Corrugated Paper
So many home building products were manufactured using asbestos. Adding asbestos to these products made them extra durable and provided the products – and the building in which they were installed – protection from fire and high temperatures. Asbestos was found in shingles, floor and ceiling tiles, insulation, cement pipe, and many more products, including corrugated paper.
Usually used for wrapping or packing, corrugated paper – a thick, pleated type of paper – found a number of applications inside a home or commercial building. Asbestos-containing corrugated paper was generally used as thermal insulation for pipes, sometimes lined fireplaces, stoves, and furnaces, was used in small appliances, and might have been found in hot plates and trivets. The paper was used both because of its durability and its heat-resistant qualities.
Today, the use of asbestos in corrugated paper is no longer allowed, but because it wasn’t outlawed until the late 70s, many older homes and commercial buildings still containing this tainted corrugated paper. In addition, older small appliances and other household items might also still contain asbestos. That means great care should be taken whenever the presence of the dangerous mineral is suspected.
Those who worked in corrugated paper factories or with products that contained corrugated paper probably didn’t think that the paper could someday affect their health. However, with the addition of asbestos, the paper became lethal. Damaged, cut, ripped, or sanded corrugated paper could easily release toxic asbestos fibers which would, in turn, be inhaled by those in the vicinity. Though the fibers didn’t always affect everyone who inhaled them, many individuals later developed asbestos-related diseases due to this exposure.
Unfortunately, long before the U.S. government issued guidelines on asbestos use, many individuals already knew about the dangers of asbestos but failed to share the information with others. The result was unnecessary asbestos exposure for thousands upon thousands of workers in a variety of trades. Today, many of those workers have already passed away from asbestos-related diseases or are currently suffering with diseases like asbestosis and mesothelioma.
During the last decade or so, the U.S. legal system has begun to recognize the fact that asbestos diseases could have been avoided had the proper information been dispensed and courts are finally awarding compensation to those affected by the asbestos cover up. If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma due to your exposure to asbestos-containing corrugated paper or other similar products, you should take time to see an experienced asbestos attorney who can assess your right to compensation. For more details, order our mesothelioma information kit.
