Lagging Tape
Since engineers first created the HVAC central heating system, construction teams, researchers, and HVAC technicians have used a variety of materials to fortify heating ducts against the leakage of temperature treated air. After nearly decades of use in innumerable systems across the globe, lagging tape is still one of the popular choices for the prevention of airflow leaks in heating ducts and vents. Technicians apply them in corners, cracks and crevices of ducts, areas that have a greater vulnerability to treated air leakages. Over the decades, the materials out of which lagging tape has been manufactured have changed and varied, but since it the sealing tape was invented, asbestos has been the common denominator in nearly every lagging tape 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, giving it very effective insulating properties. Also, naturally occurring asbestos is easy to come by and can be purchased at a relatively low cost, reducing the overhead that manufacturers must consider when producing a material. During the many years when asbestos was a favorite of lagging tape producers, asbestos-containing lagging tape was applied in thousands of HVAC ducts and units around the globe.
In the 1970s, while companies that produced asbestos lagging tape were reaping huge rewards and profits, workers in the the HVAC field, who had long been working with asbestos lagging tape, were finding that exposure to asbestos was not so rewarding. During this decade and those following, thousands of people who work with lagging tape and other asbestos products have filed claims against the manufacturers of such products after discovering that asbestos was the source of their severe health problems. Many years after their first exposure to the deadly material, many of these workers had developed asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses. Over a decade before, researchers had discovered the dangers of asbestos and publicly decried its use, but manufacturers, looking out for their bottom line, continued to manufacture dangerous asbestos lagging tape and other products.
However, out of the 200,000 lawsuits that have been filed against these manufacturers in the last three decades, many have been successful, providing desperate families with money to pay for medical expenses and the like. These lawsuits and Congressional bans have put some pressure on the manufacturers of asbestos products like lagging tape, but on a worldwide scale, use of asbestos does not seem likely to cease anytime soon. Researchers estimate that by mid-century, millions of HVAC and other workers exposed to asbestos will develop mesothelioma and other asbestos-related medical conditions. Countless innocent lives will be stolen, countless families ripped apart by this asbestos scourge.
What can you do if you believe you have ever worked with asbestos lagging tape or any other asbestos product? Fight back. So many of the deaths that have resulted from asbestos exposure could have been avoided if producers had warned consumers about their risk of developing mesothelioma and other illnesses. Corporations that manufacture asbestos products are obligated to inform their patrons of the dangers of being exposed to friable asbestos particles. If you have been the innocent victim of asbestos-industry secrets, take action now. Contact an experienced asbestos attorney, one who can help you make sure the producers of asbestos-containing products are held responsible for their lack of concern and negligence. Seek the advice of a knowledgeable attorney today.
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