That's the damning thing about mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the linings, which surround the lungs and vital organs. Hard as it is to diagnose in the first place, it can linger for decades—and you would never know it.
Asbestos mesothelioma is caused primarily, as the name implies, by exposure to asbestos—a product that's been around since the very start of the industrial revolution. Since the 1800s, asbestos has been used in a wide variety of products, including cement, roof shingles, flooring, textiles and insulation. Use of asbestos sharply increased during WW II, and since the 1940s it has been estimated that millions of Americans have been exposed to asbestos dust, and asbestos fibers.At least today we know about asbestos, and in most cases workers are protected against the future ravages of asbestos. Masks and breathing apparatus are required to avoid inhaling the material, and special clothing is worn and then shorn before the worker leaves the area, lest he or she transport asbestos fibers home on their clothing, or in their vehicles. Entire families can be affected in this fashion.
In fact, the safe removal of asbestos from buildings, or during renovations, is an industry unto itself. Such is the risk of asbestos exposure. Not only do the workers, and future inhabitants of a building need to be protected from airborne asbestos fibers, so too do people who might be visiting the work site, or even walking past. Asbestos removal experts need to be just as diligent protecting the workers inside during a removal, or renovation project—but also those outside, who might inhale fibers from an open door or window.
That's all it takes to become exposed. Of course, the longer the exposure, the greater the risk. And unfortunately, since asbestos has yet to be banned outright in the United States, it's still around. A recent Bill introduced by Congress will yet again attempt a ban on asbestos, a move adopted by dozens of other countries. But until that happens, asbestos is still being used in some products—most notably as a component of brakes in the automotive industry.
Given the awareness of the evils of asbestos, and the risk factors, most companies worth their salt today do a good job of protecting their workers from asbestos exposure.
The concern, however, remains two-fold. What of all the workers who were toiling in plants 30, 40 or even 50 years ago, when concern over asbestos was either in its infancy, or ignored entirely by uncaring employers putting more importance on the bottom line, than on workers' safety? Mesothelioma can take anywhere from 30 to 50 years to emerge after exposure. For a worker with previous ties to a large company that might still be around, there is a good chance that a claim can be successfully made against that company for costs and damages if it could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the employer failed to take the steps necessary to protect the worker from asbestos exposure.
But what if a worker toiled for a small company, which is no longer in operation? What then? Does Congress have the means, or the willingness to help these Americans?
And regardless of the asbestos shielding in this country, what of other countries? Asbestos is a common ingredient in certain types of cement, the latter used as a preferred building material for third-world countries. While there is some doubt as to the degree by which workers are protected while toiling with asbestos, a greater concern lays in future renovation of those homes. You can bet that in a third-world country there are no berms, or tarps put up when a home is demolished, or renovated. The dust is left to float in the air. Much of that cement dust will be contaminated with asbestos.
As much as that is a safety concern for the workers, many of whom will not be properly protected, an equal concern would be for area citizens and passersby who come into contact with that dust, simply by walking down the street. In this globalized economy, that someone walking down that street might be you, parachuted into the country for some reason or another at the behest of your employer.
Which begs the question: given that your employer may not necessarily be industrial in nature, there is no concern for asbestos contamination at your place of employ. However, as a representative of your company sent to a far-off land that may not have such stringent codes regarding asbestos containment as in the US, is your company going to take responsibility if you come back with mesothelioma in 30 or 40 years?
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While the risk of asbestos-related disease increases with heavier exposure to asbestos and over longer periods of time, it has been established that some individuals with only brief exposure to asbestos have developed the disease.
You may not know until 20 years from now that an environment you were in last week, whether that be in an industrial or some other setting, may have caused you to become exposed to asbestos. The bottom line however, is that regardless of the environment, if your employer required you to be in that environment as a representative of the company, and you become gravely ill down the road, it would be prudent to pursue a legal claim.