Asbestos in Theaters

Since people invented windows and stages, curtains have been made of a wide variety of materials to achieve different purposes. Some curtains are designed to block out light while others are much more decorative. Curtains used in theaters were designed to signal the end of a scene or act or to prevent fire from reaching the audience. To achieve this goal of fire prevention, theaters across the country had curtains made of asbestos that could be deployed in the event of a fire on stage.

The threat of a fire in a theater has typically been very high over the years. Before the creation of electricity and stage lights, theaters used a row of candles at the foot of the stage to light the entire stage. In addition, there were candles burning throughout the entire building. Once stage lights were used instead, these lights got very hot and were known to set scenery on fire.

Unfortunately, these small fires erupted into huge blazes which burned down entire buildings and killed people on a number of different occasions. Once the fire retardant properties of asbestos were discovered, this fiber was put to use to create large curtains that were installed in theaters across the United States.

These curtains, usually, did an excellent job of preventing fire from spreading from the stage to the audience. However, they were also responsible for releasing fibers of asbestos into the air. This happened as the curtains aged or were torn by getting caught on scenery or actors. Regardless of how the rips occurred, the curtains still tore.

When the fibers were released, they could be inhaled by anyone wandering through the theater. While the majority of individuals do not and did not spend enough time backstage to be affected by this, the theater’s crew could easily have inhaled a lot of asbestos fibers.

Contact a Mesothelioma Attorney

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or any other disease tied to asbestos exposure, contact the mesothelioma lawyer of Williams Kherkher at 1-800-781-3955 to discuss your situation and to determine your legal options.