Recent Studies Show Increase in Mesothelioma Among Younger Patients

For decades, mesothelioma has been viewed as a disease affecting older men, typically those who spent their careers in shipyards, construction sites, power plants, or manufacturing facilities where asbestos was widely used. Because of the disease’s long latency period, often 20 to 50 years between exposure and diagnosis, most patients are well into their 60s,…

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EPA Addresses Legacy Asbestos Risks

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken significant steps in addressing the risks associated with legacy uses of asbestos. In a newly released draft risk evaluation, the EPA identifies disturbing and handling asbestos in legacy applications as presenting an “unreasonable risk” to human health. This draft represents the second phase of the EPA’s risk assessment…

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Asbestos Dangers & Employer Responsibilities in Pittsburgh

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was widely used in construction and manufacturing industries for its fire-resistant and insulating properties. However, it has since been discovered that exposure to asbestos fibers can cause serious health problems, including lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. Pittsburgh, like many other cities in the United States, has a history…

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Asbestos Cement Exposure: Roofing, Siding, and Pipes

Asbestos use dates back thousands of years, but it wasn’t until the Industrial Age and the mid- 20th century that asbestos was popularized as a building material. One of these common building materials was asbestos cement, or asbestos cement sheet (AC sheet) in which asbestos fibers were used to reinforce cement sheets.  Asbestos cement can be…

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Uncommon Asbestos Applications in the Past

Throughout most of the 20th century, asbestos was a popular building material that became standard in  manufacturing, industrial industry, and in many households.  Today, when we think of asbestos, we might imagine insulation, siding, roofing, and vinyl floor tiles as common asbestos applications. However, because of its appearance, sound proofing, and heat resistant capabilities, asbestos was…

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