DANGEROUS OCCUPATION
Firefighters are vulnerable to asbestos exposure in burning buildings

March 4, 2009 – Firefighters valiantly face recognizable dangers in the course of their heroic careers, but few people realize firemen are vulnerable to another, less recognizable, danger: asbestos exposure. Asbestos exposure leads to fatal diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

As late as the 1980s, asbestos was used as a binding agent in plastics and cement wall slabs. Asbestos is also found in other construction materials, including drywall slabs, floor tiles, roofing products, wall and ceiling insulation and electric wiring insulation.

The very nature of a fireman’s work is dangerous. The hellish temperatures reached inside a building that is on fire make asbestos-containing wall slabs crumble and release toxic asbestos dust into the air. Hot air currents can easily carry toxic asbestos fibers, especially when firemen tear down ceilings, wall slabs or asbestos insulated pipes. Asbestos fibers can also settle on their protective clothing, where it poses a risk to anyone who comes in contact with it.

A 1990 study of 226 New York City firefighters, most of whom had been firemen for at least 20 years, found that nearly half had chest X-rays that showed abnormalities characteristically caused by asbestos exposure.

Firefighters around the world have a life expectancy that is 10 years shorter than average. That may be attributed to frequent exposures to smoke, deteriorating asbestos materials and other airborne toxins. In addition, asbestos blankets, gloves and aluminized asbestos suits used to be standard gear in the firefighting profession.

Diseases associated with asbestos exposure generally do not appear for 20 or more years after initial exposure. Firefighters and former firefighters are urged to discuss their possible asbestos exposures with their doctor and to receive regular check-ups for any signs of asbestos-related disease.

The truth about asbestos

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.

Protect your family

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.