{"id":14556,"date":"2023-08-03T16:39:24","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T22:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.asbestosclaims.law\/?post_type=blog&p=14556"},"modified":"2023-11-17T15:14:11","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T21:14:11","slug":"asbestos-exposure-in-the-mining-industry-understanding-the-risks","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.asbestosclaims.law\/es\/asbestos-blog\/exposicion-al-asbesto-en-la-industria-minera-comprension-de-los-riesgos\/","title":{"rendered":"Asbestos Exposure in the Mining Industry: Understanding the Risks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Asbestos exposure poses an ongoing concern for people who worked in the mining industry.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Well before asbestos mining began, to ancient people, an ever-burning asbestos ceremonial candle wick<\/a> was almost like the burning bush. Both were highly prized and almost sacred, at least to some people. Low-level servants usually maintained such items, The property owners cared little about workers\u2019 health and safety. Alas, that pattern persisted for centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you believe that you were exposed to asbestos, even as a child, speak to a healthcare provider about tests and screening to help diagnose lung-scarring and screen for <\/strong>asbestos-related diseases<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Asbestos History<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Asbestos mining began on a large scale during the Second Industrial Revolution, around 1900. By then, the adverse health effects of asbestos were well-documented. But instead of reducing the use of this harmful substance, companies doubled down. We mentioned asbestos wicks above. Many cigarette lighters made before 1980, especially Zippo lighters, had asbestos wicks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were thousands of asbestos products and materials used in the 20th century. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
(Unfortunately, many are still around today.)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Small consumer products were just the start. Also around 1900, explorers found large chrysotile (white) asbestos deposits in remote parts of Canada. These mines, and others like them, became the principal source of most asbestos products and materials used worldwide throughout the twentieth century. To keep up with demand, these mines, which are still legal in many parts of the world, still produce over one million metric tons of asbestos every year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The asbestos industry kept workers and consumers in the dark about the risks they were facing. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mining companies and other companies had chance after chance to do the right thing, stop using asbestos, and compensate victims. They passed on each chance. So, an asbestos exposure lawyer<\/a> must now force them to do these things, which they should have done a long time ago. Due to the serious nature of asbestos exposure injuries, and the long-term asbestos health hazard cover-up, significant compensation is usually available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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“The overall evidence suggests there is no safe level<\/span> of asbestos exposure<\/span>.\u201d<\/h3>\n                            
Source: National Cancer Institute\n<\/a> (NIH)1<\/sup><\/p>\n                        <\/td>\n                    <\/tr>\n                <\/tbody>\n            <\/table>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Asbestos Mining: A Primer<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The aforementioned one million metric ton figure is a drop in the bucket compared to the mining volume before 1990. Before then, mines in North America and elsewhere supplied millions of tons of asbestos every year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These mines employed countless people and brought in billions of dollars. In fact, asbestos is California\u2019s state rock<\/a>. Companies then used this toxic mineral in a wide variety of products and materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Products and uses of asbestos included:<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Home Insulation<\/strong>: 
<\/strong>Asbestos doesn\u2019t conduct heat. This property makes it an excellent insulation material. Fiberglass is almost as effective, but it’s\u2019 more expensive than asbestos. So, guess which material most builders preferred.<\/td><\/tr>
Shipbuilding<\/strong>:
For this same reason, until 1980, government and private shipbuilders stuffed everything that floats full of asbestos. The infamous 1967 USS Forrestal fire<\/a>, which killed almost 200 airmen and sailors, accelerated this process, especially in hot and dangerous areas, like boiler rooms and ammunition storage areas.<\/td><\/tr>
Commercial Wiring<\/strong>: 
Asbestos doesn\u2019t conduct electricity. Chrysotile asbestos, a substance that resembles several layers of white tissue paper on top of each other, was and is a particularly popular electric wiring insulator.<\/td><\/tr>
Home Construction<\/strong>: 
Fiber-reinforced concrete was invented in 1970. Before then, builders reinforced concrete in driveways, walkways, and foundations with asbestos fibers. In addition to concrete, wiring, and insulation, asbestos showed up in other areas as well, such as decorative ceilings, drywall, and floor tiles.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Asbestos miners, many of whom worked with little personal protective equipment, weren\u2019t the only workers at risk of asbestos exposure.. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Asbestos miners were unmistakably at risk of asbestos-related diseases<\/a> like lung cancer<\/a> and mesothelioma<\/a>. In addition, large-scale mining also created cross-contamination issues, mostly in talc and vermiculite mines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Overall, asbestos dangers in the mining industry extend to the mining of any other material, because minerals don\u2019t always form separately. Instead, they form in a kind of soup as lava cools slowly, creating a crystallized matrix of various minerals mixed together, which includes asbestos mineral types. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Even mining industry workers involved in mining minerals other than asbestos may be at risk because of contamination.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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As a result of cross-contamination, mining industry workers involved in mining minerals other than asbestos may be at risk because of contamination. A study of diamond mine workers in South Africa<\/a> found they had tremolite asbestos in their lungs from contamination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cSome asbestos fibers may bypass\u2026your body\u2019s natural defenses\u2026and lodge deep within your lungs. Those fibers can remain in place for a very long time and may never be removed.\u201d<\/h3>\n                            
Source: American Lung Association\n<\/a><\/p>\n                        <\/td>\n                    <\/tr>\n                <\/tbody>\n            <\/table>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n
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Talc and asbestos contamination<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Back to the Big Two. Chemically, asbestos and talc are nearly identical, mostly because they\u2019re usually close together underground. Therefore, asbestos mines usually contain stray talc products, and vice versa. A handful of talc particles in a sheet of home or commercial insulation usually isn\u2019t a problem. A few stray asbestos particles in talcum powder is a big problem<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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We mentioned fiberglass as an alternative to asbestos above. Vermiculite is another option. Like asbestos and talc, cross-contamination between vermiculite and asbestos is a significant risk. Unfortunately for victims, mining companies have very poor safety records<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vermiculite and asbestos contamination<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Grace Mine in Libby, Montana<\/a> is a good example. GRace Company officials knew for decades that the vermiculite they extracted was laced with asbestos. Yet the company did nothing to warn its customers or protect the health and safety of its workers and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cAll forms of asbestos are carcinogenic to humans.\u201d<\/span> 2 <\/sup><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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The Asbestos Mining Cover-Up<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The Libby cover-up wasn\u2019t an isolated incident. Asbestos mining and other companies around the world worked together to bury (no mining pun intended) the adverse health effects of asbestos. This statement isn\u2019t some crazy conspiracy theory. This statement is fact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1934, the heads of large asbestos mining and other companies met in England to discuss a growing problem, namely that asbestos was killing their workers. The suits hatched a three-prong plan<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n