{"id":11749,"date":"2022-11-23T22:18:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-23T22:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asbestosclaims.law\/?post_type=blog&p=11749"},"modified":"2023-02-13T22:01:05","modified_gmt":"2023-02-13T22:01:05","slug":"is-asbestos-still-in-use","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.asbestosclaims.law\/es\/asbestos-blog\/todavia-usa-asbesto\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Asbestos Still in Use?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When you think of asbestos, you likely think of something that was banned long ago, and only comes up when it is discovered in old buildings<\/a>. That would be a nice reality, but the truth isn\u2019t quite so rosy. In fact, asbestos continues to be used regularly in many places, so the threat that it poses to human health is alive and well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Current Status of Asbestos<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Let\u2019s get started by trying to get a clear picture of the current status of asbestos<\/a> both in the United States and around the world. As a starting point, asbestos is no longer mined in the United States. Where asbestos mines were once relatively common, the last one closed twenty years ago and this mineral is no longer pulled from the earth in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That does not mean, however, that asbestos is no longer mined. There are active mines in various other places around the globe, including in Russia and China. Some of what is mined in those countries continues to be imported into the United States, so asbestos continues to be used in various products that are on the market today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an indication of the ongoing commercial value in the asbestos business<\/a>, Russian exporters of asbestos were pleased to hear that former U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a> supported keeping asbestos-based products legal in the United States. The company even printed images of President Trump on the packaging of palletized asbestos as a tribute in thanks for his support of the industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the places where asbestos continues to be used includes products such as brake pads, commercial roofing compounds<\/a>, gaskets, and more. It should be noted that these products<\/a> are only available in the commercial setting, and products containing asbestos are no longer sold to consumers. There are regulations in place that control the use and management of any products used by businesses that still have some level of asbestos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cement is another place where asbestos<\/a> continues to be employed in many projects around the globe. While the risk of exposure is thought to be minimal once the asbestos is locked in the finished cement, there is a significant risk to the workers who produce and use the cement<\/a>. To be properly protected, workers need to have access to sufficient safety equipment that will not only protect their breathing but also cover any exposed parts of their bodies, as well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What Effects Does Asbestos Have on Humans?<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Asbestos<\/a> is a known carcinogen and can have a negative effect on human health in a variety of ways. The danger posed by this mineral comes when it is distributed throughout the air and breathed in by people in the area. You would not know if you were breathing in air that contained asbestos, as the harmful fibers are not large enough to see, and they have no odor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once inside the body, these fibers can become lodged inside the lungs and gradually degrade the lungs’ ability to perform basic functions. One of the problems that led to the common use of asbestos for such a long time in so many industries is the delay between exposure and symptoms. It will take at least a decade in most cases for negative health effects to take place, and in some cases, it will be several decades. While companies in the asbestos industry knew of these risks far before it was regulated, legal action only began to happen as affected individuals became sick and a connection could be made to asbestos exposure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Environmental Exposure Concerns<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The case of Libby, Montana highlights the ongoing risk of asbestos environmental exposure<\/a>. Even without being directly exposed to the sources of asbestos that we have come to think of as traditional, it\u2019s possible for individuals to suffer from serious health consequences. This small, rural town was once home to vermiculite mines that contained huge levels of asbestos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Libby was the tip of the iceberg in the cover up by the asbestos industry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Negative health impacts on the miners who worked at the location would not be a surprise, but as the decades unfolded, it was found that many people who never actually worked at the mines \u2013 or even close to the mines \u2013 were also being impacted by asbestos-related illness. This real-life case study points to the tremendous danger that asbestos<\/a> can present, even to those who are not in direct contact with the source of the fibers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Asbestos Continues to Be Uncovered<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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It would be great if we could say that the discovery of asbestos is now a rare and uncommon occurrence, but we are far from that being a reality. Today, stories of the discovery of asbestos in old buildings and other locations are just as common as they\u2019ve been in the past, and people continue to deal with the ongoing impact of the widespread use of this mineral in building materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The importance of proper asbestos abatement – for health, safety, and legal liability.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For example, a developer in the state of Kansas is in serious legal trouble as a result of not properly removing asbestos<\/a> from a job site. The health of countless people can be put at risk when asbestos is not handled appropriately based on regulations and best practices, so this is an issue that can lead to criminal prosecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asbestos concern in East River Park, NY<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In another case, asbestos was found to be present in the pipes<\/a> of East River Park in New York. This discovery was a surprise to the contractors working on the project, and although the pipes are not connected to the water system in the area, there is still concern that fibers could be displaced into the air as a result of the ongoing work at the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly every building constructed before the mid-1980s contained some asbestos product.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While asbestos is not used nearly as often as it once was, it remains legal for use in some places \u2013 and old asbestos continues to be found in locations around the world, and certainly will continue to be for many years to come. This all means that despite the fact that the use of<\/p>\n\n\n\n

asbestos has been outlawed in most of the world for decades, it continues to pose a threat to human health and needs to be carefully monitored<\/a> to keep people safe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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