Lagging Cloth
Since the advent of the central heating system for buildings, the most popular of which has been the HVAC system, engineers and researchers have diligently searched for newer and more effective materials for sealing ducts and conveyers of treated air from cracks and leakages. Lagging cloths are one of these tools for sealing heating systems. Technicians apply them over a lagging adhesive in corners and crevices or ducts, areas that are particularly vulnerable to air leakages. Over the years, the materials out of which these lagging cloths were manufactured have changed and varied, but for many decades asbestos was the common denominator in nearly every lagging cloth for sale on the market. Why was asbestos such a popular ingredient for heat-sealing? HVAC technicians and manufacturers found that asbestos is durable, fire resistance, and is a very poor conductor of heat, making it a nearly ideal insulator. On top of these attractive qualities, asbestos comes at a low cost and was widely availability. During these years when asbestos was a favorite of lagging cloth manufacturers, asbestos-containing lagging cloth was applied in thousands of HVAC ducts and units across the country.
In the early 1970s, after giddy years of huge profits for manufacturers of asbestos lagging cloths and insulation, an unsavory, nefarious quality began to show itself amongst all the qualities that made asbestos such an attractive material. Workers in the HVAC industry, who had by now been using asbestos lagging cloth for many years, began to develop illnesses that seemed to strongly correlate with their exposure to these products. With the help of researchers and lawyers, these victims filed claims against the manufacturers of asbestos products, and showed beyond a reasonable doubt that these materials were the cause of their mesothelioma and other often-fatal illnesses. Despite the lawsuits and action by Congress, corporations continued to manufacture asbestos lagging cloth and other asbestos materials, securing for America a harrowing future crisis -- these early victims of asbestos would be just the tip of the iceberg.
On average, ten thousand Americans die each year from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses. These illnesses begin to develop when tiny asbestos particles are released from lagging cloth or similar materials and aspirated by an individual nearby. The asbestos particles remain in the lungs, where they can cause irritation, lung scarring, lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis, and a slew of other terrible asbestos-related diseases. Asbestos particles may wreck havoc upon the health of a worker for many years before any observable symptoms present, at which time it may be too late. That is what makes asbestos exposure a true scourge in America and overseas -- thousands of individuals may be exposed each day unawares, and because asbestos illnesses remain latent for so many years, they may not even realize they are working or living with a deadly material.
Who holds the key to this information? The manufacturers of asbestos lagging cloth and other materials, those who have known for many decades the serious dangers posed by the very materials that they peddle for a profit. As a worker, consumer, and member of a community, you have the right to knowledge about the materials with which you work and live. If you suspect that you may have been exposed to asbestos in you school, workplace, residence, or elsewhere, please contact an experienced attorney. Make sure that the manufacturers of deadly asbestos are held responsible for their callous lack of concern for the safety of their patrons. Seek the counsel of an asbestos attorney and secure justice for you and your family today.
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