Are You At Risk For Asbestos Related Diseases?

If you have been reading newspapers and magazines, watching television, or listening to talk shows on the radio then there's a good chance that you have heard of mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other asbestos related diseases. Is there any reason for you to be concerned that you may develop one of these diseases? Read this article and find out about your risks.

Since there are low levels of asbestos present in the water we drink, the air we all breathe, and the soil around us, virtually everyone in the world has been exposed to asbestos at one time or another in their lives. However, most have not, and probably will not, become ill from this limited exposure.

Most of the people who have come down with an asbestos related disease were usually exposed to asbestos on a regular basis. Often it was when they worked at a job that required them to come into direct contact with the mineral. Or, they could have become ill as a result of a substantial degree of contact with asbestos in the environment in which they lived.

Millions of US workers have been exposed to asbestos since the early 1940s. Asbestos related health hazards have been seen in people who were exposed to it while working in the shipbuilding trade, asbestos milling and mining industries, asbestos textile manufacturing, the construction and insulation industry, the demolition industry, asbestos removal business, drywall removal industry, as firefighters, and in the auto industry.

In addition, there is evidence that members of any household in which a worker was exposed to asbestos is also at risk of developing an asbestos related disease. That's because many workers brought asbestos fibers home with them on their clothing, shoes, skin, and hair.

Because of more recent government regulations and improved safety measures workers in these industries today, if they haven't had any previous exposure to asbestos, will probably face a smaller risk of developing an asbestos related disease than those who worked in these industries in the past.

However, people who were involved in the cleanup, recovery, and rescue at the World Trade Center (WTC) site after it was attacked on September 11, 2001, are at risk of developing asbestos related diseases. That's because asbestos was used during the construction of the North Tower.

After the WTC was attacked literally hundreds of tons of asbestos filled the air in lower Manhattan.

In addition to the police officers, firefighters, paramedics, volunteers, and construction workers who were near Ground Zero, the residents of the area and people who attended nearby schools are at risk.

For the most part anyone who develops an asbestos related disease will not show any signs of being sick for anywhere from ten to forty years after their initial exposure.

If you have an asbestos related disease or believe, because of circumstances, that you may develop one, it would be in your best interest to contact a mesothelioma lawyer.

Posted in: Are You At Risk For Asbestos Related Diseases?