Throughout the 20th century, tons of asbestos were mined in our country and put in thousands of everyday products. Asbestos was very inexpensive and was used as filler in many different products throughout many different industries. For example, asbestos was widely used in floor tiles.
There are a number of different jobs where workers were exposed to a large amount of asbestos on a very frequent basis. People who have worked in the floor tile manufacturing industry may have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma cancer due to asbestos exposure on the jobsite.
Floor tile, like many other building products, contained asbestos. Asbestos gained its popularity because the affordable mineral was also very strong, durable and resistant to heat and flame.
Floor tiles are made in a variety of materials ranging from stone and marble, to vinyl. Many of these tiles were manufactured to contain asbestos as the mineral made tiles durable and resistant to wear and tear. In addition, many products used with the tile such as tile backing and adhesives contained asbestos at well. The use of asbestos in these products put the workers in floor tile manufacturing plants at increased risk of developing mesothelioma cancer. Throughout the manufacturing process workers may have been exposed to asbestos dust. This asbestos dust was often created by the machines themselves, which often had asbestos containing parts, as well as when asbestos was mixed into tile materials and when tiles were cut or damaged. These fine asbestos fibers can linger once made airborne and can easily be inhaled or ingested. Asbestos fibers can damage internal organs and eventually lead to the development of mesothelioma cancer or other asbestos related diseases.
Unfortunately, millions of people have been exposed to asbestos over the years. Only now are we able to see the disastrous effects of asbestos exposure in the workplace. Generally, it takes 10 to 60 years from the time of asbestos exposure until symptoms appear or mesothelioma is diagnosed.
Many of the companies have established trust funds to pay compensation to persons injured by asbestos.
If you have mesothelioma, or other asbestos-related injury, and wish to consult an attorney about your legal rights to compensation, CLICK HERE for a free consultation.
