Vinyl tile and sheets have been available for decades and are popular flooring options. Until the 1980s, asbestos was an ingredient and part of this flooring and the adhesives that kept them in place. Asbestos was a health threat in the home for many years, and flooring was just one of many products posing health hazards to families and those hired to install, repair, and replace this material.
If you’re diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease after exposure to asbestos-containing flooring, contact Satterley & Kelley, PLLC. You may be entitled to compensation for what you’re dealing with, and we can help. Call us today at 855-385-9532 to learn more.
What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber found in rock formations and soil.
Why is Asbestos Dangerous?
Asbestos fibers are released into the air when asbestos-containing materials are manufactured, installed, ripped or torn apart, cut, repaired, removed, or replaced. These fibers are about 50 to 200 times thinner than human hair, can be invisible, and are easily inhaled or swallowed when released into the air.
They may become stuck deep in your lungs and other organs, causing chronic diseases and aggressive, lethal cancers. One of them is mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs, heart, abdominal organs, chest, and abdominal cavities. Asbestos also causes lung cancer and asbestosis, a condition significantly reducing a person’s ability to breathe.
Asbestos-containing flooring became dangerous when fibers went into the air as tiles, and the adhesive under them was cut, trimmed, scraped, sanded, or pulled apart when removed.
Why Was Asbestos Used in Flooring Products?
Between 1960 and 1980, vinyl asbestos was widely used for flooring in areas of offices, businesses, public buildings, schools, churches, hospitals, and homes where there was high traffic because it was durable, inexpensive, easily installed, and easy to clean.
Asbestos was used in vinyl flooring because of its strength, durability, low cost, fire resistance, and insulating properties. It was used in vinyl flooring, as part of the backing material, and as a filler in vinyl tiles and sheets.
What Flooring Materials Contained Asbestos?
Vinyl tile and sheets were made of raw asbestos fibers and various binders, fillers, pigments, resins, and chemical stabilizers. Vinyl asbestos tile (or VAT) was often in a 9-by-9-inch size.
Sheet vinyl backed with asbestos was used to subfloor surfaces in roll or sheet form. The asbestos-containing sheet backing or flooring felt was a paper product (made of a latex binder and asbestos fibers) under the sheet vinyl flooring.
Asbestos was also part of linoleum flooring, which is similar to vinyl flooring. While vinyl is made of artificial materials, linoleum is made from natural materials such as pine resin, linseed oil, cork, wood, or mineral fillers. Linoleum is often mistaken for vinyl flooring.
Why is Compensation Available to Those With Asbestos-Related Diseases?
Compensation is available to those with asbestos-related diseases because asbestos causes many life-altering and deadly conditions. Payment to individuals with asbestos-related conditions acknowledges the harm caused by asbestos fibers. It helps address the financial burdens of medical expenses, loss of income, and reduced quality of life.
Many asbestos-related diseases could have been prevented if manufacturers and employers had taken appropriate measures to protect workers and consumers from exposure. The asbestos industry also actively hid the dangers of asbestos from the public to sell more asbestos for a longer time.
Over several decades legal actions were taken against companies that manufactured or used asbestos-containing products (including those used in flooring) without adequately warning individuals about the health risks. These legal actions have led to the establishment of compensation funds and settlements for victims of asbestos-related diseases.
How Can I Receive Compensation for My Asbestos-Related Disease?
Satterley & Kelley, PLLC, attorneys represent those dealing with these conditions and family members of people whose deaths were caused by asbestos. The asbestos industry is largely bankrupt because of successful lawsuits, government regulation, and replacement by alternate materials. But several companies who sold asbestos-containing flooring and related products are still in operation.
As part of the bankruptcy process, companies created trust funds to pay claims of those injured by their products. These trust funds screen applicants, determine possible liability and provide compensation. If a company that sold asbestos-containing flooring materials is still in business, it may be sued.
We file claims with these trust funds and work with them to obtain the highest possible settlements for our clients. Though it’s possible a trust fund could be unreasonable and deny a valid claim, negotiation, not litigation, is the primary way clients receive compensation. We also may file legal action against businesses still in operation that sold asbestos-containing products in the past.
Call Us Today For A Free Consultation
Satterley and Kelley, PLLC, will be your boots on the ground if you or someone you love in Kentucky suffers from mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness caused by flooring products. To reach our office in Louisville, call us at 855-385-9532. Please complete our contact form to schedule a free initial consultation.