Asbestos:  Property Damage

Harming property as well as people

The asbestos property damage attorneys of RPWB have years of experience recovering damages for those who have suffered property damage resulting from the removal of asbestos from their homes or places of business.

Unfortunately, asbestos was used commercially for many years after its carcinogenic traits were known. Despite knowledge about the serious health hazards of asbestos and the availability of non-hazardous substitutes, information developed through lawsuits against asbestos companies revealed that companies producing asbestos-containing products concealed and misrepresented this information.  They did so while promoting, using and profiting from the use of asbestos in their products. 

Regulation and your rights

By the late 1960s and early 1970s, the federal government, after public outcry over the dangers posed by the wide use of asbestos, began to implement laws and regulations governing the use, maintenance, and disposal of asbestos and asbestos products and began to require a warning on a number of products containing asbestos.

Two federal agencies have primary jurisdiction over asbestos-related issues:

• The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) began regulating the permissible workplace exposures of workers in the United States in 1971. OSHA also sets out the protections that must be provided to those whose work may expose them to asbestos

• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deals with the inspection and testing of buildings containing asbestos and the proper disposal of asbestos among other things

However, none of these laws or regulations dictate compensation for those injured by asbestos or values compensation due those whose property was damaged as a result of asbestos installation and subsequent remediation.

Asbestos companies put profits over people. Compensation for victims must be sought through the civil justice system. This is why having knowledgeable and experienced asbestos attorneys like those of RPWB's asbestos property damage team, is critical in recovering damages for the losses you incurred as a result of asbestos being removed from your premises.