Products and materials used to construct or insulate industrial structures exposed to high heat
• Boilers, furnaces, kilns, pipe insulation

WHAT IS ASBESTOS?

Asbestos is the name of a group of highly fibrous minerals with separable, long, and thin fibers. Separated asbestos fibers are strong enough and flexible enough to be spun and woven. Regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognize six asbestos minerals:

1. Chrysotile, a serpentine mineral with long and flexible fibers
2. Amphibole (with relatively brittle crystalline fibers)
3. Actinolite asbestos
4. Tremolite asbestos
5. Anthophyllite asbestos
6. Crocidolite asbestos
7. Amosite asbestos

Asbestos minerals have separable long fibers that are strong and flexible enough to be spun and woven into cloth and other products. However, its most important quality is that it is heat resistant. This quality has been known for more than 2,000 years. It was named by the Ancient Greeks, its name meaning "inextinguishable". It was used for a variety of purposes by the Greeks who noted its harmful biological effects and they observed the "sickness of the lungs" in the slaves that wove asbestos into cloth. Asbestos use became most popular during the Industrial Revolution beginning in the late 1800s. It then began to be used as insulation for steam pipes, turbines, boilers, kilns, ovens, and other high-temperature products. Ancient observations of the health risks of asbestos were either forgotten or ignored.

HOW WAS ASBESTOS USED?

Asbestos fibers are heat resistant, making them useful for many industrial purposes. People working in industries that made or used asbestos products or who are or were involved in asbestos mining may be exposed to high levels of asbestos. People living near these industries may also be exposed to high levels of asbestos in air.

In residential settings, asbestos is very prevalent. Amphibole asbestos can be found in a variety of building materials, such as insulation, ceiling or floor tiles, and cement pipes. Amphibole asbestos has been found in some vermiculite sources used as home and building insulation. Much of the asbestos-contaminated vermiculite mined in Libby, Montana, was used to produce attic insulation products. Because many products for residential use contained asbestos, workers or homeowners involved in demolition work, maintenance, repair, or remodeling of buildings containing these products can be exposed to high levels of asbestos.

However, the most prevalent use of asbestos and the greatest risk for exposure can occur in the workplace, particularly if you work or have worked as a(n):

What is common to many asbestos-containing products is that they were (are) used to contain heat (i.e. thermal insulation.) It is impossible to list all of the products that have, at one time or another, contained asbestos. Some of the more common asbestos-containing products are:

Some of these products contained a very high proportion of asbestos, while others contained small amounts. Asbestos is still a problem because many asbestos-containing products remain in buildings, ships, industrial facilities and other environments where the fibers can become airborne, and because of the serious human health hazards of inhaling asbestos fibers.

Asbestos fibers can enter the air or water from the breakdown of natural deposits and manufactured asbestos products. For example, a worker can knock asbestos insulation off of a pipe causing the fibers to become airborne and a potential hazard.

Asbestos fibers do not evaporate into air or dissolve in water. Small diameter fibers and particles may remain suspended in the air for a long time and be carried long distances by wind or water before settling down. Larger diameter fibers and particles tend to settle more quickly.

In 1989, the EPA banned all new uses of asbestos; uses established before this date are still allowed. EPA established regulations that require school systems to inspect for damaged asbestos and to eliminate or reduce the exposure by removing the asbestos or by covering it up. EPA regulates the release of asbestos from factories and during building demolition or renovation to prevent asbestos from getting into the environment.

WHAT ARE THE HAZARDS OF ASBESTOS?

Asbestos mainly affects the lungs and the membrane that surrounds the lungs. Breathing high levels of asbestos fibers may result in scar-like tissue in the lungs and in the pleural membrane (lining) that surrounds the lung.

Pleural Abnormalities

Persons with significant exposure to asbestos are at risk for developing various types of pleural (lining of the lungs) abnormalities. Changes in the lining of the lungs (pleura) such as thickening, plaques, calcification, and fluid around the lungs (pleural effusion) may be early signs of asbestos exposure. Effects on breathing from pleural diseases alone are not usually serious, but higher exposure can lead to a thickening of the pleural membrane that may restrict breathing.

Asbestosis

Asbestosis is a serious, progressive, long-term disease of the lungs. Asbestosis is not a cancer. Inhaling asbestos fibers that irritate and inflame lung tissues, causing the lung tissues to scar, causes asbestosis. The scarring makes it hard to breathe and difficult for oxygen and carbon dioxide pass through the lungs. Asbestosis generally progresses slowly. The latency period for the onset of asbestosis is typically 10-20 years after the initial exposure. The disease can vary from asymptomatic (no symptoms) to disabling and potentially fatal Signs and Symptoms of asbestosis can include:

• Shortness of breath is the primary symptom
• A persistent and productive cough (a cough that expels mucus)
• Chest tightness
• Chest pain
• Loss of appetite
• A dry, crackling sound in the lungs while inhaling.

Asbestosis is a serious disease and can eventually lead to disability and in some cases, death. There is no cure for asbestosis and the health effects from asbestos exposure may continue to progress even after exposure is stopped. Furthermore, while the workers who are exposed to asbestos are at the greatest risk, there is also a risk for family members. Asbestos fibers can attach to the clothing of the worker and then be brought home. Family members who wash the clothes of those exposed to asbestos are also at risk.

Cancer

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the World Health Organization, and the EPA have determined that asbestos is a human carcinogen. In short, it is well known that breathing asbestos can increase the risk of cancer in people. There are various types of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos with the two most common being lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the thin lining surrounding the lung (pleural membrane) or abdominal cavity (the peritoneum). Cancer from asbestos does not develop immediately, but shows up after a number of years. Studies of workers also suggest that breathing asbestos can increase chances of getting cancer in other parts of the body (stomach, intestines, esophagus, pancreas, and kidneys). Early identification and treatment of any cancer can increase an individual's quality of life and survival.

Cigarette smoke and asbestos together significantly increase your chances of getting lung cancer. Therefore, if you have been exposed to asbestos you should stop smoking. This may be the most important action that you can take to improve your health and decrease your risk of cancer.

Lung cancer is a malignant tumor that invades and obstructs the lung's air passages. The most common symptoms of lung cancer are cough, wheezing, unexplained weight loss, coughing up blood, and labored breathing. Other symptoms of lung cancer include shortness of breath, persistent chest pain, hoarseness, and anemia. People who develop these symptoms do not necessarily have lung cancer, but they should consult a physician for advice.

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer which may affect the lining of the lings (pleura) or the abdominal contents (peritoneum). Most mesotheliomas are caused by exposure to asbestos. As a matter of fact, In the United States, there is no other known proven cause of mesothelioma other than asbestos. Tumors of the mesothelium can be either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

Since malignant mesothelioma is much more common than benign mesothelioma it is often simply called mesothelioma. Characteristics of a malignant tumor are that it has the ability to spread to other parts of the body, making it much more dangerous.

Approximately three-fourths of mesothelioma cases start in the chest cavity and are known as pleural mesothelioma. Another 10% to 20% begin in the abdomen and are called peritoneal mesothelioma. Those starting in the cavity around the heart, or pericardial mesothelioma, are very rare. The covering layer of the testicles is actually an outpouching of peritoneum into the scrotum. Mesothelioma that affects this covering of the testicles is quite uncommon.

Mesothelioma is still fairly rare. There are about 2,000 to 3,000 new cases per year in the United States. Most of the people who are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma are over fifty years old and is seen more often with people in their seventies, since they were exposed to asbestos in the 1940s-50s or earlier. Those who were exposed to asbestos in the 1960s-70s may be diagnosed in years to come. The disease attacks men 3 to 5 times more than women. Men are more likely then women to get this disease because men held more construction positions than women in past decades (before the women's rights movement had taken place).

Mesothelioma is also more common to Caucasians than in African Americans. Even though this disease is rare it is very serious. By the time it is diagnosed it is often in its advanced stages, making the outlook not as good as it is for other cancers that are found earlier. The average survival time is about 1 to 2 years after being diagnosed. Of course, survival rates are increasing due to advances in medical technology and new treatments that are being developed for mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma has been diagnosed in asbestos workers, family members, and residents who live close to asbestos mines.

WHAT ARE MY LEGAL RIGHTS?

Workers afflicted with asbestos-related illnesses have brought lawsuits against their employers, the manufacturers of the asbestos products and the sites where asbestos was located. Many companies knew that asbestos was dangerous but did little or nothing to protect those workers were exposed. The initial lawsuits served as warnings to the asbestos companies, and afterwards they tried to cover up the health effects of asbestos.

Asbestos companies continued to use asbestos in manufacturing and construction until it was banned. Despite that many materials, such as fiberglass insulation, were created to replace asbestos, companies that used asbestos ignored the safer alternatives. They ignored the danger for the sake of profits, much like the tobacco industry.

The conduct of the asbestos companies is especially egregious, however, because the victims were largely exploited workers who were unaware of the serious health risks they were exposed to on a daily basis.

The law firm of Wallace & Graham has over 20 years of experience in helping employees who have been injured by occupational exposure to asbestos. We have represented thousands of workers in obtaining compensation for a disease that they should never have incurred.

If you are afflicted with an asbestos ailment, you have legal rights. Please contact us at 1-800-849-5291 or use this convenient form to email any questions or if you or someone you love has an asbestos disease and you would like to inquire about your legal rights.