|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

Stove Mats - Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure Risks

Not too long ago, an asbestos stove mat was considered an essential kitchen accessory. A 1927 article published in the British newspaper, The Guardian extolled the virtues of asbestos in the kitchen:

Asbestos cord bound round the handles of kettles, saucepans, and irons, will prevent burnt fingers. Asbestos mats placed on the stove make a safe surface for casseroles and other fireproof ware during the cooking of the food in them. Asbestos table mats are also very popular as a means of preventing hot plates and dishes from marking the table surface where a tablecloth is not used. These asbestos mats can be obtained with charming embroidered, or otherwise decorated, slip covers

The article goes on to suggest keeping an asbestos roofing tile in the kitchen to use as a makeshift trivet to keep hot saucepans and dishes from marking tables, and advocates wrapping asbestos cord around exposed pipes in the winter to reduce the chances of the pipes freezing and bursting. Finally, the article notes, asbestos can be bought in fiber form and kept on hand to temporarily repair leaking gas and water pipes.

These days, most people cringe at the thought of asbestos in their homes - often without realizing that they are most likely surrounded by asbestos. Asbestos was once used in over 5,000 products, including many household products that were used daily. Among the most popular of those products were pot holders, oven mitts, trivets, asbestos table pads and asbestos stove mates. While the use of those products in the home probably presented little danger to those who were using them, they presented a very clear danger to the thousands of people who worked with asbestos in manufacturing these common household items.

Generally, when people hear about asbestos lawsuits, the plaintiffs are men (and far more seldom, women) who worked in construction, naval shipyards, railroad yards and mines. Many are men or women who worked in factories that made automotive parts and other types of machinery that used asbestos as insulating materials for machinery parts. Far less notice is paid to those workers - many of them women - who worked as stitchers, cutters and assemblers in factories that made common household items like oven mitts, pot holders and stove mats. Those workers were exposed on a daily basis to far times the accepted safe levels of asbestos dust in the air.

Asbestos fibers are the only known cause of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs, or in rarer cases, the tissue around the heart or the lining of the abdominal cavity. While it is very rare in the general population, the incidence of mesothelioma in occupations that handled and used asbestos products in their daily work shoots up to many times the rate of those in the general population. Mesothelioma has no known cure, and it is invariably terminal. It has a latency period of ten to fifty years, and has been known to result from a short term exposure to asbestos, though it is most often diagnosed in those who worked with asbestos daily for long periods of time.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and were involved in the manufacture or packaging of products that contained asbestos, you may have a right to receive compensation for your injuries. The laws regarding asbestos compensation are different from state to state, so only a lawyer who is experienced with mesothelioma law in your state can tell you for sure what your options are.

Name:

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Phone Number:

Email:

Diagnosis:

Select... Mesothelioma Lung Cancer Asbestosis Severe Asbestosis Unknown

Comments:

Show Your Support

Free Wristbands
Get an Asbestos Awareness Wristband. Read More

VA Claim Help

Support Book

Cancer Support Book
Get a Free Copy of Lean on Me - Cancer Through a Carer's Eyes. Read More

In Your Area

Asbestos Exposure
Learn about asbestos exposure and legal options in your area. Read More

We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: Verify Here.