Anybody else’s mom have mesothelioma?
My mom died in December ‘06. We don’t know where she was ever exposed to asbestos. Do you know where your mother was exposed?
Anybody else’s mom have mesothelioma?
My mom died in December ‘06. We don’t know where she was ever exposed to asbestos. Do you know where your mother was exposed?
There are many, many sources and places of exposure to asbestos. Here’s a list:
Materials Containing Asbestos
Most insulation materials before the mid-1970s contained asbestos. Many other construction materials also contained asbestos. Some of the most common products were:
Insulation on pipes
Boiler insulation
Insulating cements, plasters, and joint compounds that came in powder form and created a lot of dust before being completely mixed with water.
Fireproofing spray
Firebrick and gunnite used for internal insulation of furnaces, boilers, and other vessels
Roof, floor, and ceiling tiles.
Transite siding
Brakes and clutches
Trades
The following tradesmen could have worked around asbestos:
Insulators (also known as asbestos workers) who actually installed insulation
Boilermakers who constructed boilers which were often several stories high and filled with insulation
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters who fitted and welded pipes together and often worked in small unventilated compartments in ships where large quantities of insulation were used
Plasterers who worked with fireproofing spray on steel beams
Shipyard workers and Navy personnel
Electricians, mechanics
Bricklayers; millwrights; carpenters; and other building trades workers
Steel workers; refinery and other industrial workers;
Maintenance workers; laborers; many others.
More
OSHA has lowered asbestos exposure levels over the past three decades.
Sites
Industrial sites typically had the heaviest exposure. These include shipyards where ships were constructed or overhauled, power plants, refineries, paper mills, manufacturing plants, foundries, and construction sites..
No, my mom doesn’t.
But I’m answering this question to tell you how truly sorry I am for your mother’s death. It must have been pretty hard for you.
How old was your mom? Did she ever live in an older house? Many older homes used pipe insulation made of asbestos. If that insulation was ever disturbed, she could have inhaled fibers. Mesothelioma can stay dormant in your body for 30-50 years before causing a cancer. She could have been visiting someone who lived in an older home. It could have been an older school she attended or visited.
You’ll probably never figure it out. Does it matter? Is it just for "peace of mind" that you wonder, or do you have some other motive for wanting to know?