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Asbestos - A History
by
WebWeaver
copyright 2005 all rights
reserved
Asbestos,
asbestosis and
mesothelioma have been subjects near to my heart for
many years now.
My father was an attorney who represented literally hundreds of people
harmed by this material and the industry that manufactured
it into myriad products. His firm was one of the first to come forward to
represent people damaged by asbestos exposure. I remember
them having proprietary software developed that was a very
great help in their work. For a time, I worked in my
father's office and met people who were suffering the
effects of asbestos exposure. It wasn't a pretty sight. In
some cases, I saw situations where opposing counsel would
muddy the waters as far as they could to make things as
difficult as possible for people who were dying. One case
in particular that I recall, the opposing counsel refused to
accept that the plaintiff had malignant mesothelioma.
Truly, it can only be definitively diagnosed at autopsy, but
the symptoms the plaintiff experienced could only have been
caused by mesothelioma. Sadly, the man passed away before
his case could come to trial. It was a difficult day for
everyone in the office, as we had gotten to know his family
in the time since Casey Gerry began representing him.
You may have heard of
incidents where demolition crews have
unexpectedly discovered asbestos in buildings they
were in the process of tearing down. Work grinds to a halt
while the EPA are called in to assess the situation, at
which point heavily clothed specially trained workers must
come in to remove the asbestos before it can work its way
further into the environment. These aren't isolated
incidents, either. People are still finding asbestos in
buildings that in some cases were never supposed to have it
in the first place. You don't just find asbestos in
buildings, either. It's also used in the manufacture of the
brake pads you use on your car!
Asbestos has a long history.
It has been used by man since ancient times. The cloth was
considered indestructible by the ancients, hence its name,
bestowed by the Greeks, which means "inextinguishable".
The cloth was used for wicking for the Eternal Flame in the
Temple of the Vestal Virgins, as tablecloths and as
napkins. It is rumored that the Romans cleaned asbestos
napkins by throwing them into the fire, where the stains
would burn off and the napkins would emerge white once more.
The ancients noted that those
who worked with asbestos tended to die very young, but as
slave labor was often the source of the materials, the
ancients weren't too terribly concerned about its negative
effects, only to the myriad uses to which it could be put.
Perhaps if it had been a loved one, rather than a slave, it
might have been more important to them that people were
sickening and dying.
Indeed, the shortened lifespan
of asbestos workers has been noted time and again over the
centuries, but it wasn't until the 20th century that it was
seriously looked at as a problem. Researchers noted the
significant numbers of ill and dying workers in asbestos
mining towns shortly before 1920. The first diagnosis of
asbestos related illness was made in 1924. The diagnosing
physician described the illness as asbestosis.
Great Britain enacted the
first laws granting workers leave when they suffered from
asbestosis, an inflammation of the lungs caused by exposure
to asbestos fibers. The United States lagged by many years
before enacting the same kinds of laws as Great Britain in
regard to asbestos.
Until relatively recently,
asbestos was a common part of construction. It not only
sheathed buildings and their contents, but was also used on
the insides of ships. Asbestos was wrapped around pipes in
order to minimize fire damage. A common place one was
exposed was in the Naval shipyards during the Second World
War. The insidious part of this was that other family
members who didn't even work in the yards ended up being
exposed, and mesothelioma often doesn't start showing until
30 to 40 years after exposure! It is still being used in
the manufacture of automobile brakes.
Asbestos fibers would cling to
workers' clothing, and would be inhaled by whomever did the
laundry for the worker, most often the woman of the house.
Workers were expected to wear masks when working with the
asbestos, but many times, the mask would become so clogged,
so quickly, that workers would simply remove the masks at
work, exposing themselves to the damaging asbestos fibers.
Their family members would be exposed to the fibers that
clung to the worker's clothing when they arrived back home,
and housewives who did the laundry would be further exposed.
Lawsuits against these
companies have been ongoing for more than twenty years now,
in some cases attaining
class action status because of the sheer number of
people affected by this material. Unfortunately at this
time, there are no class action cases pending. Asbestos
producing companies have even filed for bankruptcy, rather
than face paying for the damage done to these people and
their families. The real slap in the face to these
plaintiffs is that shortly thereafter, the company will
reopen with a slightly different name. Not different enough
that people won't know who they are, but, as a difference
corporate entity, they weren't the ones responsible
for the harm the people have suffered, at least in the eyes
of the law.
Do some research on the
subject. There is a plethora of information out there.
Above all:
If you or a family member has
any chance at all of having been exposed to asbestos, please
get them seen by a physician. Has a family preferred to do
their own brake jobs? It is worth noting that asbestos free
brakes are now available. Be sure to insist on those when
you have your vehicle worked on, either by a professional
mechanic or whomever does your automotive work. Try to find
out when and how your housing was built. If there is any
chance your dwelling has asbestos as part of its structure,
talk to someone about getting it removed as soon as
possible. If there has been any chance of exposure, talk
with an attorney before you end up losing the right to
compensation. Make sure you speak with a mesothelioma
attorney who is experienced with handling asbestos suits in
order to find the best representation possible. |
Asbestos In the News
Louisiana Jury Awards
$4.5 Million in Asbestos-Related Death Case
Water for many in Alabama flows through asbestos pipe
Trailer test results: asbestos
U.S.
moves to toughen mine asbestos limit
US Senate's Frist intends to pass asbestos
bill
Japanese government to launch inquiry into asbestos
contamination
Mesothelioma may be caused by exposure to
ultramafic rock
Alliance of Doctors and
Mesothelioma Patients Call on Congress to Tailor Awards to
Damages, Compensate Swiftly and Commit to Increased Funding
for Research
Current Studies
Treating Patients With
Malignant Mesothelioma Clinical Study Is Currently
Recruiting Patients
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