Was Whitey Bulger Exposed to Asbestos?
Now that one of the most dangerous and wanted men in the country has finally been captured after 16 years on the run, we can turn our attention to the real issue: was reputed mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger exposed to asbestos?
Although Bulger appears to be in great physical shape for an 81-year-old alleged murderer, his time in the Princess Eugenia Apartments in Santa Monica, California may have put him at risk for a number of serious and deadly asbestos related diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer. His life could be slowly coming to an end, and he wouldn’t even know it.
Why?
Because the Princess Eugenia Apartment complex was built in 1970, the peak year of asbestos use in the United States. More likely than not, Whitey Bulger’s apartment contained asbestos.
Fireproof and durable, the deadly mineral asbestos was added into countless products from the 1930s through the early 1980s, when it was largely phased out of use due to its connection with mesothelioma and other illnesses. Products such as roofing, plaster, paint, spackle, joint compound and many other common products likely contained asbestos.
If the asbestos contained in those products is left undisturbed, the risks of asbestos exposure are low. But once the materials are disturbed through such actions as sanding, drilling, cutting, or stashing ill-gotten gains, countless microscopic asbestos fibers can be released into the air where they can be inhaled or swallowed.
Whitey Bulger may have unintentionally put himself and his girlfriend Catherine Greig at risk of mesothelioma by cutting open his wall to make the safe which held his guns and cash.
The latency period between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma can be as long as 40 years, meaning Bulger could be at serious risk of developing mesothelioma around his 120th birthday.
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