DANGEROUS OCCUPATION
Janitors risk mesothelioma working in older buildings where asbestos materials are common

February 27, 2009 -- Building janitors’ duties often go beyond sweeping and mopping. Some janitors, like custodians or superintendents, are responsible for monitoring maintenance systems that have the potential to bring them into contact with asbestos containing materials, especially in older buildings.

Asbestos was used extensively in public buildings prior to 1980. Asbestos insulation, for example, was installed nearly anywhere there was heat or danger of a fire, such as in building basements where janitors work. Pipe lagging, electrical conduits and furnace doors are a few of the places asbestos containing materials can be found. Floor tiles, wall board, joint compounds and window putty might also contain asbestos.

Asbestos containing materials may be friable or non-friable. “Friable” is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as the ability to crush the material using hand pressure alone. When friable asbestos is disturbed, it crumbles into dust, releasing needle-like fibers into the air that can be inhaled and lead to deadly illnesses like mesothelioma.

The truth about asbestos

Despite the potentially fatal health consequences associated with asbestos exposure, asbestos is still imported and used in the United States for its insulation properties. The United States imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos in 2007, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Government 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. That’s why people diagnosed with mesothelioma and their family members have strong cases in court.

Time to seek justice!

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.