ASBESTOS FACTS IN SHOURT WORDS

ASBESTOS FACTS

• ï Asbestos has been used
• commercially since the late1800s.
• ï According to one study, 3,000 types of commercial products contained asbestos.
• ï An estimated 27 million Americans had significant occupational exposure to asbestos between 1940 and 1980.
• ï Asbestos manufacturers and many companies that used asbestos products knew many years ago that asbestos caused diseases, yet they concealed this information from workers, family members and the public.
• ï When the dangers of asbestos became widely known, asbestos manufacturers and related firms filed bankruptcy to avoid paying for the damage their products had caused to innocent, unknowing people. However, compensation may still be available if claims are filed within a specified time period.
• ï There are many occupational groups that are at high risk for asbestos disease, among them: power plant workers, asbestos plant workers, plumbers, carpenters, insulators, pipefitters, sheetmetal workers, boilermakers, iron workers, electricians, steamfitters, tile setters, shipyard workers, oil refinery workers, longshore- men, and others.
• ï Asbestos was used extensively on ships, and many Navy seamen, Merchant Marines and longshoremen have suffered asbestos diseases.
• ï Mesothelioma is the most deadly form of asbestos cancer. It can affect the pleural lining of the lungs and the lining of the stomach/abdomen (peritoneal mesothelioma). Asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma.
• ï Although OSHA has established ìacceptableî levels of asbestos exposure,  there is in fact no ìsafeî exposure level