Mesothelioma and Textile Operatives
One industry where asbestos was quite widely used before about 1980 was the textile industry. Textile operatives were therefore at risk of exposure to asbestos fibers resulting in mesothelioma and other asbestos-related disorders. Today, many mesothelioma lawsuits are being decided between textile operatives and their former employers who were negligent in alerting them to the dangers of asbestos-poisoning.
How Textile Operatives Were Exposed to Asbestos
Asbestos has been used in textiles since the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Textile operatives were exposed to large amounts of asbestos dust as they prepared the asbestos textiles. During the first part of the textile process, the textile operatives grade the asbestos fibers, then card the asbestos to form a blanket or lap which would remove impurities from the asbestos and prepare it for being manufactured into other items. This grading and carding procedure released a lot of asbestos dust into the atmosphere and textile operatives were likely to inhale this dust while they worked.The Dangers of Asbestos Exposure for Textile Operatives
When these textile operatives inhaled the asbestos dust in the atmosphere it could travel to the lungs where it could start attacking the lining of the lungs. This attack on the lungs leads to what is known as mesothelioma, which is a deadly cancer that attacks the lungs as well as other parts of the body, and eventually leads to death.Negligence by Employers of Textile Operatives
Although asbestos was used in textile manufacture until recently, the dangers of it have been known for many years – in fact, even during the times of the ancient Greeks people noticed that those who were exposed to asbestos were likely to have health problems and die prematurely. It is therefore believed that many employers were negligent in not alerting their workers to the dangers of asbestos-poisoning and many lawsuits are being fought against these employers by textile operatives who contracted mesothelioma through their exposure to asbestos on the job.
