Demolition and wrecking crew workers are among the occupational groups most at risk of developing mesothelioma. Mesothelioma, a rare cancer that most often affects the lining of the lungs, is caused by exposure to asbestos in the air. Because of the prevalence of asbestos in building and construction in the last century, demolition sites are often thick with dust that contains deadly asbestos fibers. The risk is even greater for those who worked on demo and wrecking crews before the early 1980s, when the EPA and OSHA instituted regulations that require the removal of all materials containing asbestos before a building can be demolished.

Why Asbestos Is Dangerous

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that has excellent fire resistance, low electrical and heat conductivity and high resistance to rot and chemical destruction. Even better, it is easily crushed and separates into long, thin fibers that can be woven into fabric or mixed into cement, polymers, paints, sprays and coatings. That made asbestos a natural choice for use in construction, where it was often used as insulation, fire retardant and to strengthen materials like asbestos cement. It was so widely used that at one point there were thousands of consumer and construction products on the market that contained asbestos, including protective clothing, wallboard, joint compound, asbestos siding, roofing shingles, pipe insulation, attic insulation, fire retardant coatings and textured paints and plasters.

As long as those materials remain intact and in good repair, the asbestos that they contain is bound into them. When they are damaged, as they are when a building is demolished, the asbestos fibers are set free to float in the air along with wreckage dust and debris, and can be inhaled by anyone not wearing protective respirator masks. Once in the body, asbestos fibers are just as indestructible as they are in building materials. The fine, needle-like fibers lodge in the lung tissues and eventually may work their way out into the lining surrounding the lungs and even migrate to other parts of the body.

The body tries to dissolve the fibers with chemicals and antibodies, but can't rid itself of them. Instead, those antibodies can turn on the body itself, causing scarring in the lung tissues called asbestosis. The fibers may also cause the cells of the pleural lining to mutate and grow too fast, and create too much of a naturally occurring lubricant. Mesothelioma, a rare kind of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs, may be the result of those mutations, or it may be caused by asbestos in another way.

Both mesothelioma and asbestosis are incurable. They often take decades to develop, which may make it difficult to trace a case of mesothelioma or asbestosis back to a specific exposure to asbestos. In addition, the enormous number of products to which a patient may have been exposed may make it difficult to assign cause to a specific product or manufacturer.

For that reason, those who are diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer or asbestosis may have a difficult time proving that their condition is the result of exposure to one particular product. In fact, the diseases may be the result of accumulated exposures to hundreds of products encountered in the course of a worker's working life.

This can be especially difficult in the case of a worker who was exposed to asbestos in the course of demolition and wrecking crew work. Before the 1980s, buildings were demolished with all asbestos-containing materials still in the structure. Dust rising from plaster walls and ceilings, asbestos siding and roofing tiles, pipe and wall insulation and other materials used in the building was thick in the air, and it was thoroughly contaminated by asbestos.

Because the companies that manufactured and distributed asbestos-containing products were aware of the dangers and risks associated with asbestos fibers, those who became ill after being exposed to those products have often successfully sued the manufacturers, distributors and contractors responsible for their exposure. Juries have awarded millions of dollars in damages to plaintiffs who developed mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer and other asbestos related diseases. The courts have traditionally held those companies liable for negligence, and awarded compensation for medical expenses, lost income and punitive damages.

If you were exposed to asbestos as a result of working in demolition, you may be entitled to compensation for your illness and injury. Because of the difficulty in determining the source of exposure, a mesothelioma lawyer who is experienced with asbestos litigation is your best source of advice about your rights to compensation for asbestos related diseases. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, contact a local attorney with experience in litigating and negotiating mesothelioma cases to find out what your options are.