What Is Asbestos Found in?

Before 1980, asbestos, a fireproof mineral that has other powerful insulating qualities, was found in almost everything. In or after 1980 was the year the United States Navy stopped using asbestos because of growing health concerns. Many other private companies, such as construction companies, followed suit. More than forty years later, asbestos is still found in old buildings. It is also found in other places. More on these things below.

An asbestos exposure lawyer cannot turn back the hands of time and reverse prior asbestos poisoning. No one can do that. But a lawyer does the next best thing, which is to obtain the compensation these victims need and deserve. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as past and future medical bills, and non-economic losses, such as past and future emotional distress. Additional punitive damages are normally available in civil claims as well.

Ancient people, like the Greeks and Romans, often used asbestos for ceremonial candle wicks that must burn constantly and never burn out. Ancient Greeks and Romans also recognized the fact that people who worked with asbestos often got sick and died.

In modern times, construction companies continued using asbestos because of its fireproof qualities. But they did not pay attention to the health warnings. The fireproof qualities of asbestos, along with its extremely low cost, made it the go-to insulation ingredient for most residential and commercial buildings constructed between about 1920 and 1980. 

Actually, for end users like construction companies and property owners, the health risk was not entirely their fault. Asbestos providers, such as Johns-Manville, carefully covered up the health effects of asbestos for many years, in much the same way that Big Tobacco covered up the risks of cigarette smoke.

After all those years of reckless use, the chickens have come home to roost. By 1980, corporations could no longer cover up the health risks, as liability lawsuits mounted.

Today, demolition and renovation construction workers often run the biggest risks. Many companies refuse to provide their workers with proper PPE (personal protective equipment), making them vulnerable to serious diseases.

Asbestos use has been discredited in the United States. But for many years, asbestos was a key ingredient in manufactured parts.

Auto parts are a good example. Many auto parts, such as brake pads and hood liners, must withstand almost unbelievable amounts of heat. Asbestos seemed like the ideal mineral to fit this need. As a result, many such parts were almost pure asbestos.

Many of these workers faced a double risk. In addition to handling asbestos-laced items, they also worked in asbestos-laced facilities, as outlined above.

Asbestos may no longer be used in the United States, but in many foreign countries, such as China, asbestos use is fully legal, as is asbestos mining. Therefore, components made in such countries often have high levels of asbestos.

In the 20th century, most asbestos cross-contamination victims were women who lived with asbestos industry workers. These workers often unwittingly carried asbestos fibers home with them, usually on their clothes or in their vehicles. Alas, many of these victims never partnered with a nationwide mesothelioma lawyer and obtained compensation. Instead, they chalked up their mesothelioma or other illness to bad luck.

Modern cross-contamination victims are different. Talc-asbestos is perhaps the best example. Talc and asbestos are much like salt and pepper. Just like salt and pepper are usually together on the table, talc and asbestos are usually together underground. If a few grains of pepper get into the salt shaker, that is not a problem. But if a few asbestos fibers seep into talcum powder, the users often develop cervical cancer or another serious illness.

Mesothelioma victims need and deserve significant compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced nationwide mesothelioma lawyer, contact the Throneberry Law Group. Virtual, home, and after-hours visits are available.