Posts Tagged ‘Asbestos Exposure’

Chemical Production

Asbestos is a naturally occurring material that has a great many features to it that make it an extremely useful material in many different facets. The problem with asbestos is that it can be extremely harmful to humans due to some of it’s microscopic features. Chemical manufacturing plants have used asbestos in many different applications from products they produce to products that are used for production of chemicals. Asbestos has a natural resistance to fire and heat as well as being resistant to many different chemicals. These desirable properties have lead to asbestos being used throughout the chemical manufacturing industry. The down side is that asbestos causes many respiratory and other illnesses in people. Asbestos also causes a rare and deadly form of cancer; mesothelioma. Chemical plants have used asbestos as insulation for boilers, around ovens and pipes, extruders, driers, and even pumps. Although direct contact with the asbestos in these forms is not that common, these items can still pose a dangerous threat. Most chemical plants high exposure risk to asbestos items tend to be counter tops coated with an asbestos related lining, other coating materials, and protective garments. Since asbestos can be woven into a thread and thus have garments made from it’s threads, it was used as protective clothing until it was realized that the exposure to the asbestos in the fibers probably did more harm than good. It is important that when working in a chemical manufacturing facility that areas with the risk of asbestos exposure be clearly marked and all proper precautions be taken if one must venture into such an area. When it comes to asbestos and protecting yourself from exposure in any capacity, one can never be too safe.
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Asbestos exposure in ships

There are a great many ways to utilize the desirable properties of asbestos. Asbestos has a resistance to heat and fire and can be molded and manufactured into many different products for useful application. The Navy made use of asbestos in many different applications on their ships. Every ship from a Navy destroyer to cruisers and aircraft carriers at one time used some asbestos containing product. Asbestos is the number one cause of mesothelioma, which has caused a great deal of veterans to have been afflicted with mesothelioma, a terrible form of cancer. There have also been a great deal of other asbestos related illnesses reported in the past due to the exposure to asbestos on old Navy ships. The Navy used asbestos in many different forms. Boiler and engine rooms tended to have a high exposure risk to the mesothelioma causing material. The Navy also used asbestos based adhesives, valves containing asbestos, and even cables and gaskets that contained asbestos. Navy submarines also had a great deal of risk in the crew being exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos. As the Navy renovated and demolished ships, workers in the shipyards were also exposed to asbestos, perhaps at an even greater risk due to the dust and debris that is breathed in during a typical demolition. The Navy has since renovated their fleet to greatly reduce the risk of asbestos exposure, curbing the rate of seamen diagnosed with mesothelioma. It is a costly and difficult undertaking to update the world’s largest navy in order to safely reduce asbestos exposure to a ships crew, but this was most certainly a necessary task.

Mesothelioma

Since mesothelioma can take decades to manifest symptoms, it is important to know if you have been exposed to asbestos during your lifetime and be prescreened for the disease if you think you might have been. Getting prescreened for mesothelioma can help come up with a diagnosis even before symptoms surface. The sooner you are diagnose, the better rate of survival you will have. People who have been prescreened and treated for mesothelioma before they experienced symptoms have been able to live for several years after diagnosis, while those who do not receive treatment early on generally have a life expectancy no longer than 18 months. Most people who have been exposed to asbestos came in contact with the toxic material on the job. It is up the previous or current employers to inform employees that they may have been exposed to asbestos. Also, you can contact past employers to inquire as to whether your position would have put you at risk for asbestos exposure. The sooner you are diagnosed with mesothelioma, the sooner you can file a claim for having been made to work in unsafe conditions. Winning a lawsuit is highly contingent on filing a suit as soon as you find out that you have mesothelioma. Being prescreened and filing a suit right away can help to provide some financial support for the medical bills you will be acquiring and it’s best to do so while your still healthy enough to put forth the time and energy .

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  • Looking Forward To Asbestos Ban A deal is near on legislation banning the use of asbestos, a fibrous mineral often used in brake linings, gaskets, cement products and even yarns and threads imported into the country despite its dea
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