Ever since the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the ALA (American Lung Association) declared asbestos-contaminated products as potentially carcinogenic, there has been a ban on the use of traditional asbestos products. To their credit, governmental agencies have been largely successful in curtailing and banning the use of those varieties of the mineral that have the smallest and shortest fibers.

At present, the asbestos industry manufactures only dense asbestos. These are mostly non-friable (meaning they will not disintegrate into smaller fibers) because they are firmly bound up in cement or resin.

While this is the current scenario, the figures and statistics from the past are horrifying. Asbestos containing materials (ACMs) were widely used in all kinds of building activities. Even the US Department of Energy buildings are contaminated with ACMs. More than 90 percent of the asbestos, imported into the US during the 1970s, went into the construction industry. A good part of that is still hidden in transite panels, counter tops, sidings, and insulation pipes.

Transite panels are an early form of drywall and they are present in almost all buildings constructed before the 1990s. Transite was a combination of 12-50 percent asbestos and cement. What makes transite so common was that it was marketed as a 100 percent fireproof material in the past. So, it was frequently used in furnace flues, shingles, siding, insulation pipes, and wallboard areas. In short, all surfaces, where thermal insulation was important, were covered with asbestos-reinforced trasite panels.

Most of the Transite panels, counter tops, and pipes are non-friable in their present state. However, as buildings undergo wear and tear, there will be a natural wearing away of materials. Demolition work would have to be carried out and chances of exposure to asbestos are extremely high. Definite guidelines and specifications have been laid down for asbestos abatement. Even so, asbestos abatement activities are hazardous and labor-intensive. Disposal is expensive, particularly if the surface has been contaminated with any radioactive material.

Direct and secondary exposure to asbestos is widely prevalent all over America, UK, Australia, and some parts of Europe, even 20 years after a ban was imposed on asbestos. Most victims state that they were unaware of the risk of exposure.

If you suspect that your work or lifestyle could make you a victim of exposure, do contact us to explore the possibilities contacting an asbestos attorney to discuss your options.