Compensation For Asbestos Exposure

Since the late 1800s, asbestos has been used in hundreds of products and ways. It has been used in cement building materials, as reinforcement in asbestos-cement products, brakes and clutches, water and sewage pipes, sprayed fire-proofing products, fire-resistant insulation boards, floor tiles and coverings, gas masks, lifts, and machinery. Asbestos products were used to insulate boilers and pipes in factories, steel plants, power plants, hospitals, schools, and homes. Asbestos was the main material used to insulate shipyards and railroads. Asbestos was used in both industrial and residential construction to keep noise and heat out, prevent condensation, and stop fires. Asbestos has been used as insulation in things like irons and toasters.

When asbestos is mined, made, or put into place, tiny asbestos fibers are released into the air. Most fibers that are breathed in are gone from the lungs within a few hours. Asbestos fibers that are breathed in and don’t get coughed up stay in the lungs, moving to the lower parts of the lungs and then into the alveoli, which are tiny spaces in the lungs where oxygen gets into the bloodstream. Asbestos fibres stay in the alveoli for years after they get there. When asbestos fibers stay in the lungs, they can irritate the tissue and change the way cells divide. These changes can cause diseases that are often very bad and even deadly.

Lung cancer kills the most people who have been exposed to asbestos. Most lung cancer caused by breathing in asbestos starts in the lining of the bronchi, which are the tubes that go from the windpipe to each lung. Asbestos exposure can also cause lung cancer to start in the windpipe, the bronchioles, or the alveoli. Most of the time, lung cancer spreads to other parts of the body. People who have worked with asbestos for a long time are three to four times more likely to get lung cancer than people who haven’t worked with asbestos. People who work with asbestos and smoke tobacco are more likely to get lung cancer. A persistent cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, tiredness, hoarseness, and anemia are all common signs.