Fireproofing Materials
Probably the most widespread use of asbestos, historically, has been in products intended for fireproofing. Fireproofing materials were used in all sorts of buildings and structures, from homes and schools to office buildings and plants or factories and aboard ships and airplanes. After all, fire is a scary thing and engineers responsible for adding safety features to these structures always wanted to be sure that the occupants would be safe. For decades, the best way to do that was to use asbestos or asbestos-containing materials.
Fireproofing materials come in all shapes and sizes, but all have a common goal. Thermal insulation and fireproofing materials serve to reduce the flow of heat through the thickness of the material. Today, these materials are generally fiber-based or foam structures prepared from thermally-stable materials such as fiberglass, glass wood, polymeric materials, cellulose fibers, and ceramics or refractories. However, most fireproofing materials used to be made of asbestos.
Asbestos was long considered a miracle mineral because of its fire- and heat-resistant qualities and its durability. But even centuries ago, historians like Pliny the Elder observed serious disabilities and sickness among slaves who worked in the asbestos mines of old. After the Industrial Revolution and the increase in the use of asbestos, doctors were seeing the same symptoms in factory workers, miners, and construction workers who came in contact with asbestos on a daily basis. It wasn’t unusual for these individuals to have difficulty breathing or to experience coughing or serious chest pain.
Though doctors and scientists issued warnings about the dangers of asbestos, this information rarely made it to the ears of those who worked with asbestos each day, manufacturing or handling items such as fireproofing materials. Though their superiors may have known about these hazards, the information was usually kept from employees, often in the interest of saving money. The health of workers was, in general, blatantly disregarded.
Why was asbestos considered dangerous? Those with inside information knew that small asbestos fibers, caused by damaged asbestos, could become airborne and be inhaled by those working with the material. Once the sharp fibers are inhaled, they become lodged in the chest and lungs and eventually cause scarring and inflammation. This inflammation can sometimes develop into a tumor and become mesothelioma, a fatal cancer of the lining of the lungs, heart, or abdomen.
Over the years, many individuals whose employers did not protect them from the hazards of asbestos have developed asbestos-related diseases. If you have mesothelioma due to your work with fireproofing materials, you should take some time to seek information about your legal rights as an asbestos victim. Order our free mesothelioma information kit for more details and to learn more about the disease.
