Scott Frost shares his insights from our newsletter:
It’s hard to imagine a kitchen without aluminum foil.
A garage without duct tape.
Or a bathroom cabinet without Band-Aids.
Some things become so useful that eventually they’re just everywhere.
For much of the twentieth century, American industry had something like that.
It was cheap.
Durable.
Fire resistant.
A remarkably good insulator.
Ships used it.
Factories used it.
Automakers used it.
Builders used it.
I’ll give you one guess what that material was.
Asbestos.
(Shocking, coming from me, I know.)
But here’s the uncomfortable part:
It worked.
In fact, that was part of the problem.
Even as evidence of the danger piled up, companies kept using it.
By 1930, researchers had already established that heavy asbestos exposure could cause serious lung disease.
1930.
The evidence only grew from there.
Yet warnings on asbestos products wouldn’t begin appearing until the mid-1960s.
Meanwhile, workers kept clocking in.
They cut it.
Installed it.
Removed it.
Swept up the dust.
Breathed it.
Often without being told what was already known about the risk.
Labor Day is supposed to be about workers.
They showed up.
Did their jobs.
Trusted the people they worked for.
They deserved to know what those jobs were exposing them to.
Too many of them didn’t.
So this weekend, clock out.
Fire up the grill.
Ignore your inbox.
And raise a glass to the people who showed up and did the work.
— Scott Frost
(866) FROST-WINS
P.S. If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, reach out to our team here. We’re always happy to answer questions and help however we can.
From Exposure to Closure ®
