Asbestos Learning Center / Asbestos Safety Tips

Asbestos Safety Tips

Asbestos hasn’t gone away.

Asbestos is a known human carcinogen, capable of causing serious medical conditions up to and including cancer.

Nearly every building constructed before the mid-1980s contained an asbestos product of some kind.

Asbestos is incredibly durable and resistant, with virtually no known half-life.

That means it’s not going anywhere, and won’t be unless properly removed and disposed of.

Where Asbestos is Found

Between the 1920s and 1970s, asbestos could be found almost everywhere. Common asbestos products included:

• Automotive parts, such as brake pads, hood liners, and gaskets.

• Tiles used to protect and decorate floors, roofs, and ceilings.

• Roof materials, especially asphalt- and cement-based shingles and underlayment.

• Siding used outside of homes, offices, and schools.

• Heat-resistant materials, like duct covers and pipe insulation.

While the Environmental Protection Agency began restricting the sale of asbestos products in the 1970s and 1980s, many American homes and consumer products remain contaminated by this mineral. Unfortunately, while asbestos-related diseases are slow to develop, they can be incredibly difficult to treat. In fact, the National Cancer Institute has stated that no amount of asbestos exposure is safe.

Reasons to remove asbestos in your home or other building:

● Asbestos can cause respiratory illness and other diseases, including cancers like lung cancer and mesothelioma.

● Asbestos has no taste or smell, and you may not know you’re breathing it.

● Property owners (and even renters) can be legally responsible if someone is injured by asbestos lingering on their property.

● Asbestos illnesses have a long latency, and can take 20-50 years to appear.

Asbestos Abatement

Identifying Asbestos: Getting tested

In general, when in doubt, the wisest move is to have a professional company test your home or other property for asbestos. We have a lot of information about what kind of asbestos testing to get, and what to look for in considering which company to hire.

But if you are handy and use precaution, proper materials and protective gear, you can test for asbestos in isolated parts of your house or office. We have information about that too.

Asbestos Removal

It is also best to use an experienced professional licensed in asbestos abatement to remove and dispose of asbestos in your home or building.

Professional asbestos abatement companies know the particular risks of asbestos removal and how to minimize them. They are also familiar with applicable state and federal laws regulating the removal of asbestos as well as how and where to dispose of asbestos.

Smokers who are exposed to asbestos are up to fifty times more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers not exposed.³

Have You Been Hurt By An Asbestos Illness?

For us this is personal.

The Law Offices of Justinian C. Lane, Esq.-PLLC has a deep-seated commitment to assisting the victims of the asbestos industry. 

Unlike many other law firms, we understand exactly what it is like to lose a loved one to mesothelioma. Our founder, Justinian C. Lane, lost his father and his grandparents to asbestos-related cancers. When they passed away, nobody in Justinian’s family knew they could have claimed compensation to help pay their remaining medical bills and funeral costs. 

We have seen first-hand the toll mesothelioma takes on individuals and families–which is why we are dedicated to helping others not only get the compensation they need but the justice they deserve.

No Payment or Fee Unless You Receive Compensation

The Law Offices of Justinian C. Lane does not believe in charging potential clients who may be deep in grief. We offer free consultations: in person, over the phone, video call, and even email. And when we accept a new case, we do not ask our clients to pay for our services. We work on a contingency basis, which means that we cover the costs associated with litigation. We only get paid if we win, and we only take our payment as a percentage of the settlement. 

Our attorneys have recovered millions of dollars for people injured and killed by asbestos exposure. We could help you, too. 

While every asbestos case is different, we are driven by a sense of justice and aim to deliver justice for clients, whatever that might mean to them.

Contact Us Today

Please contact us online or call us at 833-4-ASBESTOS (427-2378) to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

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1 National Cancer Institute (NIH), Asbestos Fact Sheet.
2 Tompa E, Kalcevich C, McLeod C, Lebeau M, Song C, McLeod K, et al. The economic burden of lung cancer and mesothelioma due to occupational and para-occupational asbestos exposure Occup Environ Med 2017; 74: 816-22.
3 Klebe, S., Leigh, J., Henderson, D.W. and Nurminen, M., 2020. Asbestos, smoking and lung cancer: an update. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(1), p.258.