Exposed to Asbestos for a Long Period of Time
Even after decades of increased regulatory efforts, there are not many places that are completely free of
asbestos. In other words, while the substance’s particles have been linked as a primary cause of mesothelioma, altogether avoiding the inhalation of them is still essentially unavoidable.
Instead, one can only hope that the extend of their
asbestos exposure, as well as the length of the time period over which they did so, does not increase the likelihood of them ingesting it.
With that in mind, even more than two decades after government initiatives were created to help reduce the amount of asbestos that is exposed to the public there still are many Americans who have regularly been exposed to asbestos throughout their lives and therefore may be at an increased risk of developing mesothelioma.
While asbestos products, or products that contain even small amounts of the fiber, are not always immediately dangerous to humans around them and may be sealed properly, the risk of being affected by asbestos increases drastically when tiny fibers escape into the air and can be inhaled. Once in the lungs, the fibers can eventually cause scarring and inflammation that can lead to the development of pleural disease,
asbestosis, mesothelioma, and many other forms of
lung cancer.
Because the development of mesothelioma is primarily a result of asbestos exposure, those who have inhaled larger quantities over longer periods of time may find themselves at an increased risk of the deadly illness. For decades before stricter regulations were put in place, workers in construction, ship building, mining, the military, and many other industries regularly inhaled potentially dangerous amounts of asbestos.
Furthermore, many family members or housemates of those who regularly dealt with asbestos also found themselves regularly exposed to asbestos as fibers that were not cleaned off of work clothing found their way into homes. Those living in households located at or near mines or plants that dealt with large amounts of asbestos also may experience long term exposure to the substance and have an increased risk of developing the disease.
One of the most well known, and tragic, examples of long-term exposure to asbestos-related materials and the consequences that come with it can be seen in Libby, Montana. The town, which is located six miles south of sites that were the basis of vermiculite mining operations from the Zonolite Corporation and W.R. Grace from 1919-1990, has seen approximately 400 of its residents succumb to asbestos-related diseases.
According to a recently released report by the Associated Press, residents of the town during the earlier parts of the 20th century regularly saw thin snow-like linings of vermiculite - which consists of a naturally occurring asbestos mixture – that had drifted down from the mining operations.
Combined with a large population of workers at the plant who regularly kept their dusty work clothes near other family members at home, and the contaminated ground that went untreated until the Environmental Protection Agency finally intervened in 1999, the AP reported that 1,500 local residents had asbestos scarring in their lungs.
According to the Center for Asbestos Related Disease, long-term exposure to vermiculite has led to a unique illness seen in the town that has been named Libby amphibole asbestos.