Asbestos Disease--36 Years after Being Exposed

Syracuse, UTJack went into the Navy in 1967 and worked as a boiler technician until he left in 1971. During that entire period he worked on a ship removing and installing lagging and asbestos containing-insulation for pumps and pipes in the boiler room. He was never once issued with any warning or information about asbestos, asbestosis or asbestos mesothelioma.

Earlier this year, Jack came down with pneumonia and went to see his doctor. "I told my doctor about how I had worked around asbestos for so many years, unprotected, and he sent me for a CT scan," Jack said.

The scan suggested asbestosis in his lungs. This is about 36 years later--right in the time frame where asbestos-related disease can begin to show itself. "I didn't notice anything about my health that was unusual until after my bout of pneumonia," Jack said. "Now, my doctor will continue to monitor me for the foreseeable future. I have to go back in 6 months for another CT scan. He did talk to me about asbestos causing lung cancer, and I'm concerned."

During the entire time Jack worked as a boiler technician the only protective gear he and his 50 or so colleagues on his shift were issued with were leather gloves. "That was to prevent us getting burnt," he said.

"The First warning I got about the dangers of asbestos was when I worked in the Air Force, around 1980. That's when people really started to become aware of—there was a lot of publicity about asbestos disease around that time. That's when it hit me that I had been exposed a lot over a long period of time."

Asbestos Mesothelioma—Were the Dangers Known Earlier?

Recently, the case of a man who died from asbestos mesothelioma went to court, and among the evidence presented by the lawyer representing the late victim's estate, was the fact that the defendants, in this case a company that manufactured asbestos-containing gaskets for naval ships, knew about the dangers of asbestos well in advance of any warnings they may have issued. Furthermore, medical experts who testified at the trial said that the medical community was aware of the health implications as early as the 1960s. So chances are, the navy could also have been aware of the potentially fatal health problems associated with asbestos exposure before the 1980s. The jury must have believed so, because they awarded him a settlement of $4,390,000

People Are Still at Risk for Asbestos Exposure

Despite the fact public awareness has improved and the use of asbestos is regulated, the mineral is still widely used because it provides remarkable insulation. It is used during construction and renovation and the manufacturing of roofing materials and automobile parts such as brake shoes. So ongoing asbestos exposure remains a reality.

As for people who worked with asbestos in the recent past, many are just now being diagnosed with asbestos related disease. People like Jack. Asbestos mesothelioma has a latency period of as much as 40 years, maybe more, no-one knows for certain. But the fact that it does have an effect is indisputable. Some estimates suggest that more than 27 million workers were exposed to the lethal minerals between 1940 and 1980. Recent estimates suggest that there are 10,000 asbestos-related deaths a year in the United States, including 1 out of every 125 American men who die over the age of 50. And this number could rise as more and more people like Jack start to show signs and symptoms of asbestosis.