Seeger Weiss in Los Angeles, California

Seeger Weiss LLP opened up its fifth office nationwide in Los Angeles, California in December 2009. California shares many of the same asbestos exposure problems as the rest of the country - as an insulation material, asbestos was used in countless homes and offices. In California, construction workers and shipyard workers face a heightened risk for asbestos exposure, and the eventual diagnosis of mesothelioma.

The main source of asbestos in indoor air is insulation products. Buildings built in the last 50 years used a variety of materials composed of asbestos mixed with other fibers like paper, fiberglass, or synthetic fibers and a binder, usually lime or gypsum mortar. The most commonly reported asbestos-contaminated material in California homes is the cottage-cheese ceiling insulation. Other common materials include vinyl floor tiles, patching compounds and textured paints, furnace, stove and pipe insulation, stove door gaskets, some roofing shingles and siding material, and parts of some pre-1979 appliances (e.g. toasters, clothes dryers, hair dryers). Because asbestos was used in so many building materials, Californians who work in the construction industry face a heightened risk of asbestos exposure.

Asbestos was also used to build ships, and the men and women who worked in California shipyards have faced an enormous challenge as more and more receive diagnoses of mesothelioma. The shipyard workers in California were exposed to asbestos on a daily basis, as asbestos was used as insulation for ships’ steam pipes, hot water pipes, and boilers. California workers who were employed in and around a ship’s boiler room were exposed to a significant amount of asbestos, whether helping build, repair, or demolish the asbestos-contaminated insulation.

In California, asbestos wastes are regulated by local, state and federal agencies. Information on regulations, certification, and health and safety is available from the following California State agencies:

• California Department of Toxic Substances Control is responsible for disposal and transport issues
• California Department of Consumer Affairs' Contractors State License Board gives information on the certification requirements for asbestos abatement contractors
• California-OSHA (Department of Industrial Relations) handles worker-safety and asbestos exposure issues

While most Californians encounter asbestos in the home or workplace, it can also occur naturally. Chrysotile and amphibole asbestos (such as tremolite) occur naturally in certain geologic settings in California.