Skip to main content

Asbestos and Our Futures

Room in home in the middle of a remodel

It is 2020, and asbestos is still a growing concern in the United States. Asbestos has still not been banned, and there are growing numbers of asbestos-related illnesses. Asbestos is still entering the United States in consumer products and construction materials. Asbestos is being found in schools, homes, and military bases throughout the United States. With these problems, it isn’t unfair to wonder what the future is for the United States and asbestos? Will asbestos eventually be banned completely? Will the asbestos-related illnesses begin to diminish?

Asbestos use in the United States has slowed dramatically since the 70s and 80s, but we are still being affected by asbestos exposure. Construction workers, miners, and other blue-collar industries were at the highest risk and still are. Even with the newer regulations and laws, asbestos exposure is still occurring throughout the United States. Most exposure is still happening through workplaces, but a growing amount of exposure is through homes. With older homes going through remodels, it is easy to become exposed, especially if you have not had an asbestos test completed.

A simple remodel on asbestos-containing materials can expose an entire household. The terrifying part is not knowing if you have been exposed and waiting to see if an asbestos-related illness will show up decades later. Asbestos exposure and the diseases that stem from it, never occur immediately. Many times it is ten to seventy years later.

While rules are in place at most facilities that work around asbestos, there are still people who fail to follow the regulations and standards. These people are the reasons people are still being exposed to asbestos. Until the United States entirely bans asbestos and workers take rules and regulations seriously, asbestos will continue to be a growing concern.

Leave a Reply