Asbestos…still lethal

     Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral made up of microscopic fibers that are long, thin, hollow, and nearly indestructible. It is strong, flexible, and resistant to chemicals and this is why back in the 1800’s this country developed a love affair with the stuff. It was used in fire proofing, in insulation on pipes and boilers, in surfacing materials, in mastic, in floor and ceiling tiles, and in roofing material. In fact if you work in a building constructed before 1980 it probably has asbestos in it. Sadly it was known even in its infancy that it was a danger to those exposed to it but this fact was kept hidden from the general public by the companies that mined and sold it.

     Asbestos kills, make no mistake about it. It is responsible for a myriad of respiratory problems with the worst being mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the smooth lining of the chest, lungs, heart, and abdomen. The latency period for meso is 15 to 50 years from time of exposure to asbestos. It is a cruel and painful disease and those diagnosed with it have a survival rate of 4 to 18 months.

     What can we do? The first step is awareness. There are many good safety videos on asbestos that demonstrate what it looks like, where it is found, and what to do when you come upon it in the workplace. If you even have a slight suspicion that the material with which you are working might contain asbestos stop and notify supervision immediately. This is a case where we can’t afford to worry about what the boss will think. We are talking about our lives here and the quality of the lives of our families if we are the unlucky recipient of the death sentence of mesothelioma. To take a chance at exposing ourselves and our fellow workers to asbestos is criminal.