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Laws protecting people from the dangers of asbestos exposure date back to the mid-1970s, when The Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 gave employers the responsibility of protecting workers whose health might be negatively affected by the work they are performing. Industrial workers are the most likely population to be affected by asbestos exposure.
Although asbestos was a commonly used building material from World War II through the early 1970s, it wasn''t until the late 1970s that it was discovered to be a potential health hazard. Throughout the decades, an estimated 30 million tons of asbestos were used in industrial sites, homes, schools, shipyards and buildings, in a variety of different products, exposing countless people to the health hazards that have only recently come to light.
Now highly regulated by the U.S. Department of Labor''s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), asbestos is a well-known health hazard, which, despite the fact that it is no longer used in current-day building materials, still remains one of the most dangerous construction materials ever used, present in the majority of buildings built decades ago. The laws created against its current usage are evidence of this danger.
In the late 1970s, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned the use of asbestos in wallboard patching compounds and gas fireplaces, both of which emitted large amounts of asbestos fibers into the air. Electric hair dryer manufacturers soon followed suit, voluntarily removing asbestos from their products.
It wasn''t until 1989 that the government banned asbestos from any new use. Uses approved prior to 1989 are still allowed, which means that buildings constructed before then are likely to contain asbestos materials. In the same year, the EPA established regulations requiring school systems to inspect schools for damaged asbestos and to eliminate or reduce exposure by having the asbestos removed or covered.
In 2003, laws were created to provide compensation for mentally anguished railroad workers who were exposed to asbestos on the job. These laws fell under the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974.
Asbestos has been linked to a number of health problems, many of which do not develop until many decades after exposure. Laws have been established to compensate people suffering from some of these health problems, which include mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. A lawyer experienced in handling asbestos exposure cases can provide information about specific asbestos laws.
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