Asbestos Exposure
Asbestos is actually a group of fibrous minerals that form in serpentine rocks. Bundles of the fibers are embedded throughout the rock, creating a striated pattern. When the rock is crushed or otherwise damaged, the asbestos separates into tiny fibers that float in the air like dust motes, where they are easily inhaled or ingested. The microscopic fibers have no odor or taste, and victims unaware of the risk often don’t know they are in danger.
Over a hundred years ago, manufacturers discovered the miraculous properties of asbestos. It is featherweight and won’t burn, degrade, or react to chemicals, making it indestructible for all practical purposes. Asbestos was added to everything imaginable, from roofing shingles to brake pads to plastics. Most of these products are safe to use until they are damaged or begin to rot and crumble, so living in an old house or attending an old school full of asbestos materials is not a cause for alarm. When the products, for example, floor tiles dating prior to the mid-1970s, are damaged to the point where they can be crushed by hand or underfoot, they should be considered dangerous.
Asbestos Risk
Most people who develop asbestos-related disease and/or asbestos cancer and malignant mesothelioma work in some industry where asbestos dust is common. These professions include shipyard workers, automobile factory and repair workers, Navy and other military personnel assigned to certain jobs, construction workers, mine workers, heavy machine operators, firefighters, oil refinery employees, and people who work with air conditioning and heating.
People who live with workers in these occupations are also at risk of developing asbestos-related disease, asbestos cancer and malignant mesothelioma, as are people who live in the vicinity of mines where asbestos is common, including mines that have gone unused for decades. The dust thrown up by mining operations conducted a hundred years ago can still contaminate the soil for miles around, and asbestos never breaks down or becomes harmless.
Asbestos use peaked between the 1940s and the 1970s. Thousands of products were manufactured using asbestos, and millions of workers were exposed to deadly fibers. Asbestos was released by mining and by industrial sanding, sawing, cutting, and grinding. Where there was dust in the air and heavy machinery in use, you could be sure there was asbestos. The fibers were inhaled by the workers and taken home to their families, stuck to clothing and skin and transferred to other family members, causing secondary exposure and additional victims of asbestos-related disease and asbestoc cancer.
People in proximity of a large-scale disaster, like the 9/11 terrorist attack, often inhale asbestos and other toxins. Any explosion that throws construction dust from old buildings into the air puts people at risk. Malignant mesothelioma takes decades to develop, and we may not realize the full extent of the damage done on September 11, 2001 until cases of deadly malignant mesothelioma begin to surface in the 2020s and beyond. In 2006, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that 62 percent of the people who were exposed to the toxic dust thrown up by the 9/11 attack are already dealing with respiratory issues. The people at highest risk for malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos cancers from 9/11 asbestos exposure include firefighters, paramedics, police officers, construction and demolition workers, Ground Zero volunteers and people who live or work nearby.
Natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes also pose potential hazards when old buildings are destroyed and the resulting dust and debris is scattered over a wide area.
Where Asbestos Originates
Asbestos is not always a product of the asbestos industry. One of the most deadly sites on the EPA’s list of the most toxic sites in the U.S. is a defunct vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana. Vermiculite is a mineral added to potting soil to help retain moisture, and added to insulation, plaster, concrete and other commercial and consumer products. W.R. Grace is reputed to have produced most of the world’s supply of vermiculite at one time, and operated from the 1920s to the 1990s. The Libby mine was contaminated with asbestos and the vermiculite mining operation contaminated the area and compromised the lives of the mineworkers and Libby residents.
Even with the knowledge we now have concerning dangers of asbestos, countries including Canada, South Africa and Russia continue to mine and export the deadly mineral. It is still in widespread use in many developing nations.
What Did We Know, and When Did We Know It?
The first records of the dangers of asbestos exposure were documented in the late 1800s. Although the dangers were hardly an industry secret, there was no public outcry until nearly 75 years later, when stories of malignant mesothelioma and asbestos cancers began to hit the news and lawmakers were forced into action by public concern. Manufacturers and industrialists knew and did nothing to protect workers from deadly exposure, or even warn them of its existence. One of the worst culprits, exposing its workers to asbestos in closed quarters with no ventilation, is the U.S. Navy. Approximately 16% of all malignant mesothelioma cases are retired Navy, and another 14% are retired from other military branches.
How to Protect Yourself
Today, asbestos is regulated on two fronts, by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). OSHA is responsible for the health and safety of employees in maritime, manufacturing, construction and service positions. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is another extension of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) created to represent and protect mining industry workers. Other departments dealing with worker safety include local and state branches of OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
The Environmental Protection Agency monitors the handling and disposal of asbestos, and deals with other environmental hazards.
Before construction or demolition work is done on buildings older then the late 1970s, by law, asbestos inspections must be performed. If asbestos is found, federal law requires that professionally trained asbestos workers be hired to perform asbestos removal. Circumvention of these laws puts workers at risk for asbestos exposure and asbestos cancer. Any worker who suspects that laws regarding asbestos handling are being ignored can contact OSHA or the EPA anonymously and request an inspection.
