Asbestos Exposure
Thousands of unsuspecting workers and their families have been exposed to asbestos throughout the years. The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has commented that it is aware of no instance in which exposure to a toxic substance has more clearly demonstrated deleterious health effects than has asbestos exposure. From 1940 through 1970, approximately 27.5 million people were potentially exposed to asbestos at work. This number is not surprising when one considers that by one estimate, 1.2 billion square feet of asbestos-containing insulation can be found in 190,000 buildings in the U.S. alone. It has also been estimated that the number of workers exposed through asbestos brake and clutch work is approximately 900,000.
Workers may be exposed to asbestos in a wide variety of job sites and trades, ranging from mining and milling to manufacturing and consumer industries. According to one estimate from the Asbestos Information Association, there are over 3,000 uses of asbestos. These uses have resulted in exposures through mining and milling, in the manufacturing of asbestos-containing products, in shipbuilding and repair, and in construction.
Hazardous exposures to asbestos have also resulted from off-site releases from the mining, milling and manufacturing industries potentially exposing residents in nearby communities. According to some estimates, 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.
Sources: Occupational Exposure to Asbestos, 51 Fed. Reg. 22,615 (June 20, 1986); William J. Nicholson, Occupational Exposure to Asbestos: Population at Risk and Projected Mortality – 1980-2030, 3 AM. J. IND. MED. 259, 306 (1982); PATHOLOGY OF ASBESTOS-RELATED DISEASES (Victor L. Roggli et al. eds., 2004).
