We hope you are having a relaxing Labor Day this year! As you (hopefully) enjoy your day off of work, please take a few minutes to reflect on the history of labor day and all that workers have endured as they built this country into what it is today. Many people do not know that asbestos has affected many of the workers in our country.
From the East to West coast, blue collar workers across the nation have been diagnosed with respiratory and other conditions that are often fatal, due to exposure to asbestos on the job. Before the substance was declared a hazard to human health in the late 1970s, many employers did not regulate the amount of exposure that occurred at the workplace. Many individuals inhaled asbestos fibers for years on end as they worked, day after day.
Today, asbestos is still not banned in America and employers are given a Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) to allow during workers’ shifts. Those that are most at risk for developing an asbestos-related disease due to exposure at work are: automobile mechanics, construction workers, firefighters, teachers, and more.
