The Hidden Dangers of Asbestos Panelled Gas Meters

Asbestos was once a very commonplace building material used for its insulation and fire retardant qualities. Now largely removed, those that worked in certain industries may have been unwittingly exposed.

When we read about asbestos and the related health issues such as mesothelioma and other cancers, we immediately think of asbestos in insulation products. However, asbestos was widely used in many other settings and may still be present in numerous locations.

One such place is in the panelling around gas meters where asbestos was used in sheet panelling format to insulate and protect. Asbestos sheeting was also used to a lesser degree in electrical meter boxes. Use in these locations may have affected both the employees at the manufacturing plant as well as those that have regular or irregular access and contact with these meters. The issue of regularity of contact and degree of exposure is a contentious issue, as there is no direct correlation between how exposed one has to be to be affected.

Those that are most likely to have a repeated exposure to asbestos in gas meters are naturally going to be those that either manufactured them, fitted them or had to regularly access them to get readings. Residents who have a gas meter with asbestos panelling may also have been exposed, and although most gas companies have demonstrated highly proactive moves to replace them, there are still cases of gas meters being in circulation.

Where professionals have regular exposure to asbestos in the workplace, personal protection equipment should have been used. Again, thanks to growing awareness and regulation, the use of personal protection equipment is widely adhered to but there are many cases where employers have cut corners or not adhered to regulations.

If you have any concerns that you have come into contact with asbestos panelling or may already be suffering from an asbestos related illness, our asbestos compensation solicitors work hard on your behalf to help you receive the money you may be rightfully entitled to. Illnesses associated from asbestos may take time to fully develop and our team of specialists work to look through all your working history to identify where and when you may have come into contact with asbestos.

Call us today on 0800 634 1626 to quickly determine the eligibility of your claims. Our specialists in asbestos compensation are dedicated to retrieving 100% of your compensation.

Hidden Asbestos Dangers In Floor Tiles

Asbestos was once commonly used in floor tiles but since the late 1970s it has become less common. Floor tiles are still however present in many locations and tile fitters may have unwittingly become exposed to asbestos.

Think of asbestos and we think of loft insulation and other building materials. Think further about those that are most affected by asbestos related diseases, and we all probably reach the conclusion that it is those in the building trade and industrial sectors that are most affected.

That conclusion is largely right, the majority of asbestos related illnesses are from those that come into direct contact with asbestos through work, but there are cases of individuals being exposed to asbestos in the domestic setting.

When, how and where people come into contact with asbestos is harder to identify. Many who have the misfortune to have an asbestos related illness may find it hard to pin down exactly where they came into contact with asbestos and one area that is often overlooked is the level of asbestos that was present in some floor tiles.

Floor tiles were commonly made with asbestos until the late 1970s and where these floor tiles are still present in homes, the ageing process and degradation over time may have damaged the floor tiles, resulting in a release of airborne asbestos fibres. It is these fibres that are most associated with health risks.

Floor tile fitters in particular may have been exposed to asbestos, as at the time, there was little if any awareness of the hidden dangers of asbestos. There was an equal void in the provision of personal protective equipment that is largely used today by anyone dealing with, or potentially exposed, to asbestos.

Laying tiles always results in a few broken tiles and often needs tiles to be cut either manually or by machine. This is where the highest risk of asbestos fibres being release exists as cutting tiles always results in dust that is released.

If you believe you may have been exposed to asbestos through floor tiling please call us to speak to our specialist team in asbestos claims. You may be eligible to compensation for your asbestos exposure or the onset of an asbestos related illness.

Dangers of Asbestos in Window Panelling and Sills and other Construction Materials

 Asbestos was once the miracle material in many common construction products but those that worked in the construction industry may have unwittingly become exposed to asbestos fibres.

The research and development budget that goes into modern building materials today is significant. This R&D budget is driven by both the competitive drive to produce the best and longest lasting materials, but also in response to a huge backlash against the construction materials industry for the active ingredients they used to pump into building materials. Remember lead in paint? Once very much de rigueur and mainstream until the health implications came to light.

The use of asbestos in building materials and practices was once widespread. Pipes were lagged with asbestos, floor tiles were made with asbestos fibres, loft insulation was asbestos based and many other places had the misfortune to be associated with the once miracle materials which is now linked directly to mesothelioma.

One less known place where asbestos was used in both the residential and industrial construction trade was in asbestos window panelling and sills. More likely than not any house that pre-dates the 1980s will have asbestos window sills and panelling.

While there is no discernible health impact where the materials are intact, undisturbed and undamaged, those that had the misfortune of working in the construction industry and used asbestos based products paint a very different picture. Repeated sawing, sanding and fitting of asbestos based window panelling and sills may have left them exposed to asbestos fibres that became airborne.

Another factor that may have compounded the situation is that unlike today, personal protective equipment was not that common a few decades ago and construction workers may not have had adequate access the correct respiratory products to protect their wellbeing.

If you worked in the construction industry at any point prior to asbestos being removed from window panelling, sills and other construction materials, you may potentially have been exposed to asbestos fibres. To find out if you are eligible to make a claim for work related exposure to asbestos, please call our highly skilled asbestos claims agents who will work hard to claim the asbestos compensation to which you are entitled. Call us now on 0800 634 1626 to start investigations.

Dangers of Asbestos In Pipe Insulation and Other Building Materials

Asbestos based products were once very common place and today they may still exist in homes or businesses. Safe asbestos removal and disposal is the solution but some may have been unwittingly exposed to asbestos through their work or at their homes.

When most people think of asbestos and the related illnesses, they immediately think of asbestos in loft insulation and fire retardants and that it affects only those working directly with it. It undoubtedly did affect professionals working with asbestos more greatly but the passive affects of asbestos should never be underestimated.

Asbestos was used more widely than most people think but thanks to increasing awareness, media coverage and significant regulation, asbestos use today is highly regulated and controlled.

When you stop and reflect, it’s not just the asbestos industry that has been regulated fully, but many products and materials have thankfully come under greater scrutiny, as we become more and more health and safety conscious. Some may argue that it is too much of a nanny state, but most readers of this article may well remember the days when lead was thought to be a good additive in paint and we let our children play with mercury maze toys!

Homes and industries across the United Kingdom may still have significant asbestos, in the latter environment there have been significant pushes to remove it, but in the domestic setting there are still asbestos laced products and materials. Asbestos was commonly used to insulate piping and while it has been replaced by modern, non-harmful materials. The danger of asbestos pipe insulation or lagging is that it is still in many lofts or under floors presenting a dormant risk.

Anyone who believes they may have asbestos in their pipe insulation should contact specialist asbestos removal companies to make the location safe again. For many people who worked extensively with asbestos in pipe insulation however, it may be too late to take pre-emptive measures. Repeated exposure to asbestos, prior to awareness of the associated health risks, may be cause of the onset of inexplicable illnesses such as mesothelioma.

If you have worked with asbestos pipe insulation or any other asbestos based materials or products or may be suffering from an asbestos related illness, our team of asbestos compensation solicitors may be able help you receive the money you may be rightfully entitled to. Equally, if you have found traces of asbestos in the home you bought or rent and believe it may have impacted on your health, please call us today on 0800 634 1626. We can quickly find out your eligibility to make a claim and our team of asbestos compensation specialists that are committed to retrieving 100% of your compensation.

Cancer virus could be mesothelioma breakthrough

For the first time ever, a virus has been used to identify and treat cancer in patients. And the results have been very encouraging.

Leaving healthy tissue alone, the virus spreads through the bloodstream and infects tumour cells anywhere in the body.

The trial during which the virus was delivered by intravenous injection saw tumours, including the fatal mesothelioma, shrink or stop growing in six out of eight patients on the highest dose.

"Using a virus to treat cancer certainly sounds groundbreaking. In cases where patients are suffering from mesothelioma which is extremely difficult to treat and so far impossible to cure, it could provide renewed hope for future treatments," said Emma Costin of Simpson Millar.

Professor John Bell of The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute said: "We are very excited because this is the first time in medical history that a viral therapy has been shown to consistently and selectively replicate in cancer tissue."

The JX-594 virus, which has been engineered to have anti-cancer properties, stems from a strain of the smallpox vaccine.

The trial was carried out on 23 patients with advance cancers that were not responding to traditional treatments. Aside from a few flu-like side effects, the virus infusion caused no major discomforts.

"This new study is important because it shows that a virus previously used safely to vaccinate against smallpox can now be modified to reach cancers through the bloodstream - even after cancer has spread widely through the patient's body," said Professor Nick Lemoine, of Cancer Research UK and
added: "It is particularly encouraging that responses were seen even in tumours such as mesothelioma, a cancer which can be particularly hard to treat."

Further studies are now expected to take place.