Asbestos Hazard Alert: Supplied Air Respirators in Construction

Read the report from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) with information about supplied air respirators, which are used by construction and other workers. In addition to dusts and debris, construction trade workers are at risk for exposure to asbestos, a dangerous substance known to cause serious lung diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.

There are two kinds of respirators: Supplied Air and Air Purifying.

Supplied-air respirators give you clean breathing air from a compressor or compressed-air cylinder. These respirators are used in some of the most dangerous conditions.

There are self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs) like firefighters wear on their backs or air-line respirators connected to a hose.

If there is not enough oxygen or no one is sure what is in the air where you’re working, OSHA says you must use an SCBA or air-line respirator with a small compressed-air cylinder for backup.

If you use a supplied-air respirator without the right training, you can be killed. (Most construction that requires breathing protection uses air-purifying respirators.)

Other helpful links:

Asbestos Asbestos
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Mesothelioma Lawyer Mesothelioma lawyer
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