Asbestos has a rich history throughout the world, but part of its more recent history in America is focused on New York. While it is impossible to cover the full range of asbestos usage in New York in this article, we’ll consider two primary examples that can help anyone in any part of the state remain safe. Here’s what you should know about asbestos in the city of New York.

Si cree que estuvo expuesto al asbesto, incluso cuando era niño, hable con un proveedor de atención médica sobre pruebas y exámenes para ayudar a diagnosticar cicatrices pulmonares y detectar enfermedades relacionadas con enfermedades relacionadas con el asbesto.

An Empire in the Empire State

Asbestos was once an empire in the construction and manufacturing industries. Known as a mineral milagroso, this naturally-occurring silicate substance has an impressive list of durable qualities: asbestos is fire and heat-resistant, corrosion-resistant, waterproof, and does not conduct electricity. With this range of qualities, asbestos was widely used to strengthen and protect building materials and machinery used in production facilities.

“Todas las formas de asbesto son cancerígenas para los humanos”.¹

The asbestos revolution helped make the industrial revolution possible (but not without its own costs.)

Due to its relatively low production cost and high volume capabilities in the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution, the era of America in the 1800s and 1900s was a booming empire with asbestos at the heart of it all.

Exposure Site #1: Brooklyn Navy Yard

Asbestos enjoyed widespread usage throughout various commercial and residential construction industries, but one of the largest customers of asbestos insulation was none other than the United States Navy. When you think about the Navy, one of the most important tasks is to keep vessels safe and operational. Whether submarines, surface ships or naval aircraft, the most prominent type of protection necessary is fire protection. Onboard fires can be one of the most deadly situations for Navy vessels, especially when the goal is normally to remain hidden from opposing forces.

“La evidencia general sugiere que no existe un nivel seguro de exposición al asbesto”. no hay nivel seguro de exposición al asbesto."

Fuente: Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (NIH)²

The answer to the Navy’s need for extensive fireproofing until the mid-1980s was straightforward: asbestos insulation. Insulation is a key material because it helps protect fluid and air piping systems safe from the rapid heat exchange that happens when traveling throughout the ship systems. Asbestos’ heat protection made it a go-to material for insulation products, and the Navy was the favorite customer of the asbestos industry.

Because of this, you could expect asbestos materials to be found on all Navy vessels, making both vessels and shipyards notorious asbestos exposure sites. This includes the historic Brooklyn Navy Yard, which is among the oldest shipyards in the country.

Shipyards are used for the production, repair, and overhauling of naval vessels, which means that asbestos insulation and other asbestos-containing materials on vessels could become damaged, releasing asbestos fibers into the air and contaminating all the surrounding shops and support buildings.

Unfortunately, this made both vocational workers as well as office personnel susceptible to exposure. Even if asbestos fibers were relatively kept among the vessels themselves, the support buildings throughout Navy Yards were part of the same tradition of construction at that time. In other words, virtually all buildings at Brooklyn Navy Yard contained some form of asbestos.

Exposure Site #2: World Trade Center and Asbestos

There’s no question that one of the greatest tragedies in the history of New York City is the destruction of the World Trade Center towers during the events of September 11, 2001. Unfortunately, the tragedy of that day lived well beyond September 11th. When the World Trade Centers fell to the ground, so did an untold amount of asbestos-containing materials. Since it was known to many that these buildings contained asbestos due to the era of their construction, there were some early concerns about the air quality of ground zero.

However, because of mixed messaging from the EPA and the City of New York, many people believed that it was safe to be among the wreckage. Both professional and volunteer first responders took the initiative to look for survivors and oversee cleanup efforts, but this came with a severe cost. Many who were involved developed chronic health diseases and died from the severe level of asbestos exposure and other contaminants in the air.

“Algunas fibras de asbesto pueden pasar por alto... las defensas naturales de su cuerpo... y alojarse en lo profundo de sus pulmones. Esas fibras pueden permanecer en su lugar durante mucho tiempo y es posible que nunca se eliminen”.

Fuente: Asociación Americana del Pulmón

Sadly, many of these people were simply trying to do the right thing without an awareness of the asbestos dangers they were being exposed to for days at a time. Others are only just now experiencing the adverse health symptoms of asbestos exposure since exposure symptoms and diseases can take decades to appear. In some cases, the latency of asbestos can be as much as five decades, which means that for some, the tragedy of September 11th and its relation to asbestos exposure will be a tragedy that continues for decades to come.

Compensation is available for asbestos exposure.

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Professional Asbestos Abatement

While these two examples are certainly large-scale examples of exposición al asbesto in New York city, they serve as a warning to inform us about the importance of professional testing, abatement, and disposal processes. If you live in an older home or you are a landlord, asbestos exposure can mean legal liability for you if not handled properly. Rather than putting yourself in harm’s way, the best path forward is to use a professional asbestos abatement company for testing, removal and disposal of asbestos-containing materials. These licensed professionals have the equipos to keep themselves safe, and the skill to remove health risks from your home or property.

Compartir una casa o un vehículo con alguien que usa ropa contaminada con asbesto lo pone en riesgo de contraer enfermedades relacionadas con el asbesto.3³

Don’t Risk Your Health When It Comes to Asbestos Exposure and Abatement

New York City has seen a trend in asbestos abatement, but there are many exposure sites that remain today, both big and small. While many people want to save money and time by removing asbestos materials themselves, doing so improperly can actually result in the spread of asbestos fibers into more places, not to mention the personal risk you undergo by putting yourself up close and personal with asbestos.

“Por lo general, quienes desarrollan enfermedades relacionadas con el asbesto no muestran signos de enfermedad durante mucho tiempo después de la exposición”.

Fuente: Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (NIH)⁴

It’s a risk that isn’t worth it, and going with a professional company is certainly money well spent if it means keeping yourself out of harm’s way. Best of all, a licensed asbestos abatement company can provide you with the documentation to protect yourself from legal liability, which also makes selling or renting an older property a much easier process. Future renters or homeowners will appreciate your professionalism, and they can rest assured that an older property has been professionally audited and abated, if necessary.

AsbestosClaims.Law

En AsbestosClaims.Law, nuestra misión de asegurar una compensación para las víctimas del asbesto es más que profesional;es personal.

Nuestro fundador, Justinian C. Lane, conoce de primera mano los efectos devastadores del asbesto.

Tanto sus abuelos como su padre, todos trabajadores del asbesto, fallecieron de cánceres inducidos por el asbesto sin darse cuenta de su elegibilidad para juicios por asbesto u otras formas de compensación.

Nuestro objetivo es evitar tales trágicos descuidos informando y guiando a las víctimas y sus familias a través de sus opciones legales.

Si usted o sus seres queridos han sufrido como resultado de la exposición al asbesto, podría ser elegible para una compensación considerable. Estos fondos podrían cubrir tratamientos médicos, servicios de remoción de asbestos y salvaguardar su salud.

Además, los fideicomisos de asbesto ofrecen una compensación sin necesidad de un juicio, brindando un camino más rápido y sencillo hacia la justicia.

Comuníquese con nosotros en [email protected] o (206) 455-9190 para obtener ayuda con su reclamo. Ofrecemos escucha compasiva, explicaciones claras y no cobramos un centavo a menos que ganemos su caso.

Más allá de las demandas legales, también asesoramos sobre discapacidad de veteranos, seguridad social y protección laboral como compensación de trabajadores, FELA, y La ley de Jones para trabajadores marítimos.

No hay riesgo ni costo para conectarse con nuestro equipo experimentado sobre sus derechos. Nuestro compromiso con su bienestar significa que no cobramos honorarios a menos que reciba una compensación.

Para más consultas o inquietudes sobre el asbesto, explore nuestro sitio web y página de YouTube, con infografías, videos y respuestas a preguntas comunes sobre temas relacionados con el asbesto.

También presentamos WARD, la base de datos de investigación mundial sobre el asbesto. Es el recurso más completo de información relacionada con el asbesto.

WARD ayuda a identificar posibles escenarios de exposición, productos que contienen asbesto y puede indicar los tipos y posibles montos de compensación que puede tener derecho a recibir.

1 IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Arsenic, metals, fibres, and dusts. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. 2012 ;100(Pt C):11-465. PMID: 23189751.
2 Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (NIH), Hoja informativa sobre asbesto.
3 Anua, S.M., Semple, S., Shakri, S.F.M., Safuan, S., Mazlan, N. and Asri, A.A.M., 2019. A review of the take-home exposure pathway of workplace hazards. International Journal of Medical Toxicology & Legal Medicine, 22(3and4), pp.13-19.
4 Instituto Nacional del Cáncer (NIH), Hoja informativa sobre asbesto.

El amianto es muy resistente al calor, la presión y la corrosión, por lo que se utilizó en muchos productos, vehículos y edificios. En particular, muchos lugares de trabajo como fábricas, refinerías, fundiciones y astilleros implican grandes cantidades de calor y fueron construidos con mucho amianto.