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How Can a Draftsman Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
Draftsmen, drafters, or drafting engineers create drawings and plans that are used in construction and manufacturing. Common job duties of draftsmen include:
- Design plans with computer-aided design software
- Work from rough specifications that architects and engineers
- Design products with techniques from engineering and manufacturing fields
- Convert architect plans and ideas into technical drawings
- Add details to architectural plans
- Incorporate architects’ and engineers’ specifications into drawings that are used to manufacture, maintain or repair a product or structure
- Specify dimensions, materials and procedures for products
- Use computer equipment and handheld tools to create drawings
- Calculate structural strength, assess building capacity limits and estimate construction costs
- Visit construction sites for specifications and measuring
- Follow up with site inspections
These professionals may work in a variety of fields. Some specialize in civil, mechanical, architectural or electrical drafting. These specializations may have placed these workers in locations that exposed them to asbestos. Even though draftsmen did not typically handle asbestos-containing materials directly, they were often exposed to high quantities of asbestos for prolonged periods of time during their careers when they visited job sites. Airborne asbestos fibers were often found on construction sites where these workers visited.
Asbestos was once considered the ideal building material because it was strong, affordable and lightweight. It served as a great insulator and was resistant to heat and fire, so it was used in many applications. Draftsmen had to visit workplaces where asbestos was likely installed in order to visit engineers, architects and other tradespeople. They often visited these worksites when planning or making changes to building projects. During these visits, draftsmen could inhale or swallow asbestos fibers that were loosened during installation or disturbed during renovation or demolition projects. From the 1920s to 1980s, most construction sites in the United States used products that contained asbestos. Asbestos was contained in everything from flooring tiles and drywall to roofing and sealants. Draftsmen often spent hours on worksites where asbestos fibers were floating in the air.
Many draftsmen also worked in the mining industry. They calculated details for constructing and supporting these underground operations. Many mine shafts contained asbestos dust from naturally-occurring asbestos and from equipment that was insulated by asbestos. Draftsmen could have breathed in these asbestos fibers when visiting these poorly-ventilated areas.
Draftsmen were also often employed in the shipbuilding industry. They drew up detailed plans for ship hulls, systems and finishes. This work often required them to work inside poorly-ventilated ships that were made up of thousands of asbestos products.
Locations in the United States for the Highest Employment Rates for Draftsmen
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are approximately 200,000 people employed in the position of draftsmen. States with the highest employment rates for draftsmen include:
- Texas
- California
- Louisiana
- Ohio
- Oregon
Similar Occupations as Draftsmen
Similar occupations as draftsmen include:
- Architects
- Civil engineering technicians
- Electrical and electronics engineering technicians
- Industrial engineers
- Landscape architects
- Mechanical engineering technicians
- Mechanical engineers
- Surveying and mapping technicians
- Surveyors
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Draftsmen and Mesothelioma
Despite the relatively low number of draftsmen, there have been a few notable cases involving these professionals. For example, a Los Angeles jury awarded a former draftsman and pipefitter $1.25 million in 1987 after he developed mesothelioma, allegedly from being exposed to asbestos pipe insulation four decades earlier. The man sued Raymark, alleging that company executives as early as 1935 about the dangers of asbestos in their products but failed to warn him and other workers of these dangers when working on repairing pipes on ships at Pearl Harbor. The man’s award included $500,000 in punitive damages after evidence was presented that the company tried to alter studies on the dangers of asbestos to make them appear more favorable. Encouraged an American trade publication not to publish studies that documented the hazards of asbestos, and discouraged the release of x-rays of the company’s employees. The man also received a settlement with several other asbestos manufacturers for an undisclosed amount.
Studies Related to Draftsmen and Asbestos
In 1986, a group of researchers published a study entitled “Asbestos content of lung tissue in asbestos associated diseases: a study of 110 cases” in the British Journal of Industrial Medicine that examined the lung tissue of workers in fields where they were at high risk of being exposed to asbestos, including that of one draftsman.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Draftsmen
Draftsmen may have come into contact with a variety of construction products that contained asbestos, including the following:
- Cement powder
- Drywall board
- Equipment components
- Floor tiles
- Roofing shingles
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Draftsmen
Some of the manufacturers that produced products that contained asbestos that draftsmen and other construction workers may have been exposed to include:
- Armstrong world Industries
- Atlas Asbestos Company
- Capco Pipe Company
- Flintkote Co.
- Harbison-Walker
- NARCO
- National Gypsum
- Owens Corning
- Pabco
- S. Gypsum
