Asbestos Found in Elevator Brake

Today, scientists and researchers have proved beyond doubt that asbestos exposure results in deadly diseases like mesothelioma and asbestosis. It is quite disturbing to know that the dangers of using asbestos-containing material or working with asbestos in any form were ignored when they first came to light in the 1930s when many major companies began testing and researching new products. Owing to selfish commercial interests, the companies that knew of the dangers of asbestos exposure did not inform the workers or the general public about it. As a result, a very large number of employees and consumers were regularly exposed to the naturally produced mineral. The workers engaged in manufacturing elevator brake shoes with asbestos, as well as those who worked in buildings that had elevator brake shoes made with asbestos were such high-risk groups.

Asbestos Exposure from Elevator Brake Shoes

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure; it affects the lining of the lungs, and is difficult to diagnose as the early symptoms are not unusual or typical. Moreover, it is marked by a long gestation period spanning 20 to 50 years from the original exposure and can be pin-pointed only in the last stages of the manifestation. The mortality rate is therefore high and doctors can only administer palliative measures. Moreover, it is not certain how much exposure, minimal or prolonged, causes the malady. Some patients have reported very little exposure, while those with massive exposure have no adverse effect. But who is to say what will happen as the years pass because the disease has an unpredictably long gestation period; it may rear its ugly head at any point in time.

Elevator Brake Shoes Containing Asbestos Fibers

Asbestos was used because it was a durable product as well as cost effective. However, it is a friable material that releases minute particles into the air upon impact or breakage or any other type of damage, even due to aging. These fibers get lodged in the body after inhalation and ultimately become malignant. In the U.S. alone, more than 10,000 Americans die each year as the result of asbestos exposure. The Environmental Protection Agency imposed a blanket ban on asbestos-containing products in the 1980s, but years of use cannot be wiped away or wished away by a simple legislation. The effects will continue to be felt up to 2030, according to a conservative estimate.