CONSTRUCTION JOBS AFFECTED
The construction trades most at risk from asbestos have been drywallers, insulators, plumbers and pipefitters, electricians, and sheet metal workers. But any construction worker may be in danger during maintenance, remodeling, or demolition of an old building or road. Sometimes workers' families are at risk, too, from asbestos taken home on workers' clothes or shoes.
Some asbestos fibers are so small you cannot see them. They are the most dangerous because they can get in your lungs.
Asbestos can cause asbestosis, which scars your lungs and makes it hard to breathe. You can also get lung cancer or mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of the chest or stomach. All kinds of asbestos can give you these diseases, including chrysotile asbestos.
The more you are exposed to asbestos, the more chance you will get sick later on.
Protect Yourself
Any building built before 1980 can have asbestos in the insulation, fireproofing, floors, walls, or roof. Newer buildings can have asbestos in the roof or floors. If you do not know if there is asbestos in a building (or road), OSHA says you must act as if there is asbestos.