ASBESTOS FILTERS
Workers are urged to wear asbestos filters during demolition or renovation projects

February 5, 2009 -- In the late 1970s, manufacturing asbestos filters involved measuring and dumping 50- to 75-pound sacks of asbestos into large (7,000 gallon) tanks. “The amount of airborne asbestos was staggering,” said one worker. “It was easily visible, yet workers were issued nothing more than nuisance dust masks, which did little to nothing.”

Today, the law requires workers to wear a professional respirator with a special asbestos filter, and to demolish or renovate under the supervision of a certified asbestos contractor familiar with the occupational hazards of asbestos and the recommended safety precautions to follow.

Asbestos filters are urged for demolition or renovation work

If a building or home is being demolished, then asbestos must be removed by a licensed asbestos contractor prior to demolition.

If the building or home is being renovated and the renovation may disturb asbestos, then the material in the area undergoing renovation must be removed by a licensed asbestos contractor prior to renovation.

In both situations, contractors urge workers to wear a respirator with a special asbestos filter. Respirators with special asbestos filters can be obtained from a safety supplies store.

The truth about asbestos

Despite the fatal consequences associated with asbestos exposure, asbestos is still imported and used in the United States. In 2007, the U.S. imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Medical sources estimate that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. This disease is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos – and usually contracted through employers’ blatant disregard for the health and safety of their workers.

Time to seek justice!

People diagnosed with mesothelioma and their family members have strong cases in court. Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of workers for 25 years – longer than most law firms in the nation. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and seek FREE legal guidance and answers to your concerns, please notify us through the communication form below. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, future and past lost wages, and damages. There is no cost to you until we win a settlement or a verdict.