Asbestos in Breaching Insulation
What is breaching insulation?
Breaching insulation was used on commercial boilers or boiler ducts to contain catastrophic breakage. Asbestos was used in breaching insulation because of its ability to withstand extreme heat, high durability, and low cost. Any boiler or commercial pipes constructed prior to the 1980s are very likely to contain asbestos. Breaching insulation used in modern boiler construction most likely does not contain asbestos. However, asbestos in breaching insulation today still poses some risks. These risks were made apparent in 2007 when an old steam pipe exploded under a street in downtown Boston and ruptured the pavement, sending asbestos fibers over a large densely populated area. The same thing happened in Manhattan that summer, when a pipe laid in 1924 exploded, killing one person and injuring many more.
Airborne asbestos is extremely hazardous. Once inhaled, asbestos fibers can become lodged in the mesothelium, the protective layer of cells that line many of the body’s internal organs. Microscopic asbestos fibers are long and sharp, making them very difficult to for the body to break down or remove. Over many years, the embedded fibers can cause irritation and scarring. And over many decades, the scarring can lead to a wide range of serious illnesses, including asbestosis, lung cancer, and even malignant mesothelioma, a rare but deadly form of cancer that affects the lungs, heart, and stomach.
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The three major diseases caused by asbestos exposure:
- Asbestosis is a chronic but non-cancerous respiratory disease caused by the inhalation of asbestos. Asbestosis usually results from intense, long term exposure to asbestos, usually by workers producing or working closely with asbestos products, such as building demolition. Because it is so often associated with occupational exposure to asbestos, asbestosis is considered an occupational lung disease. The primary symptom of asbestosis is severe shortness of breath (dyspnea), and put the individual at high risk for malignant illnesses such as lung cancer and mesothelioma.
- Lung cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide, and the number one cause of death related to asbestos exposure.
- Mesothelioma, or malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that develops in the mesothelium, the thin lining that protects many of the body cavities and internal organs such as the lungs, heart, and stomach. It is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma can develop up to 40 years after exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma lawyers are here to help
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or any other asbestos-related disease from workplace or home exposure to asbestos, contact an experienced
mesothelioma lawyer immediately.
Asbestos companies knew of the risks of asbestos exposure for decades before the public knew. There are avenues to compensation for their criminal actions.
Asbestos attorneys can help.