Historical Information

The following are just a small sample of events that occurred that provided companies with knowledge that asbestos was dangerous:

• 1918: Frederick Hoffman, a medical statistician for the Prudential Life Insurance Company, reported in a United States Department of Labor Bulletin that American life insurance companies generally deny coverage to asbestos workers because of the “assumed health-injurious conditions of the industry.”
• 1922: Louis Dublin, a statistician for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, writes that asbestos workers are at risk of injury to the lungs.
• 1930: One major asbestos company, Johns-Manville, produces a report, for internal company use only, detailing the fatalities and medical injuries of asbestos workers.
• 1932: A letter from the United States Bureau of Mines to asbestos manufacturer Eagle-Picher states, “It is now known that asbestos dust is one of the most dangerous dusts to which man is exposed.”
• 1933: Metropolitan Life Insurance Company doctors find that 29% of the workers at one Johns-Manville plant are suffering from asbestosis. Johns-Manville settles lawsuits by 11 employees on the condition that the lawyer for the employees agrees that he will not bring any new actions against Johns-Manville.
• 1934: Officials at Johns-Manville and Raybestos Manhattan rewrite an article about the diseases of asbestos workers written by a Metropolitan Life Insurance Company doctor to minimize the danger of asbestos dust.
• 1935: Johns-Manville and Raybestos Manhattan instruct the editor of Asbestos Magazine to publish nothing about asbestosis.
• 1936: A group of asbestos companies agree to sponsor research on the health effects of asbestos dust, but require that the companies have complete control over the disclosure of the results.
• 1937: Roy Bonsib, Chief Safety Inspector for the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, documents illnesses, such as asbestosis, and analyzes the dust-creating potential of installing and removing asbestos insulation.
• 1937-38: The Industrial Hygiene Digest at the Industrial Hygiene Foundation includes 2 articles about industrial types of cancer by workers working with asbestos.
• 1942: An Owens Corning corporate memorandum refers to “medical literature on asbestosis… [and] scores of publications in which the lung and skin hazards of asbestos are discussed.”
• 1942-43: The president of Johns-Manville says that the managers of another company were “a bunch of fools for notifying employees who had asbestosis.” When one of the people in attendance ask, “Do you mean to tell me you would let them work until they drop dead?” According to deposition testimony, the response was, “Yes. We save a lot of money that way.”
• 1944: Metropolitan Life Insurance Company finds 42 cases of asbestosis among 195 asbestos miners.
• 1944: The Journal of the Medical Association reports that asbestos is one of the “agents known or suspected to cause occupational cancer.”
• 1948: The American Petroleum Institute’s Medical Advisory Committee, whose members include oil giants, received a summary of a paper in which the chief pathologist for E.I. DuPont De Nemours & Co. suggested that the industry “aim at the complete elimination of the exposure” to asbestos.
• 1951: Asbestos companies remove all references to cancer before allowing publication of research they sponsor concerning exposure to asbestos.
• 1953: National Gypsum’s safety director wrote to the Indiana Division of Industrial Hygiene, recommending that acoustic plaster mixers wear respirators “because of the asbestos used on the product.” Another company official notes that the letter was “full of dynamite,” and urges that the letter be retrieved before reaching its destination. A memo from those files notes that the company “succeeded in stopping” the letter which “will be modified.”
• 1964: Dr. Irving Selikoff publishes a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, proving that people who work with asbestos containing materials have an abnormal incidence of asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.
• 1989 and 1991: In 1989, the United States Environmental Protection Agency bans asbestos and most of its uses, but, in 1991, asbestos companies win a federal lawsuit that overturns the EPA’s asbestos ban.
• 1999: The Florida Supreme Court rules that Owens Corning willfully withheld information about the dangers of working with the company’s asbestos products. The Florida Supreme Court describes it as a “blatant disregard for human safety involving large numbers of people put at life-threatening risks.”

Asbestos exposure has been particularly heavy in certain kinds of job sites. Here is a partial list of such job sites:

• Chemical plants
• Power plants
• Refineries
• Steel mills
• Shipyards
• Manufacturing plants
• Commercial construction sites
• Residential construction sites
• Smelters
• Paper mills
• Oil fields

Trades

Exposure to asbestos has placed workers in a variety of trades at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma. Here is a partial list of such trades:

• Asbestos workers
• Insulation workers
• Automobile mechanics
• Shipyard workers
• Sailors on seagoing vessels and in dry docks
• Maintenance employees
• Chemical and petroleum workers
• Locomotive repairmen
• Stationary engineers
• Stationary firemen
• Power station operators
• Electric and gas utility workers
• Fabricated plate workers
• Paper-mill workers
• Construction contractors
• Plumbers
• Concrete workers
• Steel erectors
• Carpenters
• Electricians
• Pipe fitters
• Welders
• Oil field workers
• Boiler makers
• Steel workers
• Drywall finishers
• Painters
• Plasterers
• Iron workers
• Floor installers
• Masons
• Pot tenders

The story of asbestos and the diseases it causes are an American tragedy. The lives and health of thousands of American families are negatively affected by prior exposure to asbestos. Unfortunately exposure still occurs today. All too often, individuals, companies and even municipalities have been caught trying to hide the removal of asbestos from the public.

Our goal is to inform you as to how exposure to asbestos occurs. We will also provide examples of work environments that lead to exposure; work trades and activities that put Americans at certain risk of exposure to asbestos contamination. For over thirty years the courts have been making very large compensation awards to individuals and their families exposed directly or indirectly to asbestos.

Who is At Risk of an Asbestos-related Disease?

Everyone is exposed to asbestos at some time during their life. Low levels of asbestos are present in the air, water and soil. However, most people do not become ill from their exposure. People who become ill from asbestos are usually those who are exposed to it on a regular basis, most often in a job where they work directly with the material or through substantial environmental contact.

Since the early 1940’s, millions of American workers have been exposed to asbestos. Health hazards from asbestos fibers have been recognized in workers exposed in shipbuilding trades, asbestos mining and milling, manufacturing of asbestos textiles and other asbestos products, insulation work in the construction and building trades and a variety of other trades. Demolition workers, drywall removers, asbestos removal workers, firefighters and automobile workers may also be exposed to asbestos fibers. However, recent studies do not support an increased risk of lung cancer or mesothelioma among automobile mechanics exposed to asbestos through brake repair. Due to Government regulations and improved work practices, today’s workers (those without previous exposure) are likely to face smaller risks than did those exposed in the past.

Those involved in the rescue, recovery and cleanup at the site of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center (”WTC”) in New York City are another group at risk of developing an asbestos-related disease. Because asbestos was used in the construction of the North Tower of the WTC, when the building was attacked, hundreds of tons of asbestos were released into the atmosphere. Those at greatest risk include firefighters, police officers, paramedics, construction workers and volunteers who worked in the rubble at Ground Zero. Others at risk include residents in close proximity to the WTC towers and those who attended schools nearby. These populations will need to be followed to determine the long-term health consequences of their exposure.

One study found that nearly 70 percent of WTC rescue and recovery workers suffered new or worsened respiratory symptoms while performing work at the WTC site. The study describes the results of the WTC Worker and Volunteer Medical Screening Program, which was established to identify and characterize possible WTC-related health effects in responders. The study found that about 28 percent of those tested had abnormal lung function tests, and 61 percent of those without previous health problems developed respiratory symptoms. It is important to note that these symptoms may be related to exposure to debris components other than asbestos.

Although it is clear that health risks from asbestos exposure increase with heavier exposure and longer exposure time, investigators have found asbestos-related diseases in individuals with only brief exposures. Generally, those who develop asbestos-related diseases show no signs of illness for a long time after their first exposure. It can take from 10 to 40 years or more for symptoms of an asbestos-related condition to appear.

There is some evidence that family members of workers heavily exposed to asbestos face an increased risk of developing mesothelioma. This risk is thought to result from exposure to asbestos fibers brought into the home on the shoes, clothing, skin and hair of workers. To decrease these exposures, Federal law regulates work practices to limit the possibility of asbestos being brought home in this way. Some employees may be required to shower and change their clothes before they leave work, store their street clothes in a separate area of the workplace or wash their work clothes at home separately from other clothes.

Cases of mesothelioma have occurred in persons without occupational exposure. They live close to asbestos mines or have exposure to fibers carried home by family members working with asbestos.

Several factors can help to determine how asbestos exposure affects an individual, including:

• Dose (how much asbestos an individual was exposed to).
• Duration (how long an individual was exposed).
• Size, shape and chemical makeup of asbestos fibers.
• Source of exposure.
• Individual risk factors, such as smoking and pre-existing lung disease.

Although all forms of asbestos are considered hazardous, different types of asbestos fibers may be associated with different health risks. Results of several studies suggest that amphibole forms of asbestos may be more harmful than chrysotile for mesothelioma risk, because they tend to stay in the lungs for a longer period of time. All common commercial types of asbestos have been associated with lung cancer.

Hazardous exposures to asbestos have also resulted from off-site releases from the mining, milling and manufacturing industries potentially exposing residents in nearby communities. Some estimates state that releases from construction sites have resulted in environmental asbestos levels approximately 100 times greater than the levels that naturally occur in the environment. Additionally, employees have brought asbestos contaminated clothing from the workplace into the family home, exposing members of the worker’s family to asbestos. Some experts believe that the most important current source of non-occupational exposure is the release of fibers from existing asbestos-containing surface materials, such as those in schools, residences and public buildings.

Key Points About Asbestos Exposure

• Asbestos is the name given to a group of minerals that occur naturally in the environment as bundles of fibers.
• Exposure to asbestos may increase the risk of asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma, other cancers and other non-malignant lung and pleural disorders.
• Smokers who are also exposed to asbestos have a greatly increased risk of lung cancer.
• Individuals who have been exposed (or suspect they have been exposed) to asbestos fibers on the job, through the environment or at home via family contact should inform their physician of their exposure history and any symptoms.

What are Health Hazards Associated with Exposure to Asbestos?

People may be exposed to asbestos in their workplace, their communities or their homes. If products containing asbestos are disturbed, tiny asbestos fibers are released into the air. When asbestos fibers are breathed in, they may get trapped in the lungs and remain there for a long time. Over time, these fibers can accumulate and cause scarring and inflammation, which can affect breathing and lead to serious health problems.

Asbestos has been classified as a known human carcinogen (a substance that causes cancer) by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the EPA and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Studies have shown that exposure to asbestos may increase the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma (a relatively rare cancer of the thin membranes that line the chest and abdomen). Although rare, mesothelioma is the most common form of cancer associated with asbestos exposure. In addition to lung cancer and mesothelioma, some studies have suggested an association between asbestos exposure and gastrointestinal and colorectal cancers, as well as an elevated risk for cancers of the throat, kidney, esophagus and gallbladder. However, the evidence is inconclusive.

Asbestos exposure may also increase the risk of asbestosis (a chronic lung disease that can cause shortness of breath, coughing, and permanent lung damage) and other non-malignant lung and pleural disorders, including pleural plaques (changes in the membrane surrounding the lung), pleural thickening and pleural effusions (abnormal collections of fluid between the thin layers of tissue lining the lung and the wall of the chest cavity). Although pleural plaques are not precursors to lung cancer, evidence suggests that people with pleural disease caused by asbestos exposure may be at increased risk for lung cancer.

Asbestos-related Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both lungs. Healthy lung tissue cells reproduce and develop into healthy lung tissue. Abnormal lung cancer cells reproduce more rapidly than normal cells and never grow into healthy lung tissue. Lumps of cancer cells, also known as tumors, form and disrupt the normal operation of the lung, making it difficult for the lung to function properly.

Many people think of lung cancer as a disease that is caused by cigarette smoking, but it can also be caused by asbestos. Workers who have been heavily exposed to asbestos are several times more likely to develop lung cancer than people who have not been exposed to asbestos. People at the most risk for developing lung cancer are those people who smoke cigarettes and also have a history of asbestos exposure. Such people have as much as a ninety times greater chance of developing lung cancer than those who neither smoked nor were exposed to asbestos. Lung cancer can also be linked to exposure to other carcinogens, as well.

Asbestos-related Colorectal Cancer

Colon cancer is a cancer of the digestive or gastrointestinal (”GI”) tract. Asbestos exposure can be a cause of colon cancer when asbestos fibers are ingested through the mouth and lodge in the GI tract, eventually causing the disease.

Asbestos-related Esophageal Cancer

Cancer of the esophagus may be due to asbestos exposure. The esophagus is the muscular tube that connects the throat to the stomach. Asbestos fibers entering via the mouth may be swallowed and lodge in the esophagus, eventually causing the disease.

Asbestos-related Laryngeal Cancer

Asbestos exposure has been identified as a cause of cancer of the larynx. Asbestos fibers breathed through the mouth can lodge in the larynx, eventually causing the disease.

Asbestos-related Stomach Cancer

Asbestos may cause stomach cancer when asbestos fibers ingested through the mouth are swallowed and lodge in the stomach, eventually causing the disease.

Asbestosis

Asbestosis is a benign (non-cancerous) disease caused by exposure to asbestos fibers that become lodged in the lungs. The lungs try to protect the body from these foreign bodies by building up scar tissue around them. Over time, the lung’s capacity for oxygen is reduced.

Asbestosis is a progressive disease: as the scarring of the lungs increases, the lungs’ vital capacity decreases. Asbestosis can cause severe shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain and heart problems. Asbestosis may also affect people with asbestos-caused cancers, such as mesothelioma and lung cancer, although asbestosis does not develop into these or any other kind of cancer.

Asbestosis is called a latent disease. This means that asbestosis develops many years, even decades, after a person’s initial exposure to asbestos. The latency period for asbestosis is usually at least 15 years after a person’s initial exposure, but can be shorter or longer.

Asbestos is a “dose-response” disease. That means that the more asbestos a person is exposed to, the higher his or her risk for developing asbestosis.

There is no known treatment or cure for asbestosis. People with advanced asbestosis may require oxygen respirators to help them breathe.

Asbestos-related Pleural Disease

Asbestos-related pleural disease is a common disease caused by asbestos exposure. Pleural disease consists of “plaques” on, or thickening of, the lining of the lung. Pleural disease may also take the form of a pleural “effusion,” which is the build-up of fluid on the lung lining. Like asbestosis and other forms of asbestos-related diseases, pleural disease is a latent condition. This means that pleural disease usually does not develop until several years after a person’s initial exposure to asbestos.

1. Historical Overview

The term “asbestos” comes from a Greek word meaning “unquenchable” or “indestructible.” Asbestos is a group of mineral fibers that share properties of heat and chemical resistance, flexibility and high tensile strength. Because of these properties, asbestos was at one time popularly known as the “magic mineral”; it has been used in over 3,000 different household or commercial products.

Asbestos has been widely used in many products from as early as the Industrial Revolution until the present time. Thus, modern industry was not the first to use this hazardous mineral. Asbestos use began as early as 2500 B.C., when it was used in making Finnish pottery. Another early use of asbestos use was in the wick of a golden lamp crafted for the goddess Athena in the fourth to fifth centuries B.C. During this same period, asbestos cloth was used to hold the ashes of the dead during cremation. Pliny has also described the use of asbestos cloth as a funeral dress for kings. Emperor Charlemagne reportedly displayed a tablecloth made from asbestos that was used during great feasts. After the feast, the cloth and its contents would be thrown into a fire, and the cloth would be removed without damage to the amazement of the guests. In the year 1250, Marco Polo reported an asbestos cloth in the northern provinces of the Great Khan that had the property of being unconsumed and refined by fire.

Industrial uses of asbestos began on a limited scale around 1720, soon after the discovery of relatively large deposits of asbestos in the Ural Mountains in western Russia. The discovery of these deposits led to factories that manufactured asbestos products. Such products included handbags, gloves, stockings and textiles. In the years that followed, discoveries of different types of asbestos were made on several continents, setting the stage for the mineral’s many uses.

Chrysotile asbestos was discovered in 1860 in Quebec, Canada. The mining of chrysotile deposits began in 1878, with 50 tons produced during the mine’s first year of operation. Crocidilite asbestos was discovered in South Africa in the year 1815, with the mining of large quantities of South African fibers beginning in about 1910. Amosite asbestos was discovered in the central Transvaal region in 1907, with mining operations beginning there around 1916. The beginning of such mining operations, together with the inception of the Industrial Revolution, set the stage for the widespread use of asbestos, leading to a public health crisis that still affects society today.

2. Technical Information

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral, divided into two mineralogical groups. Some varieties of asbestos are used commercially.

The first group, the amphibole family, includes crocidilite (“blue asbestos”), amosite (“brown asbestos”), tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite. Among the various types of amphibole fibers, only crocidilite and amosite were used in commercial products. However, the “non-commercial” amphibole fibers (tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite) may be present as contaminants in commercial products that use chrysotile asbestos, vermiculite and talc.

The serpentine group, the other mineralogical group of asbestos, includes the chrysotile variety of asbestos. Despite its hazardous properties, chrysotile was very popular with industry. It accounts for over 90% of the commercial asbestos used in the United States.

Source: PATHOLOGY OF ASBESTOS-RELATED DISEASES (Victor L. Roggli et al. eds., 2004)