Many mistakenly believe that asbestos is banned. Despite being a known carcinogen — responsible for thousands of cases of mesothelioma each year — asbestos is not banned in the United States or Canada. In fact, Canada exported $90 million of asbestos last year — primarily to developing countries like India and Mexico.

Our Mesothelioma lawyers understand the risks. Mesothelioma has no cure. Despite research and advances in science, survival after diagnosis is typically only about a year. Unfortunately, because diagnosis is usually 30 to 40 years after exposure, too many patients don’t connect cancer in their 60s or 70s to exposure to asbestos in their 20s or 30s. There are many ways workers and their families could have been exposed, including, drywall and joint compound work, servicing of automobiles and other equipment, military service, those who worked in mills and shipyards, and those who worked in construction or the heating and cooling industries.

Routine exposure to asbestos was common through the 1960s and 1970s — it was even used in school construction.

Not until the Clean Air Act of 1970 and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, did the U.S. start to try and regulate the prior uncontrolled use of asbestos as construction material.

In July 1989, the EPA finally banned most asbestos-containing products. However, that ban was overturned by a New Orleans Appeals Court. Following the court’s decision, the following asbestos products remained banned: flooring felt; rollboard and corrugated, commercial or specialty paper. In addition, “new uses” of asbestos were also banned.