MIXING ASBESTOS-BASED JOINT COMPOUND

Mixing asbestos-based joint compounds causes cancer in construction workers

June 15, 2010 – Asbestos was frequently used in construction products because it adds strength to building materials, is resistant to fire, temperature changes and electricity, and is relatively inexpensive. One of the most common asbestos-based building products used pervasively throughout the construction industry was asbestos mixing joint compound, used to build walls in a majority of U.S. homes throughout the 20th century.

Workers who prepared asbestos mixing joint compound in buckets repeatedly exposed themselves to powdered asbestos dust. Occupational asbestos exposure occurs when asbestos fibers become airborne in a confined work site and workers accidentally breathe these fibers into their lungs. Prior to the 1980s, very few workers used masks or respirators to protect them, as the law requires today.

Mixing asbestos-based joint compounds

Asbestos exposure can also occur from joint compound when the product begins to deteriorate from old age, or when it is sanded or removed during a home renovation project. Asbestos diseases like mesothelioma have a long latency period, which means decades can pass before deadly symptoms can be diagnosed. And by then it is usually too late.

Mesothelioma is a preventable cancer caused primarily by occupational asbestos exposure, and it is frequently the result of negligence by employers and asbestos product manufacturers who deliberately overlook work-site health safety to lower expenses and boost profits.

Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C.

If you once worked with asbestos mixing joint compound, or any other asbestos-based construction products, and you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please fill out the questionnaire on this page for a free legal consultation and case review, with no obligations. Get the facts you need to make informed decisions.

Weitz & Luxenberg is a legal force in the asbestos litigation field, having obtained record-setting verdicts and settlements for American workers injured by occupational asbestos exposure.

Protect your family’s financial future today by obtaining a free appraisal of your case through the communication form on this page.