Throughout the 20th century, tons of asbestos were mined in our country and put in thousands of everyday products. Asbestos was very inexpensive and was used as filler in many different products throughout many different industries. For example, asbestos was widely used in drywall, drywall tape and compounds.
There are a number of different jobs where workers were exposed to a large amount of asbestos on a very frequent basis. People who have worked in drywall installation may have an increased risk of developing mesothelioma cancer due to asbestos exposure on the jobsite.
Like all tradesmen in the construction industry, drywallers are at an increased risk of developing mesothelioma cancer from asbestos exposure on the job. Before the dangers of asbestos became known to the public, asbestos was often used in building and construction materials because of its affordability, strength, insulating qualities, and resistance to heat and flame. Among these asbestos containing materials were plaster used in drywall, drywall tape and dry wall joint compounds.
When installing drywall, the drywall panels are often cut to fit a building's framework before being nailed into place. Drywall tapers must then use drywall tape and joint compounds to cover joints and finish the installed drywall. As part of this process, tapers also sand the dried tape and compounds to smooth out the wall surface. This process, of taping and sanding often times must be repeated to achieve the desired finish on the walls. The cutting of drywall and repeated sanding of drywall tape and putty can create large amounts of asbestos dust that becomes airborne. Airborne asbestos fibers can be inhaled, putting the dry wallers and other construction workers in the area at risk of potentially developing mesothelioma cancer and other diseases.
Unfortunately, millions of people have been exposed to asbestos over the years. Only now are we able to see the disastrous effects of asbestos exposure in the workplace. Generally, it takes 10 to 60 years from the time of asbestos exposure until symptoms appear or mesothelioma is diagnosed.
Many of the companies have established trust funds to pay compensation to persons injured by asbestos.
If you have mesothelioma, or other asbestos-related injury, and wish to consult an attorney about your legal rights to compensation, CLICK HERE for a free consultation.
