Flexible Duct Connectors
Flexible duct connectors were just one of the dozens of products made with asbestos starting with the World War II era and ending in the mid 1970s. Flexible duct connectors are one of the components of the heating and cooling systems in office buildings and private homes. At the time, asbestos was one of the most affordable and easiest ways to add heat resistance to materials that had to endure extreme temperatures. Companies such as Duro-Dyne employed asbestos in their duct connectors.
But the use of asbestos can expose workers to serious health hazards. Products like flexible duct connectors made with asbestos have largely been removed from the buildings in which they were used. But there were such a large number of structures built during those 40 years that there could still be some of those products out there.
Flexible duct connectors made with asbestos were particularly hazardous since they are used to deliver the air throughout the building. Since the asbestos fibers are so strong and thin that when they get into the air through the duct connector, they can be easily inhaled and become stuck in the lining around the lungs, heart, and abdomen. This tissue can eventually become inflamed and develop into mesothelioma or another disease related to asbestos.
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