Silicate Calsilite
A variety of products containing asbestos were used as insulation for decades before warnings about the dangers of the mineral were issued in the late 1970s.
Silicate Calsilite is an insulation product that was first produced in the late nineteenth century and manufactured until just a few years before those warnings were issued.
Silicate Calsilite was manufactured by the General Aniline and Film Corporation, later known as GAF. It was most commonly used to make pipe covering and block insulation for a number of different applications. As a matter of fact, the company produced a few different variations of the silicate calsilite product: Calsilite Hi for was designed as insulation for equipment that reached temperatures of up to 1800 degrees F; Calsilite, which withstood temperatures up to 1250 degrees; and Calsilite SS, designed for use on stainless steel pipes.
GAF discontinued producing the Calsilite line of insulation products in 1972 when rumors had begun circulating about the dangers of asbestos. Unfortunately, for those who had already been exposed to silicate calsilite during the manufacture or installation of these products, this action was too little, too late. Asbestos-containing silicate calsilite had already caused serious pulmonary diseases in many individuals.
Just what does asbestos do to the body and why is it so dangerous? Experts have been concerned about human contact with this dangerous mineral for decades and in the last several years, they’ve determined that even exposure to a very small amount of asbestos can be dangerous.
When humans inhale asbestos fibers, they can become lodged in the lungs or the area around the lungs. These sharp fibers, in turn, can cause inflammation which may also eventually result in the formation of tumors and the asbestos cancer, mesothelioma. Mesothelioma, oncologists say, is one of the most difficult forms of cancer to treat and often results in a quick death sentence for those who develop the disease.
While not everyone who is exposed to asbestos develops mesothelioma, many individuals may develop other asbestos-related diseases, including pleural plaques and asbestosis, both of which are very uncomfortable and make breathing difficult. In addition, individuals who develop those two less-serious diseases are at a greater risk for someday developing cancer.
If you worked with or were exposed in silicate calsilite and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may have a right to monetary compensation, especially since many manufacturers withheld their knowledge of the dangers of the mineral from their employees. For more details about your legal rights, order our free mesothelioma information packet.
Last modified: October 15 2008.
