Asbestos Gaskets
Asbestos was once considered so crucial to the functioning of a modern industrial society that it was labeled a strategic material and included any and everything that needed a bit more fire protection and / or strength.
From roughly the 1890s to the 1980s, asbestos was included in literally countless products and applications (countless because we are still discovering previously unknown uses for the “magic mineral”) .
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One very common use for asbestos was (and still is) in gaskets.
Gaskets are the common name for any type of mechanical seal that brings together two mating surfaces. Usually gaskets are used to prevent leakage, provide insulation and fill any spaces between irregular surfaces.
Asbestos seemed to be the perfect material for manufacturing gaskets. Indestructible, fireproof, and impervious to moisture and corrosion, asbestos would provide safety and longevity to any gasket it was added to. But then the truth about asbestos was revealed.
Once asbestos use was definitively linked to a wide range of serious illnesses in the 1970s such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, its use was mostly discontinued. Since asbestos has not been banned in the United States, asbestos can still legally be used, although it has mostly been replaced by other materials.
Anyone who worked around gaskets – either installing or manufacturing them – may have been exposed to asbestos and could be at risk of developing mesothelioma, lung cancer or other asbestos-related diseases.
The lag time between exposure to asbestos and mesothelioma can be up to 50 years, giving those who worked with asbestos the false sense that because they have been exposed but remain healthy, they are safe. Mesothelioma can strike anyone who has been exposed to asbestos at any time.