Asbestos has been a killer for decades. The first wave of victims was miners and plant workers. Wave number two killed many shipbuilders, boiler workers, and insulators. Now the third wave has hit. These victims were not those who worked with asbestos-laden products as they were being produced and installed. These are workers encountering old asbestos products being removed, renovated, or otherwise disturbed allowing fibers to be inhaled once again. Barry Casleman, an environmental consultant, after attending a conference dedicated to this third wave in 1990, said, “in-place asbestos was going to pose a continuing danger to millions of workers and to the general public.”
His prediction has come true as approximately 2700 people are diagnosed with mesothelioma, a deadly asbestos-caused disease, each year in the United States.
How are workers exposed?
Often the exposure is unnecessary, as when uncaring employers try to save money by not protecting employees by testing – or properly handling – asbestos on the job. Unscrupulous employers allow the deadly dust to be released into the air, and on employees, with no protection and no warning. This can apply to more than workers; it can apply to anyone who comes in contact with disturbed asbestos. It can go through air handling systems; it can be carried home on clothing to exposed families; it can be encountered through unauthorized disposal methods – it can be found in DIY projects when replacing tile, scraping popcorn ceilings, or crawling through old insulation. Asbestos was widely used in home construction through most of the 1970s. It is still used in brake linings and many other products today.
When will this third wave end?
This third wave still has many years to affect victims as the latency period can be decades before an asbestos disease is detected. All of us at the DuBose Law Firm in Dallas, Texas want everyone to be aware of the lurking danger and, if in doubt, always consult a licensed abatement professional to assess the situation.