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How Can a General HVAC Repair Worker Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
General HVAC repair workers install, maintain and repair heating, cooling, refrigeration and ventilation systems to regulate the temperature and air quality in buildings. These workers often come in contact with asbestos to this day because asbestos was used to insulate pipes and other components of HVAC systems. When these workers remove old systems or parts, the brittle asbestos fibers may become airborne and breathed in by these professionals.
HVAC workers commonly work in buildings that historically contained asbestos, such as those built before the 1980s. This includes stores, businesses, office buildings, factories, hospitals, schools and homes. Many travel from job site to job site on service calls to repair broken or malfunctioning HVAC systems or components.
Locations in the United States for the Highest Employment Rates for General HVAC Repair Workers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 367,900 heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers employed in the United States. With a 13% anticipated rate of growth between 2018 to 2028, there may be many more of these workers in the years to come States with the highest employment rates for heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers include:
- Florida
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Pennsylvania
Similar Occupations as General HVAC Repair Workers
Similar occupations as general HVAC repair workers include the following:
- Boilermakers
- Boiler operators
- Carpenters
- Construction workers and laborers
- Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers
- Electricians
- General maintenance and repair workers
- Home appliance repairers
- Pipefitters
- Plumbers
- Sheet metal workers
- Steamfitters
- Solar photovoltaic installers
- Stationary engineers
- Wind turbine technicians
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving General HVAC Repair Workers and Mesothelioma
There have been a few notable cases involving HVAC workers who have received awards or settlements after developing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases due to their exposure to asbestos. For example, the family of an HVAC contractor who died from mesothelioma received $1.5 million in a wrongful death case filed against Sprinkmann Insulation because he was exposed to asbestos while working in various industrial locations for the company throughout his long career with them.
Another man received an award of $325,000 after filing a lawsuit against his former employer, Copeland Refrigerator Company after he developed mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos from refrigeration compressors while he worked as an HVAC mechanic.
An undisclosed amount of money was given to a mesothelioma victim and his family by several HVAC equipment manufacturers after the man developed mesothelioma. The manufacturers included Lennox, Carrier and Trane, among others. He worked for 40 years as a residential HVAC unit repairman and operated a small HVAC repair business in Telephone, Texas, located near Dallas. The man’s legal team discovered that many of the HVAC units he worked on contained asbestos parts and released asbestos into the air when completing routine repair work on them.
Studies Related to General HVAC Repair Workers and Asbestos
A few notable scientific studies have been published that detail the risk to asbestos workers that HVAC workers face. For example, an industrial hygienist visited the site of the world’s largest vermiculite mines in Libby, Montana in 1956. This company also produces an asbestos-containing acoustical plaster that is widely used in locations where HVAC workers work. The hygienist took dust samples and found dust particles that were made up of 8 to 21% asbestos. Six years later, he returned to the site and found that 40% of airborne dust in the plant was tremolite asbestos.
HVAC workers also commonly work around insulation. A 2016 study published in Epidemiology and Health found that the rate of pleural mesothelioma for insulators was more than 10 times greater than the rate of those in other industries. HVAC workers are likely exposed to the same types of asbestos-containing materials as insulators.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by General HVAC Repair Workers
General HVAC repair workers were likely exposed to asbestos insulation at some point during their career. This material was popular due to its affordability, versatility and durability. It served as an effective insulator while resisting heat and chemical reactions. Asbestos is also commonly used to insulate steam and water pipes, boiler surfaces and furnace ducts. These are often nearby HVAC units inside buildings where HVAC workers were often located.
HVAC workers may have also been exposed to asbestos-containing products contained in other building materials, such as:
- Adhesives
- Ceiling tiles
- Cement
- Firewall bricks
- Flooring tiles
- Joint compound
- Pipe tape
- Siding
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by General HVAC Repair Workers
Manufacturers of asbestos products that general HVAC repair workers may have been exposed to and asbestos manufacturers that have been involved in asbestos litigation involving HVAC workers include:
- Dewey & Almy Chemical Company
- Georgia Pacific
- Gold Bond
- Johns Manville
- J-M Manufacturing Co.
- Kaiser Gypsum Company, Inc.
- Rich Tex Inc.
- Sprinkmann Insulation
- Trane
- R. Grace Corporation
