eLCOSH Hazard Alert: Asbestos in Construction

Read the report from the Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety & Health (eLCOSH) regarding asbestos hazards in the construction industry. Construction trade workers are at risk from exposure to asbestos, a dangerous substance known to cause serious lung diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.

Asbestos can hurt your lungs and many uses for it have been banned. But this mineral is still used in construction, mainly in roof panels and packing gaskets. And construction workers still are exposed to asbestos during remodeling and demolition: Asbestos is often in old fireproofing, roofing, vinyl flooring, pipe and boiler insulation, and some roads and cement pipe and cement sheet products.

Thousands of construction workers have died from diseases caused by work with — or near — asbestos without protection. And 10,000 people are expected to die each year for the next 10 years because of past exposures to asbestos. Asbestos diseases can sometimes take 20 years or more to show up after you are exposed. All kinds of asbestos are dangerous.

Other helpful links:

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