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How Can a Fabricator Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
Fabricators manufacture various products by using different raw materials and tools. They must follow set instructions to ensure that the products are put together properly and meet quality control standards.
Between the 1920s and 1980s, many fabricators manufactured products that contained asbestos in them. Because asbestos is resistant to heat and chemical reactions, it was used as an insulator in many products and in construction. Additionally, it was added to many other products to make them stronger. Asbestos is also non-corrosive, does not conduct electricity and is affordable and versatile, so there were once thousands of products that contained this mineral. Even today, some new products are produced with asbestos that fabricators work on and around. When fabricators mixed asbestos with other materials or were exposed to the raw mineral, they could have breathed in dangerous toxic asbestos fibers after they became dislodged from the product.
Asbestos was also used to wrap boilers and insulate industrial equipment, so fabricators could have been exposed to this toxic material when working around this machinery. Additionally, asbestos was used in a variety of tools that fabricators used on a regular basis.
Fabricators also often worked in factories that may have contained construction materials that contained asbestos, like floor and ceiling tiles, insulation or gypsum board. When these areas were damaged or materials were exposed during maintenance or renovation projects, nearby fabricators could have inhaled these dangerous fibers.
Locations in the United States for the Highest Employment Rates for Fabricators
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 1,354,150 assemblers and fabricators employed in the United. States with the highest employment rates for assemblers and fabricators include the following:
- California
- Michigan
- Indiana
- Ohio
- Texas
Similar Occupations as Fabricators
Similar occupations as fabricators include:
- Factory workers
- Machinery maintenance workers
- Metal and plastic machine operators
- Production workers
- Welders
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Assemblers and Fabricators
Some fabricators have successfully received verdicts or settlements in their favor after filing lawsuits against companies that were responsible for their asbestos exposure. Some notable cases include:
- A New York jury in 2017 returned a verdict of $4 million to a former assembly worker who developed mesothelioma and lung cancer after he worked with asbestos products. The lawsuit was lodged against the company that supplied the asbestos-containing materials.
- A California jury in 2001 awarded $20.5 million to a former cement pipe manufacturing worker and his spouse after the worker developed cancer by working at an asbestos-cement pipe plant.
- A man who worked as an assembler, steelworker and in other professions sued more than 140 corporations after he claimed that they did not use proper practices or available alternatives to asbestos. He and his family received a settlement of $6.5 million.
Studies Related to Fabricators and Mesothelioma
A variety of studies have been conducted on the relationship between asbestos and the assembly process, such as:
- Asbestos Textile, Friction, and Packing Plant Workers (Asbestos) by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health was published in 1998. It studied more than 3,200 people during the 1970s and tracked deaths related to asbestos. It found higher than expected rates of lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis in the study population.
- A study of the mortality of workers in an asbestos factory was conducted in 1969. It reviewed data regarding 4,000 male asbestos factory workers. This early research concluded that there was a higher rate of cancer in the lung and surrounding tissue when workers were exposed to higher concentrations of asbestos.
- Mortality from all cancers of asbestos factory workers in east London 1933-80 assessed records of more than 5,000 fabricators and assemblers since their first exposure to asbestos, finding a link between asbestos exposure and cancer risk.
- Tyler asbestos workers: A mortality update in a cohort exposed to amosite is a 2016 study published in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. Researchers analyzed data related to more than 1,000 people who worked in an asbestos factory between 1954 and 1972 in Tyler, Texas. Researchers concluded the individuals’ risk of dying from throat or lung cancer more than doubled compared to the general population.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Fabricators
Fabricators may have worked directly with asbestos-containing products, such as:
- Automotive parts
- Brake pads, shoes, drums and discs
- Electrical and mechanical components
- Fireproofing materials
- Glues and paints
- Heating and air conditioning equipment
- Insulation
- Joint compound
- Roofing materials
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Fabricators
Some of the largest companies that manufactured asbestos products include:
- P. Green Industries
- Armstrong World Industries
- Babcock and Wilcox
- Dana Corporation
- Ford Motor Company
- GAF Corporation
- Garlock Sealing Technologies
- General Electric
- General Motors
- Georgia Pacific
- John Crane
- Johns-Manville
- T. Thorpe Inc.
- Kaiser Aluminum
- National Gypsum
- Owens Corning Fiberglass
- Raybestos Manhattan Raymark Industries
- UNARCO
- Union Carbide
