Asbestos lagging is still found in many buildings. Lagging is a type of insulating material used to cover plumbing pipes, boilers, and various metal machinery parts. The heat-resistant property of asbestos and the versatility of asbestos as a thermal insulator made it a logical choice as a component of lagging. However, it was eventually established that asbestos exposure can cause various types of cancer, including mesothelioma, and that plumbers, laggers, pipefitters, and boilermakers have been at a significant risk of developing these cancers when they worked with asbestos lagging.

Asbestos Components

Asbestos lagging can take several forms, being sprayed or as a woven material. The products used to secure asbestos lagging include:

• lagging adhesive
• lagging cloth
• lagging tape

In Thousands of Buildings

The asbestos lagging adhesive, lagging cloth, lagging tape, and other forms of lagging may be anywhere from 50% to 100% asbestos. Asbestos-containing lagging was installed in thousands of buildings in the United States before the uses of asbestos were severely curtailed in the 1980s. The asbestos lagging that was wrapped around pipes, etc. decades ago is now often in poor condition, crumbling or "friable" — the most dangerous state for asbestos, since the loosened or disturbed asbestos fibers may float in the air and be inhaled by humans.

Mesothelioma, Asbestosis, and Lung Cancers

When humans or animals inhale the tiny asbestos fibers, the fibers lodge themselves in the lungs and/or other internal organs, initiating a disease sequence that can take decades to manifest. The asbestos exposure results in diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis, and several types of lung cancer. These are serious and often life-threatening diseases. A person may have one of these diseases for years without realizing it, because the symptoms may take up to 40 years to appear.

Mesothelioma and other asbestos-caused diseases are not uncommon among the workers who install, maintain, repair or remove asbestos lagging, adhesive, tape and cloth in plumbing and heating systems. In addition, many spouses of asbestos lagging workers have inadvertently been exposed to high levels of asbestos when their spouses brought asbestos fibers home with them day after day — on their clothing and shoes, and in their hair.

Learn More about the Dangers of Asbestos Lagging

If you or your loved one has developed an asbestos-related disease, you may be eligible for financial compensation from the maker of the asbestos product. Contact us online today to get answers to your questions and concerns about the dangers of asbestos lagging.