Who is at risk for asbestos diseases?
Asbestos Exposure
Malignant mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure. There is a latency
period of 20 to 50 years between initial exposure and development of the
disease with the average being between 35 and 40 years. Rare instances have
been documented when the interval was much less than 20 years.
The incidence of mesothelioma rises with the intensity and duration of exposure
to asbestos. However, there are numerous cases of mesothelioma among people
with very little occupational exposure or even household exposure. There
are cases of people getting mesothelioma 30 or 40 years after having who
had a summer job working construction in high school and cases of housewives
being exposed from their husband's laundry or children getting exposed to
the asbestos dust on their father's clothes. Many people being diagnosed
with mesothelioma today were exposed in the Navy many years ago, often unknowingly.
Who was exposed
Literally millions of people worldwide were exposed to unhealthy levels
of asbestos over the decades. The exposure was due not only to ignorance,
since it has been documented that the asbestos industry knew of the dangers
as early as the 1920s. Since the creation of OSHA in 1970 there have been
standards for workplace exposure. But even the exposure limits have been
lowered since they were first introduced.
Materials Containing Asbestos
Most insulation materials before the mid-1970s contained asbestos. Many
other construction materials also contained asbestos. Some of the most common
products were
- Insulation on pipes
- Boiler insulation
- Insulating cements, plasters, and joint compounds that came in powder form and created a lot of dust before being completely mixed with water.
- Fireproofing spray insulation
- Firebrick and gunnite used for internal insulation of furnaces, boilers, and other vessels
- Roof, floor, and ceiling tiles.
- Transite Siding
- Brakes and Clutches
The following tradesmen could have worked around asbestos:
- Insulators (also known as asbestos workers) who actually installed insulation
- Boilermakers who constructed boilers which were often several stories high and filled with insulation
- Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters who fitted and welded pipes together and often worked in small unventilated compartments in ships where large quantities of insulation were used
- Plasterers who worked with fireproofing spray on steel beams
- Shipyard workers and Navy personnel
- Electricians, mechanics
- Bricklayers; millwrights; carpenters; and other building trades workers
- Steel workers; refinery and other industrial workers;
- Maintenance workers; laborers; many others.
Industries that exposed workers to asbestos include:
- Military service - especially ship duty in the navy
- Shipyards - building both commercial and military
- Merchant marine
- Power plants
- Refineries
- Paper mills
- Manufacturing plants
- Foundries
- Construction sites
What should you do if you were exposed? Find out here.
NIOSH on Asbestos
Washington
State Workplace Safety Center