Mesothelioma and Miners
Until fairly recently, asbestos was widely used in many applications and one of the most dangerous occupations for risk to Mesothelioma was asbestos mining. Asbestos miners were constantly surrounded by asbestos dust during the course of their work, and for many years did not take the necessary precautions in order to protect their lungs. Today, asbestos is no longer used in many industries, and asbestos mining is no longer as popular as it used to be. But, many of those who used to work in asbestos mines have contracted Mesothelioma, and sometimes this only occurs years after the initial exposure.
The History of Asbestos and Asbestos Mining
Asbestos has been used since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans and possibly even earlier, but the first commercial asbestos mine was started in Quebec in 1879. Asbestos has been used widely in a number of different industries since its first commercial mining began. Since the late 1970’s however, there has been a growing concern about the dangers of asbestos, and so the use of asbestos has decreased dramatically, or been completely banned in many countries.The Dangers of Asbestos to Asbestos Miners
During the course of their work, asbestos miners were surrounded by large amounts of asbestos dust. When this dust was inhaled, it increased their risk of contracting asbestos-related diseases such as Mesothelioma. Mines were very dusty places as miners disturbed and broke out the material in the mines, and in asbestos mines this was particularly dangerous. Asbestos dust is known to be a deadly carcinogen.This asbestos was used in many different industries and the demand for it used to be very high. Today, the use of asbestos has decreased dramatically, but many asbestos miners have already contracted these diseases.
