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Once a standard for household uses, asbestos, a naturally occurring material still mined across the world, is still present in buildings that have yet to be abated. A culprit of mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, asbestos can shorten life expectancy considerably. And property owners with unabated asbestos present in their buildings increasingly face mesothelioma law suits across the globe.
A Greek word meaning unquenchable or inextinguishable, asbestos first came in to human favor for its fire retardant characteristics around 4,500 years ago. First used in ancient pottery, the Scandinavians and British at one point actually wore material containing asbestos as clothing. But humankind soon found many more uses for the compound.
Asbestos became increasingly popular among manufacturers and builders in the 1800s during the Industrial Era for its sound absorption, strength, insulating capabilities and affordability. Popular in electrical insulation for hotplate wiring. Though first discovered as harmful to the human respiratory system at the turn of the 20th century, by the 1950s, asbestos was increasingly refined and included in household material with which humans would be in regular contact. This material includes fire retardant coatings, concrete, bricks, pipes, fireplace cement, resistant gaskets, pipe insulation, ceiling insulation, fireproof drywall, flooring, roofing, lawn furniture, and drywall joint compound.
The effects of asbestos on the human body is extensive. Not only does contact with skin cause serious irritation, but when breathed, asbestos fibers act as tiny shards of glass in the lungs. Mesothelioma was first used in medical literature in 1931 and first associated with asbestos sometime in the 1940s, the source of 70-80% of cases. The National Institute of Health estimates that 11 million people were exposed to asbestos between 1940 and 1978.
Mesothelioma symptoms are diagnosed in four stages, depending on how advanced the case. But side effects from mesothelioma treatment can be just as uncomfortable and include sore throat, nausea, hair loss and pneumonitis. Mesothelioma law suits are a just way of seeking compensation for the discomfort, treatment and ultimately the shortened mesothelioma life expectancy.
Also if you have suffered from asbestosis, asbestosis claims need an asbestosis lawyer, as do mesothelioma law suits. Remaining in most of the nation’s approximately 107,000 schools and 733,000 public and commercial buildings, asbestos containing materials have a very serious presence in day to day lives. Exposure is very much a reality, as are the hazards to your health.
