Asbestos exposure can lead to Asbestosis
If you have been exposed to asbestos you could develop an asbestos-related illness eg Asbestosis, Mesothelioma and Pleural Plaques. Workers in the occupations listed below are most at risk:
- carpenters
- construction workers
- demolition workers
- electricians
- merchant navy
- metal plate workers
- plumbers & gas fitters
- production fitters
- railway industry workers (eg carriage building)
- roofers
- sheet metal workers
- shipbuilding/dock yard workers
- thermal insulation engineers/laggers (eg pipe and boiler insulation)
- transport/haulage workers
- vehicle body workers (eg brake & clutch linings and spray paint)
- welders
Families at risk - secondary exposure to asbestos
It is very important to note that asbestos fibres are carried on clothing. You and your family could be at risk by handling or coming into close contact with an asbestos worker's clothing.
Men are considered at a higher risk of for asbestos related illness due to the direct exposure from the at-risk occupations, although it is believed that the female cases are for the most part due to secondary, passive exposure eg by washing the clothing of their husbands or close relatives who worked in asbestos industries.
Use of Asbestos
Common places where asbestos can be found include:
- power stations
- boats and ships
- railways
- houses eg (roof slates, tiles, felts, linings, flue pipes, gutters, pipe lagging)
- automotive garages
- factories
- public buildings eg (hospitals, schools, swimming baths)
- office buildings
- shuttering
- warehouses
- boiler rooms
This list is not exhaustive and only acts as a guideline to the common places where asbestos can be found.
Types of products that contain asbestos
Asbestos was used mainly because of its fire-proof properties (eg sprayed insulation, fire door insulation) and for asbestos cement/fibrocement products (eg roof and wall claddings artexing, electrical switchboards, insulators and fittings, vinyl floor coverings), asbestos felts and paper-like products, friction materials (eg brake and clutch linings), sealants, paints, and adhesives, gaskets, textiles (eg woven cloths, blankets), asbestos socks, phone boxes and gas masks.
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