Asbestos Mineral Wool
There’s no doubt that insulation is an important element in buildings, both residential and commercial. It serves as protection from fire, helps keep structures warm (or cool), and can also control noise or provide better acoustics in buildings where that’s an important factor.
For decades, the insulation of choice was asbestos. Myriad insulation products included the use of asbestos, so the dangerous material was used in millions upon millions of buildings throughout the world. One such insulation material was referred to as asbestos mineral wool. It was widely used until approximately the 1950s and may have also served as a noise-reducing material in both commercial and residential structures.
Today, some newer insulation products are referred to as “wools” but do not contain asbestos because they were manufactured after the U.S. government issued asbestos use warnings in the 1970s. They are often referred to as slag, rock, or balsam wool and are fashioned from man-made materials. Still, anyone who encounters insulation in a home or commercial building constructed prior to the 1970s may indeed be exposed to asbestos mineral wool.
Those individuals who worked in the construction industry when asbestos mineral wool was used were probably susceptible to inhaling dangerous asbestos fibers and may now be suffering the effects of such exposure. To add insult to injury, many companies that manufactured asbestos-containing insulation knew of the dangers of working with the toxic mineral, but in the interest of profits – asbestos is cheap and easy to use – they failed to warn employees of these dangers. The result, decades later, is a large number of individuals who have developed asbestos-caused diseases including pleural plaques, asbestosis, or malignant mesothelioma, a very serious asbestos-related cancer that is usually not diagnosed until it reaches its later stages, therefore causing a quick but painful death for its victims.
If you were exposed to asbestos mineral wool during your work as an insulator or because you worked in construction prior to the asbestos warnings, you may already be feeling the affects of asbestos inhalation. If so, you should be monitoring your health carefully. If you or a loved one has already been diagnosed with mesothelioma, it’s not too late to see an experienced asbestos attorney to determine your rights to compensation for expenses related to your disease or for your pain and suffering. Take a few moments to gather more information by filling out our information request form.
