In recent weeks, we have covered the ongoing talc powder lawsuits claiming that Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder products cause mesothelioma. This case, notably, involves one of the most influential and wealthy companies in the world. As a result, these types of lawsuits tend to take a great deal of the spotlight when the risks of asbestos are discussed.
However, the very real and continued asbestos risk for low-income housing residents is an often forgotten and seldom discussed public safety issue.
Lower-Income Residents Often Live in Older Buildings That Contain Asbestos
It is no surprise to anyone that individuals and families with lower incomes experience hardships and difficulties that wealthier parts of society do not. However, the obvious financial hardships facing lower-income families often results in a low-income housing living arrangement.
And, because of the high prevalence of asbestos in many low-income housing buildings, these arrangements are not providing safe and adequate shelter. At this point, it is now quite well documented that asbestos was widely used in the middle parts of the 20th century, peaking during the 1930s to 1970s. Asbestos was prized for its durability and natural resistance to heat, flame and chemicals. As such, asbestos-containing materials became a construction mainstay in everything from military vehicles to residential and commercial buildings alike.
Unfortunately, today it is also known that asbestos is a carcinogen that causes mesothelioma cancer when the microscopic fibers of asbestos are ingested or inhaled. These fibers can enter the body, line the internal organs and lead to a mesothelioma cancer diagnosis decades after an initial exposure. Importantly, no safe level of asbestos exposure has ever been established.
These collective facts are a necessary background for understanding the risk many low-income housing residents face. Many low-income housing options available to residents across the country are old buildings, thereby significantly increasing the chances that the buildings contain asbestos. After all, many of the low-income housing options came about as a direct result of the National Housing Act of 1934, which was enacted when asbestos usage was near its peak.
And, while this Act did achieve its goal of providing more affordable housing for many Americans, it also ensured that asbestos was used and can still be found in too many low-income housing options to this day.
Asbestos Abatement Is an Expensive Process
According to the EPA, it is thought that more than 700,000 homes still have asbestos-containing materials present in the home. In many cases, asbestos abatement is needed to ensure the safety of residents if asbestos-containing materials have been damaged.
Unfortunately, asbestos abatement is an expensive process that requires the help of trained professionals. As a result, the asbestos abatement that is needed to make low-income housing safer may not be accessible to low-income housing residents.
Many People Are Not Fully Informed About the Dangers of Asbestos
One of the reasons we regularly update this mesothelioma blog is to fully inform our readers concerning the scope and extent of asbestos dangers. Many residents who live in buildings with damaged asbestos materials, however, are relatively unaware of the significant dangers within their living environment.
Worse, the danger they are exposed to will not be visible without a microscope, so many residents have no idea that they may have already ingested microscopic asbestos fibers that could lead to a mesothelioma cancer diagnosis decades later.
If you or a loved one live in low-income housing and were diagnosed with mesothelioma, it may well be the case that the cause of your diagnosis was asbestos in a low-income housing building. Contact us online for a free case evaluation to discuss your legal claim with a Ledger Law mesothelioma lawyer and pursue your right to legal compensation today.