Gunning Mix - Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure Risks

Gunning mix is a compound used to repair holes and cracks in lining of electric furnaces. Ideal gunning mixtures are non-corrosive, heat resistant, and do not easily wear with age. Today, many of the gunning mixtures that furnace and HVAC technicians use to repair electric furnaces are considered safe. However, this was not always the case as asbestos was commonly used in gunning mix for years. Even today, the gunning mixtures created in many countries are manufactured using asbestos or silicone compound materials and exposure to both can cause a slew of medical conditions in people who work with or live near the materials.

Many of the products and gunning mixes that were once manufactured with asbestos have now been discontinued. Before the 1970s, when the public became aware of the dangers of friable asbestos particles, many gunning mix manufacturers put asbestos in their mixes. Despite the dangers posed by the material, asbestos seemed like an effective, lucrative ingredient. It was cheap, easy to acquire, and possessed non-corrosive and heat resistant properties.

The public eventually learned that asbestos is highly hazardous. In the 1970s, information about the dangers of asbestos began to spread in newspapers and nightly news programs around the nation. Workers and consumers began to develop strange, life-threatening illnesses, and these illnesses were related to asbestos exposure. Many of those diagnosed have since filed lawsuits against the manufacturers of gunning mixes. These manufacturers neglected to inform employees - HVAC workers, furnace technicians, and handymen- that their gunning mixes contained a toxic mineral that can cause the development of serious illnesses such as mesothelioma.

This first era of claims against the asbestos industry eventually led manufacturers to discontinue many of the asbestos-containing products, such as gunning mix, that compromised the health of their customers and employees. Unfortunately thousands of furnace workers, HVAC workers, construction contractors and homeowners were already exposed to asbestos when gunning mixtures broke down with age, were disturbed, improperly removed or replaced.

When airborne asbestos particles are inhaled, they enter the lungs, where they can cause the development of an asbestos-related disease. Those exposed to asbestos may develop serious illnesses, including various lung diseases and cancer, asbestosis, intestinal cancer, and mesothelioma, a cancer of the delicate lining of the lungs and respiratory tract. These illnesses may take years or decades to fully develop and present symptoms, often making treatment difficult. If you or someone you love used an asbestos-containing gunning mix, worked in HVAC or furnace repair, or construction and would like additional information about asbestos exposure and related diseases, please fill out the packet request form at the top, right of this page.

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