While most of those diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases are well past retirement, younger victims are still out there. Exposure to older asbestos products and secondary exposure have led to debilitating diseases in younger individuals today.
NPR recently updated their report on a younger generation of asbestos-exposure victims. It documents, among other things, the story of a 39 year old man, Kris Penny, diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma. He believes he was exposed to asbestos during his work with asbestos cement pipes at BellSouth (now AT&T).
As late as 2014, these types of pipes have tested positive for asbestos – in one case, up to 35 percent. In many cases, workers are not alerted to the dangers of the substance or properly trained to work with them.
It is believed that “there will be more like [Kris Penny]…relatively young people who get sick from even limited contact with asbestos.” Many wonder why asbestos has not yet been banned in America. Until it is, more workers and their family members will continue to be diagnosed with these devastating diseases.
Read the NPR article, here.
