Construction Laborers and Asbestos

Construction laborers are involved in a number of different jobs on a building site, or when constructing roads. They often help other professionals involved in construction work such as brick and stone masons, carpenters, or engineers. During the course of their work, they may have been exposed to asbestos in a number of different forms, particularly before the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Today, although asbestos is no longer used in new projects, there is still a hazard of being exposed to it when repairing or working on older buildings, if proper precautions are not taken.

Construction Laborers and Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos was commonly used in construction projects before the 1970’s and 1980’s, and some of these asbestos products included asbestos-cement, asbestos-cement board, asbestos sheeting, asbestos joint compound, asbestos in shingles, and a number of other products. Construction laborers were constantly exposed to these items as they worked on building houses or other buildings.

Exposure to Asbestos Dust

Although asbestos did not present major problems if it was still in a whole form and no asbestos particles were released into the air; once asbestos became airborne, it did present a danger to the construction laborer as the laborers would often need to help with sanding, filing, and in other ways altering the asbestos-containing material. During these processes, asbestos particles would be released into the air, and construction laborers were in danger of breathing this in.

What Is Mesothelioma?

When construction laborers breathed in this airborne asbestos, they greatly increased their risk of contracting Mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer that affects the lining of the lungs, stomach, and heart. Due to the wide use of asbestos in previous decades, it has affected, and still continues to affect, many people today.

Asbestos and Construction Laborers Today

Today, asbestos is no longer used in all the construction materials it was previously used in. Thus, the risk of contracting Mesothelioma in new building projects has decreased. However, construction laborers are still often exposed to asbestos in older buildings and special precautions need to be taken in order to protect them from this disease.

During the course of their work, construction laborers were often exposed to asbestos-containing products such as asbestos-cement, asbestos-cement board, asbestos sheeting, and asbestos in roofing shingles and tiles. Their work often included disturbing the material in some way, which would release the particles of asbestos into the air. By doing so, it would greatly increase their chances of getting Mesothelioma. Although asbestos is no longer used as widely in the construction industry as before, construction laborers still need to take special precautions in their work to avoid getting Mesothelioma, as they may still be exposed to it when working on older buildings.