Asbestos is a mineral that was crushed and milled into a fine
particulate, and shipped to corporations for building and insulation
materials. Asbestos mines around the world, many in Canada, produced
over 250 million tons of asbestos for use in the United States
between 1890 and 1970. Asbestos was added to a variety of products
including insulation, automotive brakes, fireproofing, pipe
covering, cements, refractory materials, gaskets, floor tiles and
joint compounds.
The dangers of asbestos were known to the companies that made these
products as early as the 1920s. However, asbestos was sold and used
without warnings up until the 1980s -- when most asbestos products
were banned in the United States and other countries. Alternative
materials were available that could have been used in place of
asbestos.
During the installation, repair, maintenance, renovation and removal
of asbestos materials, the products were cut, scraped, sanded and
otherwise altered. Some materials, such as cements, were mixed at
job sites using raw asbestos fibers. These processes created dust,
which was breathed in by the laborers working with and around these
materials. Dust from these products also traveled throughout
buildings and factories and ships, and remained airborne for weeks.
When swept, these materials were re-suspended in the air -- where
they were breathed in again by workers in the vicinity.
A wide array of workers were exposed to asbestos including shipyard
workers, factory workers, pipefitters, sheet metal workers,
plumbers, laborers, machinists, mechanics, powerhouse workers, and
electricians. One cloud of dust from asbestos products can contain
millions or billions of fibers, and even a small amount of asbestos
can cause lung damage. Injuries also occur to women who washed their
husband's clothing after they returned home from work and to
individuals who used asbestos products, such as floor tiles, in
their homes.
Often, individuals won't recall how they were exposed to asbestos,
and may believe that they were not exposed to asbestos at all. A
careful examination and review of a person's work and life history
often reveals exposures to asbestos products that may not be readily
apparent.
New York law limits your time to bring a
legal claim. To protect your rights, you need to have your personal
injury claim evaluated immediately. To have your claim evaluated,
please fill out this form or contact us at: bfinfo@belluckfox.com
Belluck & Fox, LLP
295 Madison Avenue,
37th Floor
New York, NY 10017
(212) 681-1575
