Iron Rests
It is difficult to understand how a small, seemingly-innocent household product could adversely affect the health of those who used it. However, such was the case with many household products manufactured during the first seven decades of the 20th century, when an estimated 5,000 different kinds of products contained asbestos, including many items used within the home on a daily basis.
Electricity always presents the risk of fire or injuries such as burns. That’s why many small electrical appliances manufactured prior to 1980 contained asbestos. However, items that conduct or absorb heat, such as hot pads and iron rests, also contained asbestos.
These days, most people don’t use iron rests but they were a popular home item several decades ago. Quite simply, as the name suggests, an iron rest was a safe place to “rest” an iron when it was plugged in but not in use. Housewives or others tackling the task of ironing, including pressers in commercial dry cleaning establishments, would place the iron on the rest between jobs. Placing the iron on the rest eliminated the need to turn off the iron and turn it back on when needed again. It also saved time spent having to wait for the iron to warm up again.
For many years, iron rests contained asbestos, simply because the mineral is a good insulating material and is highly resistant to heat and fire. A new iron rest, or one in good condition, did not present an asbestos hazard. However, iron rests that became damaged or worn with age may have released asbestos dust and fibers. The fibers would then become airborne and could be inhaled by anyone in the vicinity, particularly the person doing the ironing or pressing.
It has been known for centuries that the naturally-mined mineral known as asbestos could cause serious health problems, no matter how small the exposure. Even though those who used asbestos-containing iron rests didn’t suffer a level of exposure equivalent to, for example, a shipyard worker, the inhalation of fibers still put them at risk for developing mesothelioma or other related diseases.
For many years, manufacturers of asbestos-containing products knew that asbestos could cause health problems but did little or nothing to stop the sale of these asbestos-containing items. For that reason, many individuals suffered unnecessarily when – indeed – exposure could have been halted.
If you used an iron rest at home or on the job in a dry cleaning plant or similar facility, you may have been exposed to asbestos fibers. If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma due to this exposure, you’ll need to learn more about your legal rights and whether you qualify for monetary compensation for your injuries. For more details, order our free mesothelioma information kit.
