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You don’t often see a Cincinnati workers comp attorney celebrating, but we owe it to those we’ve helped to raise awareness. Healthy lung awareness month is here in October, and many people just aren’t aware of the dangers that can happen in the workplace. In fact, it seems as though if you’re not working in coal country, then you’re probably fine and don’t have lung health concerns about your working environment. So should you be worried about your work environment?
Many workers throughout the United States do work in environments or around materials, which could be dangerous. That’s exactly why everyone should follow OSHA and Industry guidelines for proper protective equipment. Here are the most common long hazards in American workplaces, and busting some myths on well people frequently believe are lung hazards but actually pose little or no danger.
Situations That are Emergencies
Some situations are very obvious emergencies, and usually, workers that would come across these issues know about these dangers well ahead of time. Gas leaks, sewage spills, and the spell release of hazardous materials are emergencies. The crews that most commonly work with these materials, however, should know exactly how to respond to the emergency.
They should know to evacuate the area and to contact an emergency agency for hazardous waste cleanup or the health department to issue a wider spread alert. These workers can include utility workers, repairpersons, and even those who do clean up after car accidents.
Breathing In Fiberglass Insulation
Fiberglass is perhaps one of the most concerning elements that people site. However, it may not be as dangerous as we were once led to believe. Fiberglass and dust happen when the material itself is cut, sanded, salt, or trimmed. Now you can come into contact with fiberglass fibers and freeze those fibers and by simply touching or disturbing fiberglass insulation.
Fiberglass can cause pre-existing conditions to worsen, such as asthma and bronchitis. But, there’s many questions around whether or not I would actually cause cancer. We know that the larger particles of fiberglass directly impact the upper respiratory tract. However, there is not much research done on how smaller particles impact the lower respiratory system.
In animal studies, it was shown that when exposed to smaller fiberglass fibers, the lung tissues of rats were at a higher risk of becoming cancerous. There is no substantial information to justify claiming that fiberglass is cancer-causing, but based on the animal studies, the International Agency for Research on Cancer declared some of the materials within fiberglass as a possible human carcinogen.
Powder Coating Materials and More
Coating powders are a hazardous substance, and about 10% of powder coating materials are respirable. They are too fine once they’re dispersed in the air to be picked up by the most commonly used respirators. Additionally, those materials can go deep into the lungs, even with normal breathing patterns.
People working in manufacturing plants or engineering departments that frequently utilize powder coating processes are in danger of developing some lung Health complications.
Common Hazardous Materials Found in a Variety of Workplaces
Wherever there are hazardous materials in the air, there are direct issues related to health problems. Those health problems over a long stretch of time and can lead to brain damage, kidney damage, cancer, and other health complications.
Welders and manufacturers or even plumbers and electricians that regularly utilize welding activities have frequent exposure to lead. Additionally, other manufacturers and people who work with high-power batteries such as car batteries or thermometers, have high exposure to Mercury.
Other common hazardous materials can include substances found in paint thinners, carbon monoxide, sulfur acid, which is often and fertilizer, as well as dyes and detergents.
Contact a Cincinnati Workers Comp Attorney at Young, Reverman, and Mazzei
Most worker’s compensation cases revolve around an isolated injury, specifically one that managers and doctors could easily detect. A broken bone or a strained ankle, and similar injuries are what leads to most workers comp claims. However, there is a large percentage of Injured Workers that feel they can’t move their worker’s comp claim forward because their injury or condition developed over time. Ask a Cincinnati workers comp attorney and they’ll tell you that you may actually have a claim.
It’s not likely that your lung health will plummet after one day in an unhealthy work environment. However, after months or years of working in that environment, you may start to develop a cough and additional health conditions that may affect the rest of your life. Contacting the Cincinnati workers comp attorney through Young, Reverman, and Mazzei can give you the edge you need to push forward with your claim.
