Armco Asbestos Training
Contact us 0161 761 4424
Armco Asbestos Training
Last Updated on April 10, 2017 by
It is reported that Dentists may have been exposed to asbestos in daily work, and yet they are not aware of this.
Research shows that dental tape is one of the causes of asbestos exposure.
And the recent studies also showed that Periodontal dressings are another cause of asbestos exposure.
Although it is many years since these products were manufactured using asbestos, there are ongoing cases of both past and present dentists developing respiratory issues and even mesothelioma cancer as a result.
Dentists have been awarded millions of pounds in compensation over the years from the companies who made these products.
Dental tape has been found to be a cause of asbestos exposure according to an article from American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
It was used by dentists from the 1930s through to the 1970s and contained asbestos.
Although it wasn’t commonly used, it was used a lot in the manufacturing of casting rings.
These casting rings were then used to make items such as dental crowns, inlays, dentures and bridges.
And many dental students apparently worked with asbestos containing products whilst doing their training, according to an article written for the British Dental Journal.
The researchers also found that Periodontal dressings contained asbestos.
They were used postoperatively following periodontal surgery.
Asbestos was discovered to be a main ingredient in the dressing powders.
So when a Dentist was to mix the powder with liquid to form a putty mix, they were unwittingly exposing themselves to asbestos dust fibers.
Back in 2008, a dental technician, Marvin Penn, was the 1st person to ever file a lawsuit because of being exposed to asbestos contained within dental tape.
He won his case and was awarded the total of $16.25 million following his mesothelioma diagnosis.
In America, most mesothelioma lawsuits don’t actually go to trial.
However, in some special cases they do go to trial.
Mr Penn’s case was one of those classed as being a special case.
He chose to take part in a three week clinical trial involving top medical experts.
In the trial, it was discovered that 40% of Mr Penn’s exposures to asbestos were as a direct result of his use of dental tape.
The dental tape manufacturers, Kerr Corp and Randsom & Randolf, were held responsible.
There have only ever been another 6 known cases where dental professionals who have developed mesothelioma have filed lawsuits since 2008.
Source of article:- www.mesotheliomaguide.com/community/dentists-unexpectedly-affected-mesothelioma/ by Jenna Campagna
Duty holders and employers have a legal responsibility to manage asbestos in their building so as not to put employees at risk. Contact our Armco office for asbestos management and refurbishment/ demolition surveys on 0161 763 3727 or by visiting https://www.armco.org.uk/
Alternatively, to book onto one of our asbestos training courses, please call 0161 761 4424 or visit https://www.armcoasbestostraining.co.uk/
[custom-facebook-feed]
[ap-twitter-feed]
Published Apr 10, 2017
