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Asbestos is a highly dangerous substance that is known to cause mesothelioma in people who are exposed to asbestos over a long period of time. Mesothelioma is a rare but very deadly form of cancer for which there is currently no cure. Historically asbestos has been used in a very wide variety of products used in construction, including adhesives used in residential and commercial building construction.
In 1977, the Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of asbestos in consumer products due to the hazardous nature of materials that contain this substance. However, existing stocks of asbestos-containing construction materials were used until those stocks were exhausted in the mid-1980s.
If your home was built prior to the mid-1980s, asbestos-containing adhesives may have been used in laying carpet, floor or ceiling tile, for caulking or sealing windows, metal joints and other constructions. Such materials may contain between 1% and 25% asbestos depending on the nature of the adhesive and the purpose for which it was used.
What you can do to Protect your Home and Family
Long-term exposure to asbestos - typically over several years - causes the development of mesothelioma cancer. However, this deadly cancer is made even more dangerous because it can take two or more decades to develop, and because the disease is difficult to diagnose in the early stages.
If you suspect that adhesives in your home may contain asbestos, you can have these substances professionally tested for a small fee, to determine if asbestos is present. If asbestos is determined to be present, you can then opt to have the substances removed and replaced.
However, it's important to note that the presence of asbestos is not always dangerous. Asbestos-containing construction materials are typically safe in the home as long as they are not broken, chipped or otherwise disturbed. Activities such as remodeling or replacing adhesives may potentially be dangerous, however, because disturbance of asbestos-containing products releases asbestos fibers into the air, where they can be breathed into the lungs. This means it's important to find out whether any adhesives or other products contain asbestos before carrying out such activities.
Asbestos in the Home - Know your Rights
If you are exposed to asbestos as a result of adhesives and other asbestos-containing products being present in your home, it's important to know what your legal rights are and how you can protect yourself and your family. Asbestos exposure does not always lead to the development of mesothelioma, and the presence of asbestos in the home is not always dangerous, but the potential is there, so it's important to know what to do in such situations.
If you develop mesothelioma, or are exposed to asbestos in the home, contacting an experienced mesothelioma lawyer will get you started on the right track. Your mesothelioma lawyer can explain what your legal rights are, help you determine how and when your asbestos exposure occurred, what companies are responsible for making the asbestos-containing products, and advise you on how to proceed with a lawsuit.
Pursuing a mesothelioma lawsuit may not make the pain of suffering from mesothelioma easier to cope with, but it will help you replace lost income, provide for medical expenses, and help make your family more financially stable - nd just as important, will help you obtain peace of mind and some justice, too.
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