Asbestos, a heat-resistant and durable material, was widely used from the 1930s to the 1970s in a variety of settings. Common sources of asbestos-containing materials include residential building components such as flooring, ceiling tiles, insulation, roofing shingles, and siding. While many assume asbestos is limited to older homes, it can still be found in numerous construction and industrial products today.
Beyond homes, asbestos is often present in commercial buildings, shipyards, automotive parts like brake pads, and even consumer products like fireproof gloves or vintage appliances.
Disturbing asbestos-containing materials during renovations, repairs, or demolition can release dangerous fibers into the air. Inhaling these fibers significantly increases the risk of developing asbestos-related diseases, including aggressive cancers like mesothelioma.
If doctors diagnosed you with an asbestos-related illness like mesothelioma, consult a qualified Chicago asbestos attorney to learn more about your potential legal options.
What Is Asbestos?
Naturally found underground in rock and soil deposits, asbestos is a mineral fiber with physical properties like flexibility and resistance to heat that make it useful in many commercial products.
The mineral’s strength and resistance to heat and chemicals make it great for building construction materials, car brakes, fire retardants, and insulation. However, exposure to airborne asbestos caused lethal diseases.
What are the Most Common Places to Find Asbestos?
Until health concerns led to bans on some uses, asbestos was widely used in the United States. Although its use has declined substantially since the early 1970s, but people still come in contact with asbestos. Homes built before 1980 will likely have asbestos-containing products, such as paint, floor tiles, and amphibole-contaminated vermiculite insulation.
Workplace Exposure
Asbestos has found its way into the workplace because of its multifaceted benefits, like insulation and resistance to heat and chemicals in building materials. Asbestos was predominately in industrial buildings between the 1940s and 1970s.
In 1977, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared asbestos a carcinogen, and workers who had direct contact with the material were required to have respiratory protection around the substance.
The mineral was in many workplaces where people might have come into contact with the toxic dust, including:
- Auto mechanics
- Construction workers
- Electricians
- Military personnel and veterans
- Railroad workers
- Steel mill workers
- Carpenters
- Firefights
- Industrial plant workers
- Pipefitters
Household Exposure
Under federal law, the seller of a home does not have to disclose that their home contains asbestos, which puts potential buyers at risk of exposure. Homes built as late as 2004 may have asbestos contamination.
Common places inside the house that may contain asbestos include:
- Cement flooring
- Insulation and external ventilators
- Loose fill insulation in the roof cavity
- Vinyl floor tiles
- Internal walls and ceilings
- Kitchen backsplash
Outside the house, you might find asbestos in:
- Downpipes
- Fence
- Gutters
- Garages
- External wall sheeting
- Insulation for hot water pipes and tanks
Vehicles Contaminated with Asbestos
Imported brake pads and clutches may contain small amounts of asbestos. Mechanics who remove products such as brake disks, drums, and wheels may suffer exposure to toxic, microscopic asbestos dust particles and risk inhaling them.
Exposure in Schools
The mineral was common in insulation, ceiling tiles, pipes, and building materials in schools built before the 1980’s. Asbestos in these structures may become disturbed when school buildings undergo renovations or repairs.
When this occurs, students, staff, and faculty risk exposure to these airborne fibers. Special training is required when maintenance is done in areas containing asbestos to prevent the risk of exposure. Student activities like sports may also disturb damaging material containing the toxin.
While you cannot identify asbestos by sight, you may see small asbestos fibers that look like fuzzy pieces of fraying fabric in damaged materials, such as plastic or cement. However, seeing fibers protruding from a product does not mean it contains asbestos. Only testing can confirm its presence.
Asbestos Exposure: How Can It Happen?
Over time, worn and damaged asbestos-containing products can pose a danger to residents in a home. Anyone in the home may inhale or ingest disturbed, airborne asbestos fibers.
Inhaling asbestos fibers can cause health problems, and continued exposure increases the number of fibers lodged in the lungs and thin lining covering the abdomen, chest, and heart.
Prolonged exposure can lead to inflammation that may develop asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma. The combination of smoking tobacco and asbestos exposure magnifies the harm.
The Health Effects of Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos exposure increases your risk of developing lung disease. If you were exposed to asbestos while working on a project at home, consult your primary care physician. Your doctor can help monitor signs and symptoms of asbestos-related diseases and cancers like mesothelioma.
X-rays and CT scans are common imaging tests used to monitor and diagnose mesothelioma. Patients may have more treatment options if diagnosed early; however, prevention is the best option to prevent asbestos exposure.
Exposure to asbestos in the home may lead to:
- Asbestosis
- Lung cancer
- Mesothelioma
The more asbestos exposure you have, the greater your health risks. Asbestos-related conditions can be challenging to identify following exposure, and disease symptoms may take years to develop.
If your doctor suspects an asbestos-related health condition, they can diagnose you and refer you to a specialist who treats diseases from asbestos.
Additionally, if your house was built before the 1980s, speak with an asbestos abatement professional and consult a professional before undergoing any repairs or remodeling.
The Dos and Don’ts of Asbestos Safety in the Home
Because asbestos use was so prevalent in home construction for decades, take every precaution if you own an older home. Avoid damaging older materials such as old insulation, cement sheets, asbestos paper, and other old building materials. It’s surprising how many places asbestos can be found in the home. If your home contains asbestos, hire a professional, even if a repair seems minor, rather than risking being exposed to asbestos.
Dos of Approaching Asbestos in the Home:
- Whenever possible, avoid contact with dangerous, asbestos-containing materials.
- Avoid damaging asbestos-containing materials.
- Ask the home inspector and realtor about asbestos in the home before you buy.
- To test, remove, or encapsulate asbestos materials, hire asbestos abatement professionals.
- Consult your home inspector or real estate agent if you suspect your home may have asbestos.
- If you plan on a demolition project, hire trained professionals for asbestos inspections, testing, repairs, or removal.
Don’ts of Approaching Asbestos in the Home:
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- Never saw, sand, scrape, drill, or disturb asbestos-containing materials.
- Never sweep, vacuum, or dust asbestos-containing debris.
- Do not collect asbestos-containing materials for testing.
- Unless encapsulation is impossible, do not remove asbestos-containing materials.
- Never dispose of asbestos materials with normal household waste.
If you suspect you have asbestos-containing material (ACM) in your home, consult a professional about leaving, removing, or encapsulating it. Disturbing asbestos can release microscopic fibers, putting you at risk of diseases caused by asbestos exposure.
The Benefits of Hiring an Asbestos Lawyer
Our experienced asbestosis attorneys want to minimize the disruption to your life and maximize the potential compensation in your case. We’ll take care of each step of the legal process for you so you can focus on your health and family.
If you are facing a mesothelioma diagnosis or other health effects, call our office at 312-466-1669 or contact us online at the link below for a free case evaluation to learn more about how we can help.
