ASBESTOS CEILING TILES

Health dangers lurk above in the form of asbestos-tainted ceiling tiles

November 9, 2010 – Last year a former public school student diagnosed with asbestos-related mesothelioma was awarded $400,000 when her school board was found liable for exposing her to asbestos during her time as a student. Asbestos exposure occurred in the school through asbestos ceiling tile located in the students’ restrooms. The tiles reportedly released toxic fibers when they were disturbed by students who would playfully hide personal items in the ceiling.

A day after the verdict, the plaintiff passed away from her disease.

Asbestos is so toxic it kills 90,000 people worldwide every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Besides asbestos ceiling tiles, there are many other asbestos-containing building products in this country that contribute to some 3,000 mesothelioma cases in the United States every year.

Most building products made today do not contain asbestos, a cancer-causing material once commonly used in construction products until the 1980s. Government regulations were enacted at that time limiting its use but not banning asbestos completely.

Many asbestos-containing materials used in construction – from asbestos ceiling tiles to basement heating pipe insulations – are still embedded in older public buildings, schools and homes. That alone is not cause for alarm, unless the materials are in poor condition or damaged. Products in poor physical conditions emit fibers.

Asbestos exposure from ceiling tiles

When asbestos ceiling tiles are cut to fit during installation work, or ripped out during demolition activities, deadly asbestos fibers dislodge and become airborne.

Occupational asbestos exposure occurs when fibers are accidentally inhaled, usually by professional asbestos tile setters or tile manufacturers who devote their entire careers to working around asbestos products.

Microscopic fibers lodge in their lung tissues over time and develop into tumors, leading to such serious diseases as mesothelioma, asbestosis and asbestos-linked lung cancer.

Before government regulations took effect, installers of asbestos ceiling tiles were uninformed of the serious health threat they faced at work, often going about their business without any warnings from contractors or the asbestos ceiling tile manufacturers who produced the tainted products.

Obtain compensation for your injury

Weitz & Luxenberg is a New York law firm that has specialized in asbestos-injury claims for nearly 30 years. The firm is a national legal force in the asbestos litigation field and long recognized for obtaining record-setting verdicts and settlements for workers diagnosed with occupational asbestos diseases.

If you worked professionally with asbestos tiles of any sort, and have been diagnosed with an asbestos illness, you may be eligible for huge financial awards under the law. For a free legal consultation with no obligations, please use the form on this page to provide some details about your situation. A representative from the firm will address your immediate concerns at no cost.