Hazardous Job Sites - At Risk Locations For Asbestos Exposure & Mesothelioma
The vast majority of people who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma have a history of occupational asbestos exposure. They were shipyard workers or automobile brake specialists; they worked in steel mills, construction sites, chemical plants, military bases, power plants and other places where asbestos was used as insulation, as a fire-retardant or in hundreds of workplace products.
Asbestos is the name given to a group of fibrous minerals that have been prized since ancient times for their heat resistant properties. Asbestos is resistant to fire, heat and most types of acid; it’s lightweight, infinitely malleable and strong, and it is a poor conductor of electricity. In the 20th century asbestos was used in a wide variety of industrial applications.
Asbestos is characterized by a prolonged latency period: Typically, 20 to 50 years elapse between the time of asbestos exposure and a mesothelioma diagnosis. Many people who worked around asbestos in the 1960s and 1970s are just being diagnosed with mesothelioma today.
The construction industry used asbestos as an additive in cement, floor tiles, boards, canvas, heating ducts, and pipe and gasket insulation among other products. Asbestos acoustical plaster, panels and tiles can still be found in older residences and commercial buildings today. Construction trades most at risk for developing mesothelioma are building engineers, pipefitters, sheet metal workers, insulators, plumbers and pipefitters. But anyone who ever worked on a construction site where asbestos was used runs a far higher risk of developing the deadly cancer than members of the general population. Demolition and wrecking crews are also at risk when these structures are dismantled.
Because of its ability to withstand friction, asbestos was commonly used in brake and clutch manufacturing. People who worked as automobile mechanics, as brake repairers, or as assembly line workers manufacturing clutch facings, brake linings, brake shoes, and disk pad are at risk for developing mesothelioma.
On a ship, heat generating engines, boilers, incinerators; steam and hot water pipes are crammed into tight spaces with inadequate ventilation that require huge amounts of insulation. Through the middle of the 1970s, asbestos was the insulating material most often used. Asbestos insulation frequently disintegrates under these conditions. Shipbuilders, ship crews, U.S. Navy personnel, merchant mariners and longshoremen inhaled this asbestos dust, which lodged in their lungs leading to chronic inflammation and pathological cellular changes.
Asbestos was the favorite insulation for electrical wiring, both interior and exterior. Every electrical worker who was exposed to this asbestos-containing insulation was at risk for developing mesothelioma, but particularly electricians and electrical and telephone linemen.
Metalworking requires intense heat. Asbestos often provided the insulation necessary to protect expensive equipment under these extreme conditions. Steel workers, welders, ironworkers, sheet metal workers and skilled metal craftsmen who worked around asbestos insulation are all at risk for developing mesothelioma.
Other occupations whose members were commonly exposed to asbestos include power plant workers, chemical plant workers, machinists, factory workers, custodians, railroad workers, warehouse workers and many more.
If you or a loved one worked in an occupation where asbestos was commonly used in an industrial context and have recently been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please fill out the form above or call our 1-800 number as soon as possible so you can explore the legal options available to you with an experienced attorney.
