Asbestos: History and Hazards

Long-time insulator and fire retardant

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fiber that has been mined for thousands of years. Its use goes back to ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. It was used in ancient times to increase clothing durability, as a fire retardant in pottery, and to embalm the pharaohs, among other things. The word “asbestos” comes from the Greek word meaning “inextinguishable” or “indestructible.”

There are two asbestos families: Amphibole and Serpentine asbestos. The amphibole family includes crocidolite (blue asbestos), amosite (brown asbestos), tremolite, anthophyllite, and actinolite. Amphibole asbestos fibers are straight, needle-like fibers. The serpentine family is made up solely of chrysotile (white asbestos), however chrysotile asbestos fiber is often contaminated with tremolite fibers. Serpentine asbestos fibers are wavy or curly fibers. Chrysotile, amosite and crocidolite asbestos are the three main forms of asbestos used commercially.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, asbestos became widely used in the United States. It solved many heat and temperature issues and was used to insulate boilers, fireboxes, steam and other piping systems, turbines and locomotives, ovens and furnaces. Asbestos was also used to insulate equipment and piping components such as valves, steam traps, evaporators and pumps. It was used in gaskets, packing, and other sealing products. Asbestos was also used in drywall joint compounds, caulking, floor tiles, roofing products, asbestos cement siding, and numerous other construction products. It was used in brake and clutch linings by the automotive industry. In the 20th century, more than 30 million tons of asbestos were used in the U.S. alone. In addition to the industrial, maritime, construction, and automotive products, asbestos was used in household appliances such as handheld hair dryers, ironing boards, and textiles. In short, it was almost everywhere.

Hazards become known

The primary danger from asbestos is from breathing asbestos fibers into the lungs. Asbestos dust is easily inhaled into the lungs because asbestos fibers are small, brittle, and aerodynamic. Once inhaled, some asbestos fibers remain in the body forever. Over long periods of time, inhaled asbestos fibers can cause life-threatening and fatal diseases including Mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis.

The first cases of asbestos-related illnesses were diagnosed in 1897. A Vienna doctor attributed pulmonary problems and emaciation to the inhalation of asbestos dust. The first reported case of an asbestos-related death was in 1906. An autopsy of an asbestos worker showed lung fibrosis. By the 1930s, researchers realized if workers could see dust from asbestos products in the air, they were being exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos. In the following decades, numerous articles and studies appeared in the medical, scientific and industry publications advising of the health hazards posed by asbestos. To this day, no safe level of exposure to asbestos has been determined. Mesothelioma can result even from remote and infrequent exposures to asbestos.

Asbestos was used commercially for many years after its carcinogenic traits were known. Despite knowledge about the serious health hazards of asbestos and the availability of non-hazardous substitutes, information developed through law suits against asbestos companies revealed that companies producing asbestos-containing products concealed and misrepresented this information while promoting, using and profiting from the use of asbestos in their products.

There ought to be a law

Despite the knowledge that asbestos caused cancer and other health problems and despite the fact that readily available substitutes for asbestos existed, most manufacturers of asbestos products continued not only to utilize asbestos in their products but also refused to place warnings on their products.

By the late 1960’s and early 1970’s the federal government, after public outcry over the dangers posed by the wide use of asbestos, began to implement laws and regulations governing the use, maintenance and disposal of asbestos and asbestos products and began to require the use of a warning on a number of products containing asbestos.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) began regulating the permissible workplace exposures of workers in the United States in 1971. OSHA also sets out the protections that must be provided to those whose work may expose them to asbestos. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deals with the inspection and testing of buildings containing asbestos and the proper disposal of asbestos among other things. However, none of these laws or regulations dictates compensation for those injured by asbestos. Compensation for victims must be sought through the civil justice system.

This is why litigation by an experienced mesothelioma attorney is critical to getting the compensation you deserve.

The bottom line

• Millions of people have been exposed.

• Laws now ban and strictly regulate the use and proper disposal of asbestos.

• The asbestos industry knew asbestos was a carcinogen, but did little or nothing to stop the use of it until ordered to do so.

Asbestos companies put profits over people. As a result of the negligence of asbestos companies, many workers were exposed to asbestos. That exposure has led many of them to develop asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma. The victims of this wrongdoing are now left to seek compensation from these companies through the civil justice system. Litigation involving asbestos injuries and particularly Mesothelioma is an extremely complex and potentially time-consuming area of litigation. This is why it is critical that you hire a law firm that specializes in such cases and has a track record of success.

Contact us for experienced representation

From headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina, Richardson, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman, LLC represents Mesothelioma clients nationally. Contact one of our asbestos attorneys today toll-free at 1-888-884-5195 or online for a free consultation. We can provide you with the information and the representation you need.