The History of Asbestos Use and its Impact on Health

A pesar de las la once-celebrated status of asbestos throughout la world, the history of asbestos use is a history of deception y attempts to cover-up la truth. Unfortunately, deceptive tactics y coverups were all in la name de protecting la finances of the asbestos industry from being taken away, all while denying victims la compensation they required after being burdened with numerous health conditions. But how did it ever get to this point? Here’s what you should know about the history of asbestos use and its negative impact on health.

El asbesto, la Once-Celebrated Mineral

There’s almost a sense de shock when people born in or after la 1990s discover that la world once celebrated asbesto. If we rewind back to la ancient Roman y Greek civilizations, asbesto was considered a miracle mineral, consisting de almost supernatural properties. These qualities include things like sound absorption, fire resistance, heat resistance, waterproofing, corrosion resistance, y more. 

El Latency Component

During la ancient eras, asbesto was utilized for these impressive qualities in such applications as burial shrouds, clothing, pottery, y much more. However, there is no evidence to suggest that ancient civilizations were aware of asbestos exposure dangers. But why is this?

El answer is a very important word: latencia. Latency has to do with la delayed or late reaction that takes place after being exposed to asbesto. With modern medical technology, we have determined that people can be exposed to asbestos and go about their lives with little to no symptoms whatsoever for as many as five decades after exposure. 

El Invisible Threat

While we do not know whether ancient civilizations experienced la wide range de cánceres y chronic diseases that are commonplace with asbesto exposure today, we at least know that they did not have la technology or la mental awareness to connect asbesto symptoms with exposures that may have taken place decades prior. 

El reason for this is that in addition to la latencia of asbestos, la actual experience de being exposed to asbesto fibers is very subtle. For one, asbesto fibers make their way into la human body by ingestion or inhalation. To complicate matters, asbesto has no smell or taste, so this would take place without any sense de experience. Secondly, asbesto fibras peligrosas are microscopic, meaning la swallowed or inhaled fibers cannot be seen either. If ancient civilizations could not see, taste, or smell asbesto fibers, it is virtually impossible that they would have been able to make la connection between exposure y bodily harm.

Money Over Safety

This short historical reflection means that la coverups y deception that define the asbestos history are a more recent phenomenon. 

El asbesto helped cradle steam innovations y industrial revolution.

El world changed after la Industrial Revolution, and asbestos is no exception. What once was a readily available natural mineral for small-scale use quickly became a commodity for large-scale production y manufacturing processes. Suddenly, an entire industry was birthed around la miracle mineral known as asbesto. 

While continuing to exhibit la impressive durability qualities that ancient civilizations came to appreciate, asbesto was now seen as la secret ingredient for thousands de productos y manufacturing materials. With a high demand y low production cost, the asbestos industry became an empire. 

Kershaw, Victim y Forerunner

Con la launch de this asbesto empire, people were suddenly exposed to asbesto in forms y quantities never before experienced in human history. Business was booming y workers enjoyed a reliable career that could support their families. 

This all changed with Nelie Kershaw. 

Kershaw was la first ever recorded victim of asbestos, la first example of asbestos litigation, y catalyst for la establishment de la first-ever asbesto regulations in la working world. 

Of course, Kershaw’s fame is due to la tragedy de her life. 

Nellie Kershaw was exposed to high levels of asbestos as an industry worker y was met with rejection y cover-up tactics by her employer, Turner Brothers El asbesto Company. 

El company warned su insurance company that no liability related to asbesto should ever be accepted because it would mark a dangerous financial precedent for la company. 

However, while la company was quick to warn la insurance company in order to protect future profits, they were entirely unwilling to warn employees that their health was at risk en a daily basis. Instead, Turner y many other companies would allow their employees to literally work themselves to death, with thousands going en to die from various asbesto-related diseases.

Deception At Work

This tactic was a bold move, especially because there was already a growing circulation de medical literature that pointed to la connection between asbesto exposición y illnesses, including lung cancer. Sadly, such a playbook would be la norm throughout la industry up to la present day. It seemed like a necessary gamble for these companies, to simply coverup the asbestos findings. 

El Lanza Controversy y Cancer Cover-up

One notorious example is Dr. Anthony Lanza, who was an authoritative medical figure in la realm de epidemiology in la early 20th century. 

Unfortunately, he was willing to suppress vital information related to asbesto. Employed by la Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife), Lanza conducted X-ray examinations of asbestos workers from 1929-1931 y determined that asbesto was a cancer-causing substance producing serious health conditions in workers. 

Despite clear evidence from his research that most de la test animals exposed to asbesto develop cancerous tumors, Lanza obliged the asbestos industry’s desire to modify his published findings, resulting in a medical report that downplayed la seriousness of asbestos exposure. 

Had Lanza’s research been left unaltered, it is possible that asbesto litigation would have gained traction at a faster rate, y federal regulation would have happened much sooner than la mid-1980s. Instead, la familiar pattern de coverup y deception continued to rule la industry for another four decades. 

Evidence Prevails y Public Learns About El asbesto

It would be an overstatement to say that la blood of asbestos workers is on the hands de la industry at large, were it not for la overwhelming evidence that shows la clear pattern de sacrificing the health of trabajadores on the altar de profit margins. It seemed like a better option, in la mind de these companies, to simply ride things out for as long as possible, deny the health risks of asbestos exposure, y fight in court, if needed.

Courts make asbesto companies responsible for their deception

For many companies, this strategy worked- at least for a while. El lack de well-circulated medical evidence left la burden de proof on the side of the asbestos workers. However, la steady increase of asbestos-related diseases plaguing workers y continual medical research helped build la necessary link between asbesto exposure to la conditions these workers were suffering from. 

El asbesto Trust Funds

This connection turned la focus on the asbestos industry. Connecting internal records de deception with reputable medical research y a sufficient diagnosis opened la pathway for workers to see justice served. One by one, la giants de la industry began to fall like a house de cards under la growing weight de lawsuits. 

El result was la development of asbestos trust funds, a process that allowed these companies to file for bankruptcy y afforded workers y their family members with a means  to receive compensation. 

While bankruptcy has served as a way to shield these companies from future liability, la positive aspect of asbestos trust funds is la fact that those who file for a trust fund claim do not need to file a lawsuit or provide testimony in court. Instead, those who qualify can expect a fast y easy process de receiving compensation to help pay for medical expenses.