How To Spot Asbestos

Asbestos is made up of thin crystal like fibres; it is a naturally occurring mineral and has been used in the building industry in the years between 1950’s and 1980’s due to its strength, resistance to heat and resistance to chemicals.

Asbestos has been used in lots of materials and products such as cement, insulation, tiles, roofs and wiring. Even if your house predates the 1950’s- 1980’s era it is not safe to assume that asbestos will not be there. Consider whether any renovations carried out during this time may have introduced any asbestos materials.

Recognising and identifying asbestos is not always easy. Often it requires a trained eye as it can blend into standard building materials. The HSE Health and Safety Executive have now published a gallery of images designed to help people who may come into contact with asbestos.

Asbestos is very dangerous when breathed in and if you are working near damaged asbestos or exposed to low levels over time your health could be at risk. If an area you are working on or near is suspected to contain asbestos it is wise to stop working, move away from the area and seek expert advice. Asbestos is not generally dangerous if undisturbed but can become problematic if it is damaged.

Asbestos is found in many areas of the home and therefore it is essential to be on guard whilst carrying out home improvements. This is particularly relevant if the building was constructed before 2000. Asbestos is found in cement, floor tiles, and fire proofing and floor boards as well as in lofts frequently.

It is advised that people do not look for asbestos and only report asbestos that looks as though it has perished or become damaged. Often people are unaware that they have been exposed to asbestos sue to it looking so similar to other materials.

Exposure to asbestos can result in serious health problems. mesothelioma compensation can be awarded to people who has suffered through no fault of their own.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is 99% attributable to a person’s having been exposed to asbestos. It could be that you had a job years ago in which you were exposed but won’t begin to show symptoms until 20 to 50 years later. Occasionally a case will be diagnosed in less than 20 years, but that isn’t the norm. You may not even realize you were exposed to asbestos, and the initial symptoms can be as general as chest or back pain. Anyone who was working prior to the mid 1970s needs to explore the possibility that he or she could have been exposed to asbestos. If this is the case for you, then you’ll need to watch out for the development of lung cancer for the rest of your life.

Mesothelioma patients have been diagnosed as having cancer cells surrounding their lungs or abdominal organs or inside their ribcages. While even a little exposure to asbestos could cause the disease, it’s far more likely to occur in people who were exposed over longer periods of time. It’s real possible that you aren’t even aware that you were ever working around asbestos, because it was common for employers back then to withhold from their employees the information that was coming out regarding asbestos exposure. Some examples of people who may have been innocently exposed prior to the 1970s include construction workers or those who were in the Navy.

There are a number of materials you could have been exposed to that contained asbestos, because asbestos was widely-used prior to the middle of the 1970s when the first reports of the damages it could cause were released. Before that time almost every kind of insulation contained asbestos, including insulation used in homes, around pipes, for fire-proofing, and in boilers. Powdered forms of plaster, cement, and joint compounds that were used to insulate contained asbestos, too, and since using them caused employees to breathe in a lot of their dust, they have proved to be a major source of asbestos exposure.

If you worked in the following fields prior to the mid 1970s, you may have been exposed to asbestos: * Insulation * Steel refineries and other industries that used steel * Shipyard workers * Building trades such as electrical, carpentry, or bricklaying jobs * Maintenance workers * Boilermakers * People who fabricated brakes and clutches * Paper mills

If you did work in one of these industries, there’s still no cause for undue alarm. You do need to let your doctor know, however, that you have a history that could include exposure to asbestos. It’s possible he may want you to undergo some testing in order to know for sure. He’ll most likely want to conduct a complete physical, have chest and abdominal x-rays taken, require additional pulmonary function tests, or schedule you for a CT scan or an MRI. If all of this testing shows no evidence of Mesothelioma, you’ll be able to breathe easy for awhile, but you’ll always need to keep on top of the fact that you could develop the disease sometime in the future.

If the time comes when you’re diagnosed with Mesothelioma, one of the first things you’ll want to do is to hire a lawyer who specializes in cases involving the disease. He will be able to evaluate your claim and file a suit against your employer seeking damages if it can be proven that there was any negligence on the part of your employer in withholding information or not providing the safety equipment you needed.

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Mesothelioma is a serious disease, and 99% of all cases are attributable to exposure to asbestos. It’s a disease that can remain dormant for as long as 20 to 50 years before it starts taking its devastating toll on a person’s health and life. Although the cancer may show up in less than 20 years in some cases, most people don’t develop any symptoms until somewhere around 35 years after exposure. Early symptoms may not ring any bells, either, because they may be as basic as general pain in the chest or back. Therefore, anyone who ever worked in an environment where there were asbestos fibers needs to be on guard for the rest of their lives.

Mesothelioma causes cancer to develop in the lining that surrounds the lungs as well as inside the ribcage and around abdominal organs. The longer a person was exposed to asbestos, the better the chance that he or she will develop Mesothelioma somewhere down the line. However, there have also been cases diagnosed that were caused by limited asbestos exposure and even household exposure. It may be that you had a summer job in construction years ago. You could have been exposed then. A lot of people who were in the Navy prior to the ’70s have come down with Mesothelioma, too.

There are a number of materials you could have been exposed to that contained asbestos, because asbestos was widely-used prior to the middle of the 1970s when the first reports of the damages it could cause were released. Before that time almost every kind of insulation contained asbestos, including insulation used in homes, around pipes, for fire-proofing, and in boilers. Powdered forms of plaster, cement, and joint compounds that were used to insulate contained asbestos, too, and since using them caused employees to breathe in a lot of their dust, they have proved to be a major source of asbestos exposure.

People who worked in the following occupations prior to the mid 1970s need to be alert for the symptoms of Mesothelioma: * Paper mills * Brake and clutch shoe manufacture * Boilermakers * Electrical and carpentry workers or bricklayers * Insulation – manufacture or installation * Steel refineries and other steel industries * Shipyard workers * Maintenance workers

Even if you did work in any of these occupations, that’s not a sure sign you’re going to come down with Mesothelioma. However, it does put you at a higher risk, and you should let your physician know that you were exposed. He may recommend that you take some tests in order to determine if the asbestos is having any effect on you. He may want to do a complete physical, have x-rays taken of your chest and abdomen, and ask you to take pulmonary function tests. In some cases CT scans or MRIs are advisable. All of this testing may well find no evidence of Mesothelioma, but at least you’ll know for sure which can be a relief.

If the time comes when you’re diagnosed with Mesothelioma, one of the first things you’ll want to do is to hire a lawyer who specializes in cases involving the disease. He will be able to evaluate your claim and file a suit against your employer seeking damages if it can be proven that there was any negligence on the part of your employer in withholding information or not providing the safety equipment you needed.

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