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Asbestos is a naturally occurring toxic mineral that was commonly used throughout the 20th century because of its natural resistance to heat and fire. The mineral was often used in insulation and asbestos fibers were frequently mixed with cement and woven into fabrics. Asbestos exposure can result in the development of serious illnesses such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.
Since its creation, asbestos has been used in a variety of different ways by a number of occupations. Many of the people who worked in these various occupations have contracted a range of different health problems from their asbestos exposure. There are several different ways a person can come into contact with asbestos. Some people directly worked with asbestos, some lived with a spouse or parent who worked with asbestos, and some were exposed in their workplace without even knowing it.
Workers from practically all trades were involved with asbestos, even those that worked in the unlikeliest of professions. Asbestos was used in a variety of different products and was largely found in shipyards, power plants, chemical plants, factories, steel mills, building construction, and the telephone industry. Some of the occupations that commonly came in contact with asbestos include:
All ships built by the Navy before the mid-70s were filled with asbestos-containing materials. These materials were extensively used in engine & boiler rooms and other areas including mess halls, sleeping quarters, and navigation rooms. Products such as cables, gaskets, valves, adhesives and many others also contained asbestos. Other military service members could be exposed from asbestos in their living quarters, duties or because the people around them worked with asbestos. This also includes shipyard workers, longshoremen, reservists and merchant mariners.
Asbestos textile mills
Protective clothing and glove makers came in contact with asbestos while they wove it into cloth.
Automobile manufacturing or repair work
Brake and clutch manufacturers and assembly workers including automobile mechanics and brake repairers, used asbestos on brake linings and clutch pads.
Construction
Building engineers, building material products manufacturers, cement plant production workers, and construction workers all worked with asbestos-related products. This includes demolition and wrecking crews were at risk when they destroyed buildings that used asbestos as insulation.
Electricians
Electrical workers, including electricians, electrical linemen, and telephone linemen came in contact with asbestos insulation around electrical products.
Other industrial workers
Custodians, insulation manufacturing plant workers, pipefitters, machinists, insulators, packing and gasket manufacturing plant workers, and powerhouse workers all came in contact with asbestos. Railroad workers, sheet metal workers, steamfitters, refinery workers, rubber workers, refractory products plant workers, and warehouse workers also worked with asbestos on a daily basis.
In the late 19th century, the use of asbestos became popular in the construction and manufacturing industries due to the mineral’s highly versatile, durable, flexible and relatively inexpensive nature. The superior insulating properties of asbestos fibers offered manufacturers a way to strengthen buildings and products and protect them from fire and heat, without adding much weight or cost.
Until the late 1970s, asbestos was used in thousands of products, including household items, construction materials, paper goods, protective clothing, engines, automobiles and heating and cooling systems. Millions of homes, office buildings, military vessels and factories contained asbestos-laden products for many years, before the risks associated with asbestos fibers were made known.
There are currently hundreds, if not thousands, of products and construction materials in use today that may contain asbestos. It is important to be aware of the risk of lung cancer, mesothelioma and other life threatening conditions associated with the inhalation or ingestion of airborne asbestos fibers. There are too many products to list here, but some of the products include:
Adhesives
Asbestos Mitts, Asbestos Mittens & Glassblower Mitts
Asbestos Tiles, Ceiling Tiles & Floor Tiles
Fireproofing Materials
Asbestos Gloves
Asbestos Spackle, Plaster, Spackle Compounds
Vinyl Products
Fume Hoods & Laboratory Hoods
Rope & Rope Packing Material
Electrical Cloth & Electrical Panel Partition
Textile Cloths & Textile Garments
Crock Pots, Popcorn Poppers, Stove Mats & Pads
Fertilizer & Potting Mixtures
Fire Prevention Materials
Corrugated Paper & Thermal Paper Products
Generators, Turbines & Pumps
Baby Powder and Hair Dryers
Cigarette Filters
Marine Panels and Navy Sealer
Sheet Packing and Sheet Rope
Asbestos in Clay
Firebrick
Plastics
Glassbestos and Asbestos Micarta
Silicate Calsilite
Asbestos Valve Insulation Jackets & ASB Weatherproof Jackets
Agricultural Filler
Asbestos Cord
Asbestos Wick
Cooling Towers
Caulking & Putties
Cement
Insulation
Roofing Materials
Welding Materials
Brick, Block Mortar, Masonry Fill & Bonding Cement
Joint Compound & Dry Mix Joint Compound
Textured Coatings & Paints
Vermiculite Compounds
Corkboard, Cork-Covering & Cork-filled Mastic
Ehret Block & Pipe Covering
Ductwork Connectors & Flexible Duct Connectors
Patching Fiber, Patching Plaster & Wood Fiber Plaster
Acoustical Plaster, Decorative Plaster, Acoustic Finishes & Troweled Coating
Flat Board, Millboard, Panels & Cement Wall Board
Asbestos Spray-Applied Insulation & Thermal Spray
Asbestos Lap Siding
Duplex Block, Duplex Pipe Covering, Pipe Covering and Air Cell Pipe Covering
Asbestos Sheets, Gold Bond Sheets, Asbestos Cement, Gold Bond Cement
Paper & Gold Bond Paper
Permaboard, Rollboard and Flex Board
Sheetrock and Taping Compounds
Stone Corrugated Sheets & Stone Sheathing
Seals, Sheets & Sponge Block
Adhesives and Gold Bond Adhesives
Asbestos Tar Paper & Gold Bond Tar Paper
Base Flashing & Asbestos Felt Base
Construction Mastics & Gunning Mix
Wallboard Plaster & Gold Bond Perfo-Lyte
HVAC Ductwork Insulation, Heat Guards & Heating Ducts
Boiler Wall Coat & Expansion Joint
Floor Backing & Drywall Taping Compounds
Asbestos Tape
Gasket Material & Heat Seals
Valves, Valve Stem Packing & Valve Rings
Brakes, Clutches, Hood liners & Elevator Brake Shoes
What is the law?
Health and safety regulations concerning the use of asbestos in products began to be surface in the 1970s and 80s. In December 1977, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of asbestos-containing patching compounds and artificial fireplace ash products.
More than a decade later, on July 12, 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a ban of most asbestos-containing products, but this ruling was overturned just two years later by a New Orleans court. Currently, the 1989 EPA ban affects only flooring felt, rollboard and certain types of papers that contain asbestos.
Due to the severe health hazards associated with asbestos, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued bans on certain asbestos products. Asbestos is no longer used as a reinforcing fiber in construction materials, appliances and other household materials.
Banned products fall under two federal laws, which include: the Clean Air Act, including the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants Toxic Substances Control Act
Some consumer products have also been banned by the Consumer Safety Product Commission. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration also set limits stating that during an eight-hour time period or a 40-hour work week, no more than 100,000 airborne fibers may be present in a workplace in order to minimize occupational asbestos exposure.
The EPA banned most asbestos-containing products in 1989 under the “Asbestos Ban and Phase Out Rule,” but the ruling was appealed by the First Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans soon after the approval. Due to the court’s ruling, certain asbestos materials andasbestos products remain unbanned in the United States. Under the Clean Air Act, the following asbestos-containing products have been banned:
According to the Toxic Substances Control Act, the following asbestos products are currently banned:
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has also issued bans for textured paint and wallpatching compounds. The regulations also apply to new uses of asbestos, or the use of asbestos in products that did not typically contain asbestos in the past.
The spraying of materials containing more than 1 percent asbestos is also prohibited from being applied to buildings, structures, conduits or pipes unless it is bound properly in a binder material.
The following products are not subject to the 1989 Toxic Substances and Control Act and are not considered to be banned in the U.S.:
Although these materials are not currently subject to a federal ban, if the materials become friable, or easily crumbled by hand, they may pose a health hazard. If asbestos-containing materials become frayed, broken or torn, contact a licensed asbestos contractor for the safe removal or encapsulation of these products.
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