Cement Pipes
Throughout the first three-quarters of the twentieth century, asbestos was used freely in a number of building products, particularly those that required resistance to high temperatures and fire. But long before that, people were already lauding the qualities of asbestos, an amazing naturally-mined mineral that was durable and could help prevent fires. Records show it was used as long ago as during the Holy Roman Empire, when emperors made use of the mineral in textiles, which could be cleaned by merely throwing them into the fire. They emerged unscathed!
After the Industrial Revolution, the use of asbestos continued to increase and by the twentieth century, you could find the mineral in more than 5,000 common products, including cement. Manufacturers often used asbestos in cement pipes – particularly pipes that had to carry combustible liquids and gasses. The presence of asbestos in the cement pipes greatly lessened the chance for fire or some other sort of disaster. They were commonly found in power plants, oil refineries, chemical plants, and other similar commercial industries. Alarmingly, asbestos-containing cement pipes were also used to carry water from main water sources into homes or commercial buildings. Some U.S. cities or towns still use water pipes that contain asbestos.
While cement pipes manufactured with asbestos are perfectly safe when they are in good condition, as soon as they begin to age and start to crumble they can become a hazard. Damaged pipes can also emit airborne asbestos fibers. Furthermore, those who installed asbestos-containing pipes may also have been exposed to fibers during the installation process, especially if they had to cut, sand, or otherwise manipulate the pipe to fit the application. Cutting or sanding would have released toxic asbestos fibers, which could have been inhaled by workers.
Cement pipes containing asbestos were used until approximately 1980, when the U.S. demanded that the use of many types of asbestos cease. Though asbestos is not yet banned in the U.S., it is indeed illegal to use it in most instances because individuals now recognize the hazards of the mineral. Unfortunately, more than 50 years ago, there were already individuals who knew about the dangers of asbestos, but in the interest of profits – asbestos is cheap and readily available – they did not warn others of the risks. The end result was several generations of tradesmen and tradeswomen who developed serious asbestos-related diseases, such as mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is a quick-spreading, debilitating cancer that lies dormant in the body for up to 50 years. That means someone who was exposed to asbestos in the 1960s still has a chance of developing the disease. There is little hope for mesothelioma sufferers at this time – treatments do little to address the disease and most victims die within a year of diagnosis. Though progress is being made in the development of new and better treatments, mesothelioma ultimately remains a death sentence.
If you’ve developed mesothelioma due to exposure to cement pipes, you should take some time to learn more facts about the disease. You should also investigate your legal rights. You may be eligible for monetary compensation for your injuries, especially if you were a victim of an asbestos cover-up scheme. For more information on the disease and your rights to compensation, order our mesothelioma resource guide today.
Last modified: September 23 2008.
