Asbestos Found in Table Tops

While much has been written of asbestos in building construction materials, it may not be as well-known that asbestos was also present in kitchen accessories in the years of its heyday. This is established by a 1927 article in the British tabloid, The Guardian, that says: “Asbestos cord bound round the handles of kettles, saucepans, and irons, will prevent burnt fingers. Asbestos mats placed on the stove make a safe surface for casseroles and other fireproof ware during the cooking of the food in them. Asbestos table mats are also very popular as a means of preventing hot plates and dishes from marking the table surface where a tablecloth is not used. These asbestos mats can be obtained with charming embroidered, or otherwise decorated, slip covers.”

Asbestos Exposure from Table Tops

Tabletops or table pads were used to prevent the polished tabletops to be scarred by hot dishes placed directly on the surface. Asbestos is an excellent fire retardant; so it was considered the suitable material for the purpose of placing beneath hot saucepans and dishes that went straight from the fire to the table. An asbestos roofing tile was also often used for the same purpose as a makeshift trivet. Pot holders, oven mitts, trivets, asbestos table pads, and asbestos stove mats were some common items of use in the household.

Table Tops Containing Asbestos Fibers

Use of those products in the home probably presented little danger to those who were using them. However, the people who worked with asbestos in manufacturing these common household items were put at grave risk of asbestos-related diseases, such as asbestosis and mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer. Asbestos fibers are friable and easily disintegrate to float in the air around. When inhaled, some fibers lodge in the linings of the vital organs and cause irritation that leads to inflammation. A prolonged gestation period ends when symptoms like breathlessness, loss of weight, weakness, and others appear and tests reveal the cancer that is generally in the last stages. The disease called mesothelioma has no known cure, and doctors simply adopt a palliative approach.

According to a new Environmental Working Group (EWG) study, every day 30 persons die due to asbestos exposure in the U.S. which amounts to almost 10,000 deaths in a year. What is worse, the figures continue to be upwardly mobile, and this is expected to be the scenario well into 2030.