Happy Earth Day from the Asbestos Legal Center

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and OSHA will be celebrating Earth Day today along with millions of companies and individuals around the world.  The Environmental Protection Agency was founded in 1970 and is one of the agencies responsible for the regulation of asbestos.  Up until the 1970’s we gave little thought to the health of our earth, air, and water.  In the past 40 years we have established hundreds of programs to ensure we keep our earth and its inhabitants healthy.  Among these initiatives was the ban on asbestos containing products. 

Asbestos is a known human carcinogen that can cause a variety of conditions and diseases including asbestosis (scarring of the lungs that cause difficulty breathing; mesothelioma (cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and sometime stomach); lung cancer; and cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon, and rectum.  Asbestos is inhaled through the lungs, sometimes ingested into the stomach, and may travel throughout the body via the lymph system. 

The EPA and OSHA help to regulate exposure to asbestos in the workplace.  The standards set a maximum exposure limit, use of respirators, protective clothing, exposure monitoring, hygiene facilities and practices, warning signs, labeling, record keeping, and medical exams.  Although asbestos has not been banned in the United States, these regulations will help to reduce the number of individuals affected by life threatening asbestos related diseases.

The Asbestos Legal Center is dedicated to helping the environment and those who have been affected by the human carcinogen, asbestos.  For more information, please visit our website or follow us on facebook.  Happy Earth Day!