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How Can a Chemical Plant Worker Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
Chemical plant workers monitor and control equipment used to process, mix and produce chemical products that are used in a wide variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals, cleaning products, digital goods, computers, toiletries, plastics and automobiles. The fashion industry also uses dyes and other products that are made by chemical plant workers. Chemical plant workers work with a variety of raw materials, including oil, coal, minerals, salts and plants.
Chemical plant workers often work in industrial settings like factories. They may work in factories that are open 24/7 and might sometimes be assigned to the late-night shift. Some workers may work shifts up to 12 hours a day. Many of the processes in chemical plants are highly automated and many chemical products may be processed in one continuous operation. Conveyors might move materials to various areas of the plant while raw materials go through a variety of chemical changes while they are processed.
Some chemical plant workers are promoted to supervisory and management level positions, such as chemical plant operators or supervisors. These individuals are largely responsible for supervising other chemical plant workers. They may also monitor and maintain the equipment necessary for the chemical manufacturing process.
Chemical plant workers often worked near asbestos. Asbestos was commonly used to produce many products because it was resistant to heat and chemical reaction. Chemical plant workers would handle these materials and the machinery that was insulated with them during their normal job tasks. Additionally, they were exposed to asbestos when products containing asbestos were removed or repaired. Microscopic asbestos fibers would become loose and inhaled by people nearby. The se fibers would be impaled into the lining of the lungs of these workers. This buildup in the lungs would form scar tissue that could ultimately transform into mesothelioma.
Typical job duties of chemical plant workers include:
- Operate equipment that controls the timing, pressure, flow and temperature of materials
- Monitor meter and instrument readings
- Monitor equipment in the chemical plant
- Control instruments
- Follow written procedures
- Inspect instruments to check if they are working properly
- Record test results and other data
- Report changes in machine performance
- Use tools to heat or cool materials
- Dry materials
- Open and close valves
- Pour finished products into containers
- Test samples to see if they meet quality standards
- Schedule maintenance assignments
- Clean machinery
- Prepare equipment
Locations in the United States for the Highest Employment Rates for Chemical Plant Workers
More than 596,00 workers in the United States are employed in the chemicals and allied products industry. There are large concentrations of chemical plants in California, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois and Ohio. These plants are often located near oil or coal fields. Others are located near large urban areas and manufacturing hubs.
There are more than 30,000 chemical plant operators, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. States with the highest employment rates for chemical plant operators include:
- Louisiana
- Texas
- Ohio
- Iowa
- Georgia
Similar Occupations as Chemical Plant Workers
Occupations that are similar to chemical plant workers are:
- Pipe fitters
- Boilermakers
- Machinists
- Chemical engineers
- Biochemists
- Biophysicists
- Environmental scientists
- Chemists
- Water and wastewater treatment plant operators
- Power plant operators
- Gas plant operators
- Material engineers
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Chemical Plant Workers and Mesothelioma
There have been a number of lawsuits and settlements that have alleged manufacturers of asbestos products were responsible for workers and consumers developing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions. In 2013, Dow Chemical was found liable for $6 million in damages to a chemical plant worker in Louisiana.
Another chemical plant worker received a $322 million verdict from Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. and Union Carbide Corporation due to asbestos exposure on the job. He developed asbestosis. However, this verdict was successfully appealed.
In 2011, a Texas family received a verdict of $9 million in their favor against Dow Chemical and Alcoa Aluminum after their loved one died from mesothelioma caused by his exposure to asbestos when he worked for Down for ten months and then worked for 29 years at an Alcoa Aluminum plant. His family believed that he developed the illness was due to his exposure to asbestos-containing insulators.
Studies Related to Chemical Plant Workers and Asbestos
Several studies have been conducted on the health of chemical plant workers. An early 1979 study entitled “Asbestos disease in maintenance workers of the chemical industry” analyzed medical records from chemical plant workers. Several large groups of chemical plant workers evaluated showed x-ray abnormalities. The study found 60% of the 185 workers that were part of the cross-sectional study showed symptoms of asbestosis and pre-cancerous conditions. 24% of the workers had asbestos fibers in their lungs. A thickening of the lung walls was observed in 28% of the workers. Abnormalities were found to be more likely when workers had worked at the chemical plant for 20 or more years.
A 35-year Norwegian study evaluated workers at an electrochemical plant found that workers were exposed to high concentration of asbestos dust.
A study that appeared in the British Medical Journal reported that asbestos-related fatalities in Belgian workers from the first decade of the 21st century for chemical plant workers were nearly three times higher to be caused by mesothelioma than for the general population.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Chemical Plant Workers
Chemical plant workers may have come into contact with asbestos via the following products:
- Chemical boilers
- Incinerators
- High-pressure pipe insulation
- Pumps
- Ovens
- Generators
- Fuel storage areas
- Wallboards
- High-pressure pipe insulation
- Tanks
- Paints
- Sealants
- Workspace assembly surfaces
- Duct and delivery system wrappings
- Furnaces
- Heat exchangers
- Reactors
Additionally, the products that these workers helped manufacture also sometimes contained asbestos.
Chemical plant workers also wore protective gear that was designed to protect them from dangerous chemicals, but the coveralls, gloves and masks they wore sometimes contained asbestos.
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Chemical Plant Workers
Manufacturers of asbestos products used by chemical plant workers include the following:
- Borden
- Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.
- Dow Chemical
- DuPont Chemical
- Durez Corporation
- General Electric Company
- Georgia-Pacific
- Hill Brothers Chemical
- Hooker Chemical Plant
- Lyondell Basell
- Monsanto Chemical Plant
- Pennwalt
- Rostone Inc.
- Stauffer Chemical
- Thompson-Hayward
- Union Carbide Corporation
- Westinghouse Corporation
