The Dangers of Asbestos

Asbestos is a form of magnesium silicate. Prior to the 1980s, various construction and installation products contained asbestos because of its stability and resistance to fire. Because asbestos was crushed into fine particulates, it could remain airborne for weeks and its fibers could easily be inhaled. One cloud of dust from an asbestos product can contain millions or billions of fibers, and even a small amount of asbestos exposure can cause injury. Many corporations used and profited from the use of asbestos, despite knowing of its grave health-risks.

Many people who worked with asbestos (to manufacture, repair, maintain or remove asbestos) are at serious health risk today because of that exposure. Many of these people are already physically ill because of their past exposure to asbestos.

Was I Exposed To Asbestos?

Asbestos was added to a variety of products, such as insulation, floor tiles, roof shingles, cement, electric cloth, textured paints and coatings, automotive brakes, fireproofing, pipe covering, cements, refractory materials, gaskets and joint compounds.

Many people had daily contact with asbestos because their jobs required them to work with asbestos. Diseases related to asbestos exposure have also been reported by family members of workers exposed to asbestos.

Cases of mesothelioma have been documented with even 1-3 months of exposure, including exposure that is only indirect (through air ventilation system).

Individuals sometimes cannot recall how or when they were exposed to asbestos. The information contained here is not comprehensive and not all circumstances of exposure are easily remembered or determined. When seeking either legal or medical assistance, be sure to relate all working and life experiences and product exposure so that a professional may assist you to determine if and when asbestos exposure occurred.

Sources of Asbestos

According to the EPA, most products made today do not contain asbestos. The few products that still contain asbestos that can be inhaled are required to be labeled. Until 1980, however, many building products and insulation materials used in homes contained asbestos. Commonly used products that might contain asbestos include the following:

Steam pipes, boilers, and furnace ducts insulated with an asbestos blanket or asbestos paper tape. These materials may release asbestos fibers if damaged, repaired, or removed improperly.

Resilient floor tiles (vinyl asbestos, asphalt, and rubber), the backing on vinyl sheet flooring, and adhesives used for installing floor tile. Sanding tiles can release fibers. So may scraping or sanding the backing of sheet flooring during removal.

Cement sheet, millboard, and paper used as insulation around furnaces and wood-burning stoves. Repairing or removing appliances may release asbestos fibers so may cutting, tearing, sanding, drilling, or sawing insulation.

Door gaskets in furnaces, wood stoves, and coal stoves. Worn seals can release asbestos fibers during use.

Soundproofing or decorative material sprayed on walls and ceilings. Loose, crumbly, or water-damaged material may release fibers. So will sanding, drilling, or scraping the material.

Patching and joint compounds for walls and ceilings, and textured paint. Sanding, scraping, or drilling these surfaces may release asbestos.

Asbestos roofing, shingles, and siding. These products are not likely to release asbestos fibers unless they are sawed, drilled, or cut.

Artificial ashes and embers sold for use in gas-fired fireplaces. Also, other older household products such as fireproof gloves, stovetop pads, ironing board covers, and certain hairdryers.

Automobile break pads and linings, clutch facings, and gaskets.

Where Asbestos Hazards Might Be Found In The Home

Some roofing and siding shingles are made of asbestos cement.
Houses built between 1930 and 1950 may have asbestos as insulation.
Asbestos may be present in textured paint and in patching compounds used on wall and ceiling joints. Their use was banned in 1977.
Artificial ashes and embers sold for use in gas-fired fireplaces may contain asbestos.
Older products such as stove-top pads may have some asbestos compounds.
Walls and floors around woodburning stoves may be protected with asbestos paper, millboard, or cement sheets.
Asbestos is found in some vinyl floor tiles and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives.
Hot water and steam pipes in older houses may be coated with an asbestos material or covered with an asbestos blanket or tape.
Oil and coal furnaces and door gaskets may have asbestos insulation.
[SOURCE: http://www.EPA.gov]

What injuries occur from asbestos exposure?

Asbestos particles are easily inhaled. Because of the small size of the particles, the lungs cannot easily expel them. Exposure to asbestos can develop to asbestos-related diseases including:

Asbestosis - Scarring of the lung tissue that causes decreased blood flow to the lungs. The scarring is the result of oil that the body produces in an attempt to dissolve the asbestos fibers that have collected in the lungs. Breathing is more difficult and can eventually result in total loss of functioning of the lungs. Asbestosis can take up to forty years after exposure to develop. There is no known cure for asbestosis. People with extensive occupational exposure to the mining, manufacturing, handling or removal of asbestos are at risk of developing asbestosis.

Mesothelioma - (Pronounced as mez-o-thee-lee-omah.) Mesothelioma is a very rare but serious cancer that is directly linked to asbestos exposure and begins in the lining of several organs. The mesothelium is the protective cover over the chest, abdominal and heart cavity. Mesothelioma occurs when the asbestos fibers that have been breathed do damage to the mesothelium around the lung cavity. This is known as Pleural Mesothelioma. Peritoneal Mesothelioma is caused when the fibers move to the abdominal cavity. Mesothelioma may take up to sixty years after exposure to appear. Mesothelioma is considered a “dose response” condition. This means the more a person is exposed to asbestos, the greater the risk for developing the disease. The early symptoms are often confused with other conditions. This confusion often leads to late diagnosis and delayed treatment.

Cancer - Increased frequency of cancer of the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, kidney and larynx has been reported in persons exposed to asbestos. The latency period for cancer is fifteen to thirty years.

Asbestos Warts - Caused by sharp fibers that have lodged in the skin and become overgrown with benign or non-cancerous callus-like growths.

Pleural Plaques - Fibrous or partially calcified areas that are detected by x-ray. They do not generally become malignant or cancerous or cause other loss of lung functions.

Diffuse Pleural Thickening - Similar to Pleural Plaques, however, if extensive, can lead to loss of lung functions.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

Malignant mesothelioma may lack any noticeable asbestos symptoms for up to fifty years. This cancer primarily affects the pleural lining of the lungs and the peritoneal lining of the organs in the abdominal cavity. It may also affect the pericardial lining of the heart. Depending on the type of mesothelioma, symptoms may include:

Chest wall pain
Pleural effusion, or fluid surrounding the lung
Shortness of breath
Wheezing, hoarseness, or cough

In the late stage, tumors can affect the abdominal cavity, Symptoms include:

Abdominal pain
An abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen
A mass in the abdomen
Problems with bowel function
Weight loss

In severe cases of the disease, the following signs and symptoms may be present:
Blood clots in the veins, which may cause thrombophlebitis
Disseminated intravascular coagulation, a disorder causing severe bleeding in many body organs

Jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
Low blood sugar level
Pleural effusion
Pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in the arteries of the lungs
Severe ascites

If you have mesothelioma, you should have a frank and open discussion with your doctor to determine the extent to which your cancer has spread, your treatment options, your prognosis, your treatment options and side effects of treatment options.

Symptoms of Asbestosis

The primary symptom of asbestosis is a slow, insidious onset of shortness of breath on exertion that can lead to respiratory failure in severe cases. Coughing is not usually a typical symptom, however, unless the patient has other respiratory tract diseases. Asbestosis is a progressive disease; it lack symptoms for up to 30 years. Asbestosis causes scar tissue to build up in the lower half of the lungs, which impedes normal lung functioning. Symptoms of this disease might include:

Shortness of breath
Difficulty breathing
Chronic cough
Chest pain

How can I get help?

You have legal rights. In addition to confusing medical choices and questions you may be facing, we realize that you may have many legal questions including: Who is at fault? What should I do now?

Victims of asbestos exposure turn to us with confidence. Simon Passanante provides you the professional legal help and expertise you need if you have been harmed by your exposure to asbestos.

Our attorneys have the experience and the knowledge to successfully handle any claim you may have. We understand that your family needs to be repaid for the injuries, pain, and hardship your family has endured because of asbestos exposure. We know that no amount of money can truly compensate you for your injuries, but we will fight to get you the money you need to meet the heavy financial burdens that accompany a serious condition such as asbestos-related diseases and complications.

If you believe you have been exposed to asbestos, or you have lost someone you love to an asbestos-related illness, you should contact an attorney to explore your options. You have the right to be fully informed in the options you may have. You may qualify for damages offered by the court system. The law does limit the amount of time allowed to bring a lawsuit. Therefore, if you believe that you have been harmed by exposure to asbestos, contact us today to make sure that your rights are protected.

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