Mesothelioma Lawyers Blog
This election season was like nothing we have ever seen in American history or American politics. Whatever your political persuasion, there can be no question that Donald Trump’s position have elicited strong feelings on both sides of the aisle.
One of his claims that has some people concerned is a claim made on the campaign trail and reiterated again that was recently discussed in the Huffington Post, pertaining to the danger – or rather, his perceived lack thereof – when it comes to asbestos. Trump has reportedly said that the asbestos “scare” was a conspiracy led by the mafia (organized crime organizations) in America to get Congress to ban the substance.The reason Trump apparently believes this is because, as he explained, most of the asbestos abatement business are run by the mafia, so this gives them more business since the government has made everyone fear that asbestos fibers are deadly.
According to Trump, there is nothing dangerous about asbestos, and we should be using it more in construction projects today, because it is an excellent insulator.
Much like other things Trump has said, it is not hard to imagine how these statements about asbestos might have raised alarms against those in environmental protection and healthcare workers who regularly treat people with malignant mesothelioma.
As our Boston mesothelioma attorneys can explain, asbestos causes a a very rare form of cancer that is almost exclusively caused by exposure to deadly asbestos fibers. There is very little dispute, if any, in the scientific and medical communities that asbestos causes cancer.
As it turns out, Trump has had dealings with asbestos in the past, which is expected, since he was in the construction industry for many years. In 1983, Trump was sued by a group of construction workers who helped build Trump Tower. They alleged that they were regularly working in clouds of dust that contained high levels of asbestos and were not wearing any protective equipment, including required ventilators or respirators. Trump denied having any knowledge of the working conditions and delayed the case for more than a decade. However, Trump eventually settled the case with a private agreement. He has also claimed in the late 1990s that asbestos is “100 percent safe” and made other similar statements regarding the substance.
Much to the surprise of some, asbestos is not a man-made substance. It is a naturally occurring silica mineral that can be further broken down into six different types of asbestos. It has been mined for thousands of years by humans and used for a variety of purposes. The reason for this is because it has the natural ability to resist heat, fire, electricity, and caustic chemicals. In addition to these properties, asbestos has the ability to serve as strong bonding agent. This is very useful in applications such as drywall joint compound. One of the more popular asbestos products was known as Colt Fun Plastic Cement.
If you or a loved one is diagnosed with mesothelioma in Boston, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Donald Trump And The Art Of Asbestos, November 3, 2016, By Cara Tompot, The Huffington Post
More Blog Entries:
New Effort to Strengthen Asbestos Litigation, June 28, 2016, Boston Mesothelioma Lawyer Blog