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Sources of Exposure to Asbestos
Look up your work site or an asbestos product on our database to see if you or a loved one might have been exposed.
Asbestos was widely used for its durability.
Asbestos is a mineral that appears naturally in the ground. Asbestos is plentiful, and cheap to mine from the earth.
Asbestos manufacturers called their product the ‘magic mineral’ because of its unique properties:
- Highly resistant to heat
Asbestos can be mixed with other materials to make them fireproof. - Non-soluble in water
Asbestos does not dissolve in water, so it was used on ships-even on some of the earliest steam engines. - Acid-resistant
Asbestos helps to prevent corrosion, and was used in gaskets and refineries. - Fibrous and strong
Asbestos can be woven into cloth and used as insulation for heating, plumbing and electrical wiring. It can also be sprayed on products to insulate. - Insulator
Asbestos is not very conductive of electricity, so it was used to house electrical components.
Occupational Exposure to Asbestos
Construction
The bulk of asbestos was used in construction materials throughout buildings.
Many people involved in construction and demolition were also exposed to asbestos products.
Even asbestos removal often releases harmful asbestos fibers into the air.
Workers renovating and demolishing older buildings may also become exposed to asbestos-made products. Asbestos removal itself often releases harmful asbestos fibers into the air.
For this reason, workers should always wear proper protective clothing before trying to remove asbestos.
Employees who worked with or removed asbestos but were not provided with proper protection may have legal claims for their asbestos-related injuries.
Industrial Sites
Because of its strength and resistant properties, asbestos was especially used in:
- Factories
- Foundries
- Shipyards
- Refineries
Many worksites regularly exposed workers to asbestos inhalation, including employees whose jobs did not directly involve asbestos.
Vehicles
Asbestos was used in all types of vehicles, including:
- Cars
- Trucks
- Trains
- Motorcycles
- Buses
- Military
Since asbestos is heat-resistant, it was used in the manufacture of many automobile parts which were exposed to heat, including clutches, brakes, gaskets, insulation, hood liners, and auto-body parts.
Because asbestos was used in brakes and brake linings, the heat and pressure of automobile braking can release harmful asbestos dust into the air. People who work on cars or are regularly exposed to automobile exhaust may have inhaled asbestos dust.
Worker are at risk of exposure to asbestos if they were employed in:
- Vehicle Assembly
- Trucks Stops
- Automotive Supply
- Vehicle Repair
- Transportation
- Toll Booth / Drive-Thru
Learn more about occupational exposure
U.S. Armed Forces
Asbestos was used by the U.S. Armed Forces to fireproof all types of vehicles, housing and even military uniforms.
U.S. Navy boats were built with asbestos in their walls and machinery. In fact, asbestos still lingers in many of the more confined spaces within Navy boats.
Hundreds of thousands of veterans were exposed to asbestos fibers during their ordinary course of duty.
The Department of Veterans Affairs, or V.A., frequently compensates veterans and their loved ones for asbestos-related illnesses which occurred or were made worse during service.
Learn more about exposure to asbestos in U.S. military service.
Household Exposure to Asbestos
People who lived with somebody who worked around asbestos may also be at risk for asbestos-related illnesses.
Asbestos is a very dusty mineral that sticks to clothes and other surfaces.
Many of our clients who developed health conditions from asbestos were exposed by regularly cleaning their spouse’s asbestos-covered uniforms and work clothes.
Asbestos is easily inhaled and has no taste or asbestos smell.
Spouses and children may have been exposed by sharing an automobile with a worker who regularly drove with asbestos on their clothes and work tools.
Asbestos was used in many automobile parts, and working on a vehicle in a garage may have exposed the mechanic and others in the garage to asbestos fibers.
Asbestos Products
Thousands of industrial and household products were manufactured with asbestos.
Asbestos was mixed with construction materials because of its strong resistant properties:
- Plaster
- Vinyl
- Insulation
- Drywall
- Tile
- Sealants
- Cement
- Paint
- Ducts
- Pipes
- Shingles
- Panels
In addition, consumer goods like ironing boards and textiles were made with asbestos.
Hair dryers made with asbestos can blow fibers into someone’s face and present a risk of cancer. 2
Learn more about asbestos exposure from products containing asbestos.
Financial Compensation for People Injured by Asbestos Exposure
Millions of workers and their families were exposed to asbestos because the asbestos industry hid the dangers of its product.
Courts ordered that billions of insurance dollars be placed in trusts to compensate people with asbestos-related illnesses.
But nearly 40% of the funds have still gone unclaimed by the people they are intended to help.
Justinian C. Lane, Esq.
My grandfather was exposed to asbestos aboard World War II Navy ships, and later on, as a mechanic. My grandmother was exposed washing his work clothes, and in her soldering job at an electronics factory assembly line. Both of them died of lung cancer.
In the years before he had me, my father worked at a titanium foundry, at a time when asbestos was still widely used to insulate against heat.
I never had an opportunity to see if any of them were exposed, but my father, grandfather and grandmother all died of cancers that can be associated with asbetos.
Don’t wait to find out if you were exposed to asbestos. You may be at risk of health problems, and have an opportunity to obtain early treatment.
And if you are already experiencing symptoms of an asbestos-related illness, find out if you may be eligible for compensation that can help reduce your financial strain and provide support and a legacy for your family.
Asbestos can take decades to cause illness like mesothelioma and lung cancer.
At AsbestosClaims.Law, we’ve helped thousands of people who were exposed to asbestos in their job, car or at home. Can we help you? |
1 Malignant Mesothelioma: Facts, Myths and Hypotheses, , Michele Carbone, Bevan H. Ly, Ronald F. Dodson, Ian Pagano, Paul T. Morris, Umran A. Dogan, Adi F. Gazdar, Harvey I. Pass, and Haining Yang, Journal of Cellular Physiology (2012).
2 Hair dryers made with asbestos can blow fibers into someone’s face and present a risk of cancer.
