Laboratory Hoods - Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure Risks

Since thinkers and scientists first began to explore their universe thousands of years ago, they have always looked for new ways of safely experimenting with potentially hazardous materials and chemicals. For hundreds of years, scientists have equipped themselves with protective gear such as laboratory hoods, so that they could conduct vital investigations with potentially dangerous substances, all the while remaining unharmed. Unfortunately, much of the protective equipment scientists used for many years contained a material more harmful to them than many of the chemicals and compounds with which they experimented. Quite a paradox, but a sad, deadly truth for many of the victims deadly diseases who were exposed to asbestos in the lining of their laboratory hood.

When constructed of safe, durable materials, a laboratory hood is a essential tool in the protection of lab technicians and scientists worldwide. A proper laboratory hood can provide the ventilation necessary to rid the lab of noxious chemical fumes that could otherwise harm the industrious scientists. However, a laboratory hood that has been lined with asbestos is just another danger for the scientists to worry over. As long as the asbestos in your hood remains intact and non-friable -- that is, it has not been crushed into dust -- you are most likely completely safe from the dangerous affects of asbestos exposure. But many circumstances can steal this security right out from under your feet. With long-term exposure to heat, traffic, or any disturbance such as removal or renovation, dangerous asbestos particles may be loosed from the fibrous material, releasing them into the air in the laboratory. The workplace that was once protected by your laboratory hood is now a dangerous trap, waiting to inflict damage upon anyone who breathes the air.

When the asbestos particles from your laboratory hood are released into the air, you and your colleagues may be at risk of eventually developing mesothelioma, or other harmful asbestos-related medical conditions. Once aspirated, these particles attach to and irritate lung surfaces, causing a number of illnesses such as lung cancer, asbestosis, intestinal cancer, and mesothelioma, an extremely fatal cancer of the lining of the lung and respiratory tract. These medical conditions may take many years or decades to fully develop and present symptoms. By the time your symptoms do present, it may be too late to seek efficacious treatment and make a claim against your injurers. Meanwhile, anyone who enters the environment surrounding the dangerous laboratory hood is at a risk of developing these same diseases, all because no one was warned of the asbestos lining your laboratory hood.

How could you and your colleagues have protected yourselves from danger? How could you know the hazards posed by your protective equipment? The manufacturers of asbestos-containing products have known about the dangers of asbestos for many decades, and yet still these products remain on the market and in countless laboratories and workplaces across the nation. As a worker and consumer, you have a right to safety and information regarding the materials contained in your safety equipment, and the manufacturers of asbestos laboratory hoods have an obligation to provide you with this information. If you believe that you or your colleagues have been unknowingly exposed to deadly asbestos in your laboratory hood, make sure that the manufacturers are held responsible for their failure to follow their end of the bargain. Seek the advice of a lawyer who can make sure that your interests are protected.

Mesothelioma News

Asbestos Testing for Oneida County Building Funded by Union
2008-11-20 15:50:02
The Oneida County Office Building in Utica, New York has recently tested negative for airborne asbestos. Apparently though, that isn't good enough for the union, which represents county employees. Uni ...Read More
Asbestos Tests Show New Jersey Sports Field Poses No Risk
2008-11-20 15:36:54
Asbestos was discovered last month at a public area in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, which prompted concerns that there may be exposure risks for locals. Now, however, those fears have been allayed, as tests ...Read More
EPA and Vermont Working Together to Solve Asbestos Mine Problem
2008-11-20 15:19:39
State of Vermont officials have released a new statement about the urgent need for investigating the impact of an abandoned asbestos mine in Colchester. The mine, located near the towns of Eden and Lo ...Read More