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Asbestos effects upon offshore workers may lie in wait for years

According to the Minnesota Department of Health, the so-called latency period - the lag time between breathing asbestos dust and feeling sick – may range between 10 and 40 years.

That’s potentially bad news for workers who may have been exposed to asbestos dust on vessels and shipyards since the 1970s. While there have been extensive studies on the effects of asbestos upon shipyard workers, according to a report by the British Occupational Hygiene Society, "the same level of attention, however, has not been directed to asbestos exposure of maritime seamen or sailors.” That same report also cites at least five separate studies indicating an increased evidence of a higher mortality rate among merchant seamen.

It is widely believed that asbestos normally does not present an environmental threat if left undisturbed. That same perception holds that only when asbestos-laden insulation is torn apart in the shipyard is the toxic dust released. This may not be an accurate perception; there are studies that raise the possibility that a ship’s movement alone could cause stress upon the insulation, potentially releasing fibers throughout vessel circulation. Unfortunately, no metric appears to be available to quantify the effect of indirectly handled asbestos causing materials (ACMs).

It’s a fact that virtually every ship built before the late 70s contained a fair amount of asbestos. Almost anything having to do with insulation, whether piping, boilers and gaskets, used the deadly substance which can cause lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma.

The latter two illnesses have no cure and approximately 100,000 people in the United States either have died or are predicted to die from asbestos exposure in shipyards alone.

Here is a breakdown of the three aforementioned diseases:

Asbestosis - This is not cancer, but is a serious long-term disease of the lungs. It is caused by asbestos fibers that scar lung tissues that make it difficult to breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Symptoms include shortness of breath, persistent cough, a dry cracking sound and chest pain. The latency period is 10 – 20 years.

Mesothelioma – This type of cancer affects the chest cavity lining and outer lungs. Symptoms include coughing, chest pain and shortness of breath. The latency period is 20 – 50 years, even longer than the Minnesota Department of Health statistics indicate.

Lung cancer – This is a tumor that blocks the air passages. Symptoms include coughing up blood, weight loss and shortness of breath.

Once the symptoms of asbestos begin to manifest, they never go away and the remainder of the victim’s life is spent struggling not only with physical difficulties but financial challenges, too. It is necessary to receive financial assistance just to pay for medical treatment.

In order to receive the needed financial assistance, it may be necessary to take legal action. Asbestos manufacturers may do everything in their power to deny their connection to the cause of the disease.


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