by For around 30 years, from the early 1950s to 1980, asbestos-containing materials were often used in the construction, installation, or wrapping of forced-air heating ducts in American homes and businesses.
Asbestos was a once-common mineral extensively employed in various building materials and hundreds of commercial uses. Of course, it is now well acknowledged that asbestos is the single known factor contributing to severe asbestos-related cancers like mesothelioma.
Prior to being heavily regulated in the 1980s, asbestos was included in a variety of items used often in the HVAC and heating-duct sectors.
Exposure to asbestos in heating ducts.
Asbestos was often employed as a component in lagging cloth, insulation, and pipe wrap — goods frequently used by individuals in the HVAC sector — because of its valued properties to resist fires and high temperatures.
Before 1980, it was typical to seal and strengthen any leaks or flaws discovered in sheet-metal air ducts using asbestos-containing pipe wrap or lagging cloth. These materials functioned by sealing up any possible air leaks within the air ducts.
The following HVAC and heating duct products may also contain asbestos:
- Sealants.
- Asbestos sheet.
- Duct dampers
- Duct tape.
As these goods age and degrade, they may offer significant health hazards. Individual asbestos fibers may come free when these materials start to degrade and may unintentionally be breathed or consumed by anybody around.
A skilled asbestos abatement specialist can help those who are confused if the heating ducts in their building or house contain asbestos and can establish whether it constitutes a health danger.
Who is at Risk for Asbestos Exposure from Heating Ducts?
However, former or current HVAC workers are frequently thought to be at the highest risk for developing mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases from asbestos duct exposure. This is true even though homeowners and DIY renovators undoubtedly run the risk of exposure as asbestos-containing products on or inside of their heating ducts deteriorate and/or break down.
A higher risk of asbestos exposure exists in several high-risk professions. Workers at high risk for asbestos exposure via HVAC and heating ducts consist of:
- Building workers
- Duct workers
- HVAC specialists.
- Workers at an insulation plant.
- Steelworkers
All personnel who performed heating duct installation, maintenance, or replacement may have been exposed to asbestos fibers. Asbestos fibers are readily attracted to clothes and other items and may be unintentionally transported home with employees, putting families in greater danger in addition to HVAC workers who come into frequent contact with asbestos.
Since asbestos use in building and construction materials began to decline during this period, fortunately, the risk of asbestos exposure was reduced for people and families whose houses were constructed after 1980.
Even while asbestos is no longer used in items like pipe wrap, lagging paper, and duct dampers, anybody who worked with HVAC systems installed before the 1980s is at a higher risk of contracting mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease.
Mesothelioma and Other Diseases Linked to Asbestos.
The sole known cause of mesothelioma, a particularly deadly type of cancer with an average life expectancy of only 4 to 18 months following diagnosis, is asbestos exposure.
Each year, around 3,000 Americans are given uncommon cancer mesothelioma. Most people who get illnesses caused by asbestos have a work history with frequent asbestos exposure.
There are more ailments that may result from asbestos exposure, including:
Asbestosis: A non-cancerous condition that causes severe lung damage and scarring that is often accompanied by shortness of breath and continuous coughing.
Lung cancer caused by asbestos: When asbestos fibers get stuck inside of a person’s lungs, it may cause chronic inflammation that can accelerate the growth of asbestos lung cancer.
Additional asbestos-related cancers, such as gastrointestinal, esophageal, colon, rectal, and stomach cancers, have also been linked to asbestos exposure.
The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) reports that around 40,000 Americans each year pass away from diseases linked to asbestos exposure.
Final thoughts.
Companies continued to use the deadly substance in their goods, exposing employees and the general public to it despite being fully aware of the cancer dangers linked with asbestos exposure. Over the last several decades, hundreds of thousands of American lives have been tragically lost as a result of the callous and careless acts of these businesses.
