When you think of asbestos, you may think of a damaging material that is rarely used in homes or properties today. However, there are many uses for asbestos, which is why it’s still used more than you may have thought. There are workers who are more likely to come into contact with it, and those people are at a higher risk of developing mesothelioma and other diseases.
The trouble with the asbestos fibers is that they can’t dissolve once they’re in the body. They stay there and continue to cause scarring and damage for many years. They can create both benign and malignant illnesses that develop anywhere from two to five decades after exposure. Symptoms may occur sooner.
Those who work as firefighters, construction workers, factory workers, shipbuilders or railroad workers are more likely to be in direct contact with asbestos. That means that these individuals are also at a higher risk of developing the diseases and symptoms that asbestos can cause.
In 2017, the Archives of Environmental & Occupational Health published a study that showed that shipyard workers who were exposed moderately to asbestos were up to four times more likely to die from mesothelioma. The link is obvious, which is why exposure has to be taken seriously.
While there are safety precautions that can be taken, like wearing the right personal protective equipment, those in these industries may not find it easy to avoid asbestos exposure. If you’ve worked in one of these industries and now have an illness from asbestos exposure, you may have a right to pursue a claim against your employer for your illness.