Asbestos and Construction

Asbestos in Buildings

Asbestos has been used since the late 1800s, whether for fireproofing, soundproofing or insulation. Although asbestos has been around for quite some time, the health consequences were not widely talked about until the 1960s.

Asbestos makes a great insulator and on a job site where there are high stress equipment being operated, it is no secret that asbestos found its way onto the scene. Despite being exposed on the jobsite, workers are exposed at all stages of building. When they build the house they are at risk and once they live in the house they are at high risk. If a building was constructed prior to 1980s, there is a high likelihood of asbestos presence.

Trust Funds for Construction Workers

There are many more manufacturers that produced asbestos products, however the companies listed below are the highest paying asbestos bankruptcy trusts for construction workers and their families. Construction workers or relatives can start here when looking to see if they qualify for compensation.

Company	Average Payouts
DII Harbison Walker	$81,900.00
North American Refractories Company	$75,000.00
Pittsburgh Corning	$52,675.00
WR Grace	$46,800.00
United States Gypsum	$38,750.00
Armstrong World Industries	$39,600.00
Kaiser Aluminum	$27,650.00
Owens Corning (Fibreboard)	$23,8650.00

---

Construction Products and Asbestos

Based on regulations put in place by the EPA, certain products can still contain up to 1% asbestos. Many construction products still contain asbestos because of this 1% rule, the exposure is just less potent as a result. On top of EPA regulations, OSHA has stepped in to put a great deal of workplace safety guidelines and procedures forward to help combat any remaining health risks. The following products likely still contain asbestos.

---

Exposure Risks for Construction Workers

The EPA put regulations in place to protect the public and workers in industries that faced higher rates of occupational exposure. The regulations often fell short for construction workers. Unfortunately for the construction industry, banning new asbestos products does not mean that old buildings and job sites necessarily become off limits.

During the transition years after stricter regulations came into play, many workers were still being exposed to asbestos via old building renovations and demolitions. When construction supplies were being installed, the fibrous asbestos was often disturbed which released these fibers into the air. Given the large amount of asbestos use pre-1981, this was happening at a high frequency.

Construction workers currently working, post-asbestos regulation, face exposure when they renovate or demolish buildings built pre-1981. This put thousands of workers at risk for asbestos related diseases, such as mesothelioma. As construction usually involves high impact and disruptive tasks, workers are constantly at risk of disturbing asbestos. Two studies covering construction workers’ death causes and specific mesothelioma cases, showed that of 2,242 workers’ cases looked at, 752 died from a disease thought to be linked to asbestos exposure.