Asbestos Found in Laboratory Gloves

Asbestos imparts singular qualities to the products made with it, such as strength, heat-resistance, flexibility, fire-retardancy, insulation, and it also brought down the cost. Other that being prolifically used in the building industry and shipyards, asbestos-containing materials were also found in homes and the workplace. One such example is the laboratory where scientists experimented with dangerous chemicals and solvents. To protect themselves from harm, they wore gloves without realizing that the gloves were made from a product that was toxic by nature.

Asbestos Exposure from Laboratory Gloves

Laboratory gloves were made of asbestos fiber so that they would protect from heat and chemical reactions. Up until the 1980s, the fact that asbestos caused deadly diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma was not common knowledge. Those in the know, such as the management and decision makers of the numerous industries engaged in manufacturing asbestos-related products, did not do anything to stop the use of asbestos. The EPA banned the use of the product in the general public interest almost a 100 years after it had been prolifically used; much damage had been done and the sad part was that a lot of the suffering that ensued owing to asbestos exposure could have been avoided had people only overlooked personal benefit in the early years.

While the EPA ban has restricted the use of asbestos in most products, it is ironical that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated many items of the ban. As a result, many asbestos products can still be found on the market, and Laboratory Gloves is one such product. Asbestos-containing laboratory gloves continue to be used in laboratories across the nation even today.

Laboratory Gloves Containing Asbestos Fibers

Asbestos is a friable material; it releases minute particles into the air upon impact or breakage or any other type of damage, even due to aging or ripping of the laboratory gloves. These fibers get lodged in the body after inhalation and ultimately become malignant after a long gestation period of 20 to 50 years. In the U.S. alone, more than 10,000 Americans die each year as the result of asbestos exposure related conditions. Thousands of asbestos-related disease victims choose to file claims against manufacturers of asbestos products to obtain compensation for their misfortune and suffering or for those of their loved ones. The effects of asbestos use will continue to be felt up to 2030, according to a conservative estimate.