LOS ANGELES, California – Yesterday, a jury awarded a $7million judgment to a California couple in compensation for the wife’s mesothelioma. The suit filed by Joan Mahoney and her husband alleged that Joan’s mesothelioma had its roots in exposure to asbestos in joint compound manufactured and distributed by Georgia Pacific Corp. Georgia Pacific plans to appeal the judgment, but the case has made headlines across the area, and the headlines have raised old concerns among homeowners throughout the area.

Asbestos was widely used in building and construction trades until about 1980. The fibrous mineral was often crushed, powdered and mixed into cement, cellulose, wood fibers and other materials and ingredients to add insulating and fire retardant properties to the materials. Companies like Georgia Pacific included asbestos in products like joint compound for texture and other reasons. Many older homes contain asbestos in a number of forms and places.

Joan Mahoney, an actress with a 30 year career, retired to a more sedate life with her husband in the 1960s. The couple ran a small remodeling business to help make ends meet. It was there, Mahoney’s lawsuit alleges, that she was exposed to asbestos dust. The joint compound manufactured and sold by Georgia Pacific would have been used in a number of different ways in those home remodel jobs. Most often, it was troweled over seams in wallboard then sanded smooth to create a seamless wall surface. Joint compound was also often used to create so-called ‘popcorn ceilings’ and decorative troweled plaster ceilings.

According to information found at the EPA web site and from other health and environmental agencies, asbestos containing materials are not a hazard, as long as they are in good repair. Asbestos is only dangerous when tiny fibers of it become airborne and are inhaled or swallowed. The microscopic fibers lodge in the body, in soft tissues in the lungs, esophagus and other bodily tissues, where they remain for years. Eventually, they may cause lung cancer, asbestosis or pleural mesothelioma, the rare cancer that Mahoney was diagnosed with in 2006.

One of the occupations that is high on the list of those most at risk from mesothelioma are a group of construction workers called ‘joiners’. Their job was to mix joint compound, trowel it on and smooth it over seams between drywall panels, and then sand the asbestos-containing joint compound when it was dry. The dust caused by the sanding was laden with asbestos, known to cause mesothelioma in those who breathe it.

As Mahoney’s case makes front page news, home renovators are asking concerned questions about the risk that they take in remodeling their homes. Popcorn ceilings and textured walls in homes built or renovated during the years from World War II to about 1980 are likely to contain asbestos. If you are planning to renovate a home from that era, the EPA recommends that you have the materials tested to find out if they contain asbestos. If you choose not to have the materials tested, says the EPA, you should assume that there IS asbestos present, and take all the recommended precautions for dealing safely with asbestos.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 28th, 2008 at 9:35 am and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos Litigation, California. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.