Asbestos Flatboard
Building a home or commercial building is a complicated process that involves the use of hundreds of different kinds of products and many tradesmen who are charged with specific duties particular to their trade, such as drywalling, plumbing, electrical work, and others. Throughout the first three-quarters of the twentieth century, many tradesmen (and women) worked with building products that contained hazardous asbestos. These products ran the gamut from floor and ceiling tiles to shingles to piping.
Asbestos flatboard was a type of reinforced construction board that was used to line walls or ceilings. It offered a particularly smooth finish due to its flat surface. While you can still purchase flatboard today, many flatboard products of old contained asbestos. Today’s flatboard does not. The toxic mineral was added to the product for a number of reasons, including increased durability and fire and heat resistance. This made the flatboard last longer and kept those inside the building safe from fire.
Asbestos flatboard was manufactured by a number of different companies. Most of these companies continued manufacturing this dangerous product until asbestos warnings were issued in the 1970s, so decades of tradesmen were exposed to asbestos through the use of flatboard. Unfortunately, they were never told to take precautions while working with the material. The reason why, one might venture, is simply that no one knew how dangerous inhaling asbestos could be. Sadly, that statement couldn’t be further from the truth.
The fact is that many company executives and owners knew about the dangers of asbestos exposure decades before the U.S. government took steps to halt most uses of the dangerous mineral. However, in all but a few cases, these individuals failed to share this important information with the general public, specifically their employees and those who used products such as asbestos flatboard in their everyday jobs. Such a cover-up resulted in myriad individuals becoming sick due to exposure to asbestos, which can cause pleural plaques (thickening and hardening of the lungs), asbestosis, and the cancer mesothelioma.
Life is difficult for those who develop these diseases through no fault of their own. All asbestos-related diseases are debilitating. They cause severe chest pain and coughing and make it difficult to breathe. Victims of these diseases can often no longer work and are unable to perform everyday tasks, such as cleaning the house, shopping, mowing the lawn, playing with the kids or grandkids, and other activities. They suffer monetarily due to loss of work and high medical bills associated with the diseases.
For mesothelioma victims, the verdict is grave. Most individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma die within a year of learning they have the disease and conventional cancer treatments do little to help. Most doctors are content on keeping mesothelioma patients as comfortable as possible during their last days because there is little else they can do, even though research continues into better treatments and therapies for the disease.
Did you work with asbestos flatboard either as an employee of a company that manufactured the material or as a tradesperson that handled the material on a regular basis? Have you developed mesothelioma due to this exposure? If so, you may have a right to monetary compensation for your suffering. Take a moment to learn more details by requesting our free mesothelioma information kit today.
Last modified: September 23 2008.
