Fertilizer - Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure Risks

Of course you know that asbestos is dangerous and that it may hide in many of the products that insulate our homes and heating systems. But even more hazardous to the unwary homeowner or family, many of the fertilizers with which we garden, grow the flowers that beautify our lawns, and with which we grow our vegetables may contain deadly asbestos fibers and particles. Outside in the fresh air that we enjoy for its healthy, revitalizing qualities, there is a deadly fertilizer contaminant: asbestos-containing vermiculite. Studies have shown that the vermiculite in fertilizers oftentimes contains hidden asbestos fibers; in which case anyone gardening, playing in the yard, or eating the fresh vegetables and smelling the fragrant flowers may be at risk of exposure.

Why do irresponsible manufacturers put vermiculite in fertilizers for your home or farm, when they know that it may be contaminated with asbestos? In its pure, untainted form, vermiculite fertilizer can be very useful, helping your garden vegetables and flowers to grow large and lush. Vermiculite fertilizer is cheap and effective in its horticultural applications, but it can also be very dangerous. Over the past century, many innocent people across the nation have developed life-threatening medical conditions as the result having these asbestos-containing fertilizers in their homes, yards, and places of work. How could these consumers have known that their fertilizer contained deadly asbestos? Why didn't the manufacturers warn them?

Over the course of the last decade alone, a multitude of scientific tests of vermiculite and fertilizer have shown that asbestos is often lurking in these materials. Numerous studies have shed a great deal of light on the hazards posed by fertilizers and other products that contain asbestos-tainted vermiculite. Since these studies and reports began to appear in journals and newspapers, testing for asbestos at United States mineral mines has improved in quality and frequency. However, the testing and strong evidence have not yet spurred the federal government into equally strong action. Congress has not yet instituted legislation that would guarantee the safety consumers who purchase fertilizer. Every year, an increasing number of reports surface of fertilizers that test positive for asbestos fibers.

As long as these fertilizers continue to be sold without proper legislation, testing, and precautionary information, each year many innocent people will become ill with asbestos-related diseases, such as mesothelioma. Already, ten thousand people die annually in the United States from these asbestos-related illnesses, many of whom were exposed to asbestos in their garden fertilizers at work or at home. Without the appropriate consumer information, these individuals cannot properly protect themselves. And as asbestos fibers ordinarily cannot be seen without a microscope, the safety of a particular fertilizer should not be assumed.

If you have been exposed to fertilizer that may have been contaminated by asbestos, your health could be in dire peril. Aspirating asbestos fibers may cause lung cancer, intestinal cancer, mesothelioma, and other serious, potentially fatal illnesses. Mesothelioma and other illnesses associated with exposure to asbestos may take years or decades to develop, so you must act now. Contact an experienced attorney who is familiar with asbestos-related claims. By the time symptoms of mesothelioma present, your chance to and make a claim may be lost. Call an experienced asbestos attorney today and make sure that the negligent manufacturers are held responsible. Seek the advice of an asbestos attorney today.

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