A former manufacturing plant in Fremont, California has been asked to provide employees with information about asbestos. Public health officials have said that former and current employees must be informed about the potential impact of asbestos exposure they may have experienced while working at the plant.
According to a recent report from the Federal Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, workers at the Flintkote Company may have been exposed to low levels of asbestos between 1967 and 1979.
In addition, the report says that anyone who lived with an employee of the Flintkote Company during those years may also be at risk of asbestos exposure because employees often transported asbestos fibers home on their clothing, skin, and hair.
Asbestos is known to cause several forms of serious disease, including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that affects the mesothelial linings of the body’s organs. The disease most commonly develops in lining of the lungs, which is known as pleural mesothelioma, and typically appears between two and five decades after initial asbestos exposure.
The heavy use of asbestos in construction materials is the reason why former Flintkote employees are at risk. Between the years of 1967 and 1979, the company produced and manufactured fire-resistant wall boards containing asbestos.
In 2004, the Flintkote Company entered bankruptcy due to asbestos-related lawsuits.
Health officials say that former Flintkote workers, as well as household members of those workers should contact a doctor with experience concerning asbestos-related diseases. They should also receive regular check-ups, quit smoking, and learn more about asbestos to protect their health.
The report additionally warns that fibers may have been released into the nearby neighborhood during the years Flintkote manufactured asbestos-containing wall boards.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment