Asbestos & Mesothelioma

When asbestos is intact, it does not pose a health threat. But when the material deteriorates, asbestos fibers can be released into the air and inhaled.

The chance of getting an asbestos lung cancer, like mesothelioma, increases with the level and duration of exposure. More than 1.3 million employees in the construction industry are exposed to asbestos on the job and risk developing mesothelioma. Construction workers face heavy exposure to asbestos especially during the removal of asbestos meanwhile renovating or demolition. Employees working in areas of manufacturing of asbestos such as textiles, friction products, insulation, and other building materials, are also likely to be exposed.

The Center for Disease Control says that thousands of Americans continue to be over exposed to the mineral dust in the workplace and news cases of mesothelioma are still occurring. There is a current battle with Congress to create a USD 140 billion fund to compensate victims of asbestos exposure.