Asbestos Exposure: Is Yesterday’s News Still a Threat Today?

These days, the dangers of asbestos can seem like a thing of the past – something that will soon be found in museums and history books as one of the great corporate blunders of the 20th Century. There was a time when you were bombarded by television commercials and news stories about the dangers of asbestos exposure. Even if you weren’t sure of exactly what the dangers of asbestos exposure were, you knew it was bad and you wanted to stay as far from it as possible. Now, the topic rarely comes up, but that doesn’t mean the dangers of asbestos have disappeared.

Even today, people can still be unknowingly exposed to asbestos and put at risk of developing fatal diseases such as mesothelioma. The most recent example was in New Haven, Connecticut. Two weeks ago, a group of employees at the Superior Courthouse building noticed bags marked with asbestos labels just a few feet away from a staircase they use everyday. Another bag containing asbestos materials was discovered right next to a sidewalk that pedestrians frequent every day.

Turns out, asbestos removal was under way as part of the construction taking place on the courthouse. The employees of the courthouse were shocked and dismayed that they had not been notified that asbestos was being handled in such close proximity.

Asbestos fibers are microscopic and can pose a significant danger to people who come into contact with the material. Asbestos can be carried through the air and people in close range can inhale or ingest the toxic substance without even knowing it. This can lead to mesothelioma and other life threatening diseases years later.

Employees of the New Haven Courthouse and pedestrians who frequent the area believe that they should have been notified that asbestos was being handled. One New Haven resident says that she would have avoided the area if she had known asbestos was being handled. The bags labeled “asbestos” were behind a covering and hidden from people who were passing by.

State officials in charge of the construction claim that they have taken all the appropriate measures to ensure the safety of their workers and the people in close proximity to the project. But with the potentially fatal dangers that asbestos exposure can cause, the courthouse workers and pedestrians feel that they should have been properly warned.

The mesothelioma law firm of Baron and Budd has been representing asbestos patients for over 35 years. The law firm shares the courthouse employees’ concerns about the risks of asbestos exposure and believes that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations for asbestos removal should be strictly adhered to.

For more information on Baron and Budd, visit here.