Asbestos Products

Insulation Seal

Asbestos is a very durable naturally-occurring fibrous substance that was widely used throughout most of the twentieth century in a large range of manufacturing and construction industries. Asbestos is an excellent insulator and is highly fire-resistant; these physical properties made it the ideal choice for use in more than five thousand different products. Asbestos was a common component of many forms of insulation, including insulation seals. These were used as seals on furnaces, boilers, window and door frames, and on and in roofs. Insulation seals made with asbestos usually contained between 10% and 30% asbestos.

Asbestos was widely used despite the fact that it was known to be a significant health hazard as early as the 1930s. In fact, it was not until the 1970s that the use of asbestos in manufacturing and construction was regulated in any way. Asbestos is now known to cause lung cancer, as well as asbestosis and mesothelioma. The latter two diseases are caused solely by long-term exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is a particularly deadly form of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and currently has no cure. These asbestos-related diseases have long latency periods. In most cases disease symptoms do not develop for two or more decades after the initial exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is particularly difficult to diagnose and treat, because in the early stages of the disease its symptoms closely resemble those of much less serious viral respiratory diseases.

The risk of diseases related to long term asbestos exposure are greatest for people who worked in industries where asbestos products were manufactured, and for people who worked in professions where such products were used. It is much less common for people living or working in buildings constructed using asbestos materials to be exposed to a high level of risk, but the potential for danger is still present. In the home, asbestos-containing materials typically pose a health hazard only when they are in poor condition, or when disturbed through home renovation. In such cases, disturbances can release asbestos fibers into the air, where they might be inhaled into the lungs. Any asbestos-containing products present in the home should not be disturbed or removed without first seeking professional advice on how to do so safely.

Industrial asbestos use was not regulated or restricted for much of the twentieth century. Many thousands of workers were exposed to dangerously high levels of airborne asbestos fibers, and tragically, the majority of companies involved in manufacturing asbestos-containing products did not provide their workers with any form of protective equipment to prevent asbestos exposure. The increasingly high rate of asbestos-related disease diagnosis in America could have been largely avoided had some simple precautions been taken to protect workers.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, contact a mesothelioma lawyer to obtain legal advice on how to claim compensation from the company responsible for your exposure to asbestos. In most cases, workers were exposed due to extreme negligence on the part of their employer, and are afflicted with life-threatening diseases that could have been prevented.

Contact a mesothelioma lawyer to find out more about your legal rights, and how they can help you gather information about your asbestos exposure, and how to proceed with legal action. Claiming compensation can pay for the cost of medical care and treatment, replace lost earnings, and ensures that the company responsible for exposing you to asbestos pays for their negligence.

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