So who is, in fact, responsible?
Between 1940 and 1978, over 11 million workers were exposed to asbestos in their jobs. As industrial workers were by far the most heavily exposed occupational group, they were massively impacted. Many injured people wonder where their asbestos exposure took place and who is responsible for their suffering.
The most common culprits that have been found over recent decades were asbestos manufacturers, employers, distributors, mines, suppliers, and companies who sold asbestos-containing products. Property owners who fail to remove asbestos from the buildings they rent out can also be held accountable if one of the tenants becomes ill.
Despite their outrageous attempts to evade responsibility, many asbestos manufacturers had been well aware of the danger asbestos exposure poses to human health long before the mineral was classified as a carcinogen. Those who were producing automobile components and building materials knowingly exposed both workers and consumers to asbestos. Numerous manufacturers have been found guilty of not warning people with regard to the dangers of asbestos.
Nowadays, employers are required to comply with strict regulations and to keep workers safe by properly informing them about the hazardous nature of asbestos. Nonetheless, the situation has not always been so fair and as a result, the health of many employees was at risk during the last century. Employers, contractors, as well as factories have been found guilty of deliberately allowing workers to handle asbestos-containing products.
However, there are also circumstances when no one is at fault for asbestos exposure which is followed by a life-threatening disease since asbestos is a natural mineral occurring in the earth. Deposits of asbestos were discovered in many states throughout the U.S. In such cases, there is nobody to blame for asbestos exposure.
Which occupational groups are more likely to be exposed to asbestos?
Although the use of asbestos has decreased considerably, it is estimated that 1.3 million employees in the U.S. are still exposed to asbestos on the job. The majority of people who have recently been diagnosed with asbestos diseases were exposed to asbestos several decades ago when the mineral was extensively used by numerous industries all across the United States.
Approximately 11 million people were exposed to asbestos between 1940 and 1978, most of whom in the workplace. The following occupational groups have the highest risk of developing asbestos-related diseases, as they were exposed to tremendous concentrations of airborne asbestos fibers on a regular basis and some of them would also handle raw asbestos:
- construction workers
- auto mechanics
- furnace workers
- shipyard workers
- electricians
- sheet metal workers
- boilermakers
- oil refinery workers
- welders
- pipefitters
- asbestos miners
- millwrights
While the occupations above rarely entail a risk of asbestos exposure nowadays, firefighters and demolition workers are two groups of workers who might encounter it on the job, since most old buildings have asbestos in their structure. Fire often produces great damage to asbestos-containing materials and fibers can easily become airborne. Similarly, when a building is being demolished, enormous amounts of asbestos fibers are released into the air. Despite the protective equipment most workers are required to wear, the risk of exposure - although lower than several decades ago - remains.
Legal assistance for asbestos exposure victims
If you have an asbestos-related cancer diagnosis and wonder who is responsible for your condition, the skillful attorneys at Environmental Litigation Group, P.C. can help you identify the culprit and recover proper compensation for your injury. Please call us and we will provide you with quality legal assistance during the entire process. Veterans exposed to asbestos in the military who now struggle with a related disease and want to seek compensation will have to provide our legal team with their military records, which they must retrieve, and their medical records.