The Vermont Health Department has released findings regarding the nature of asbestos deaths in the state.
5 people in the state of Vermont that died between 1996 and 2005 were a topic of controversy. At issue was where exactly the deceased had come into contact with asbestos. Some argued that the asbestos exposure occurred in the homes of the afflicted, while others believed that asbestos exposure in these cases had occurred in the workplace.
According to the Vermont Health Department, the five people who died of asbestosis were indeed exposed to asbestos at work, and not at home.
Today the state health department released a report, which finds that 3 of the 5 people who died of asbestosis between 1996 and 2005 had been employed at a now closed asbestos mine.
The state report states that the two other individuals who died moved to Vermont after developing asbestosis. It is believed that those individuals had been exposed to asbestos in a former workplace elsewhere.
The state of Vermont conducted the latest report after some people questioned another report released in November of 2008. That report showed people who lived near the mine had an elevated risk of contracting or dying from asbestosis.
Asbestosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the lungs of people exposed to asbestos. Sufferers experience extreme shortness of breath, and face an elevated risk of developing lung cancers. In severe cases, asbestosis can lead to respiratory failure. Most cases of asbestosis manifest themselves 5-10 years after the initial exposure to asbestos.