Asbestos Overview
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was widely used in manufacturing, insulation and construction in the United States from about 1920 through about 1980. It is still used for many purposes in manufacturing, though there are strict regulations about concentrations of asbestos allowed in products, as well as safety precautions that must be observed by anyone handling asbestos.
Before the 1970s, asbestos was seen as a miraculous material. In its natural form it was “just a rock”, but when asbestos is broken and crushed, it forms long, fine fibers that can be woven and mixed into other materials. The materials with which asbestos is mixed then take on its properties. Asbestos is lightweight, resists corrosion by chemicals, isn’t affected by termites and other pests. It is fire resistant and is one of the best insulating materials in existence. It is also non-conductive, making it an ideal material for use around electrical wires and in electrical appliances.
Asbestos became one of the most popular industrial materials of all times. During World War II, asbestos was used in the manufacturing of machines and machine parts in thousands of factories around the country. Insulation containing asbestos was routinely used on board Navy ships and in the building of U.S. ships, airplanes and other vehicles. Millions of servicemen and civilian workers were exposed to asbestos while working in facilities that built parts for U.S. Navy ships and U.S. airplanes.
After World War II, the asbestos industry went into full swing. Asbestos was mixed into thousands of products used for construction, home repair, home appliances, textiles and more. Millions of homes across the country were built using asbestos-laced plasters and joint compound. Asbestos was used in floor, wall and ceiling tiles indoors, and in roof shingles and siding on building exteriors. It was the most commonly used insulation material, both for building insulation and for the insulation of pipes and electrical wires.
In manufacturing and power plants, asbestos was used to wrap pipes and pack around friction bearing parts. Paper that contained asbestos was used to make stove mats and pipe wraps for the home and for public buildings. Asbestos was mixed into paints and cements to help fireproof buildings, and mixed with vinyl and other materials to make lightweight floor and ceiling tiles that were durable and fireproof. By the 1950s, it was estimated that asbestos insulation and products were used in the construction of over 700,000 public buildings and millions of private homes across the country.
Unfortunately, asbestos also has a darker side. Breaking and crushing asbestos also creates very fine, short fibers that are so light they can hang in the air long after they are released. Those asbestos fibers can be inhaled or swallowed by people working around them, and eventually cause one of the most insidious and virulent forms of cancer we know – mesotheileoma.
Men and women who worked in factories and on other work sites where asbestos was used often developed the symptoms of mesotheileoma years after they had first been exposed to asbestos. Because of the long incubation period between exposure to asbestos and the development of mesotheileoma, many of those who got sick didn’t make the connection between asbestos and their “lung cancer”.
By the 1970s, the dangers of asbestos were becoming public knowledge. The public outcry against the use of asbestos forced the U.S. government to impose restrictions on the use of asbestos in certain products, and by 1979, asbestos had been banned in most building materials. A number of high profile asbestos lawsuits brought even more attention to the dangers of asbestos, and the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration began imposing regulations designed to protect workers and the U.S. public from exposure to high levels of asbestos.
By that time, however, the damage had already been done to millions of workers and their families. Mesotheileoma, asbestos-related lung cancer and asbestosis rates rose dramatically across the county as workers who were exposed to asbestos while working in factories, on construction sites and in power plants from the 1940s through the 1980s began to develop cancer and other asbestos related diseases. Entire towns and neighborhoods around mills, mines and factories where asbestos was processed and used became cancer hotspots, with higher incidences of lung cancer, mesotheileoma and asbestosis than normal. If you think you or a loved one may have been exposed to asbestos, read more about job sites and occupations that present high asbestos exposure risks.
Since the early 1990s, Congress and many of the states have been attempting to reform the laws surrounding personal injury lawsuits to account for the special circumstances of asbestos and mesotheileoma. The laws regarding asbestos lawsuits vary from state to state, even regarding such seemingly simple things as whether or not a court has jurisdiction to hear a particular asbestos lawsuit. If you are thinking about seeking compensation for an asbestos-related injury, read about asbestos and mesotheileoma lawsuits to learn more about why you need an attorney that specializes in mesotheileoma lawsuits.
