Asbestos in Wood Fiber Plaster
Concerned that exposure to asbestos wood fiber plaster could lead to asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma cancer? Learn more below.
What is wood fiber plaster?
Wood fiber plaster is used like spackle to fill holes and cracks in wood prior to staining or painting for a smoother finish. Once applied, wood fiber plaster could be sanded, drilled, nailed, and sawn just like real wood, making it easy and convenient for carpenters and others who worked with wood. Like many construction products, wood fiber plaster once contained asbestos fibers to increase tensile strength and make it fire resistant. And like the many other asbestos containing products on the market for much of the last century, asbestos-containing wood fiber plaster was extremely dangerous.
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How asbestos can cause mesothelioma and other illnesses
Although asbestos wood fiber plaster should always be considered dangerous, it is relatively safe as long as it is intact and encapsulated by paint or stain. Once it is sanded, sawn, drilled or otherwise pulverized, asbestos fibers can easily become airborne.
Asbestos is the general term for a group of different naturally occurring fibrous forms of several mineral silicates. These silicates grow in crystal structures of billions of microscopic fibers that are so light they can remain in the air for hours or even days.
Sharp asbestos fibers break off easily, and can be inhaled by the thousands in each breath. While many inhaled fibers will make their way out of the body, some can become embedded in the mesothelium, the delicate wall of cells that line many of the body’s internal organs.
Malignant mesothelioma is a rare but deadly form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure that affects the lungs, heart, or stomach. It is a fast moving cancer that usually kills its victims within a year of the onset of symptoms. Asbestos also causes asbestosis, a serious and progressive disease caused by asbestos fibers scarring the lungs and eventually cutting off oxygen supply to the victim. Asbestosis and mesothelioma cancer can flower without any warning, usually many decades after exposure to asbestos. Asbestos can also cause lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths in the world.
Exposed to asbestos? Contact a mesothelioma lawyer today.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or any other asbestos-related disease from workplace or home exposure to asbestos, contact an experienced mesothelioma lawyer immediately. Mesothelioma attorneys have helped thousands of mesothelioma patients win compensation for lost wages and medical costs.