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What is a Pipefitter?
Pipefitters install, assemble, fabricate, maintain and repair mechanical piping systems that carry gases, chemicals and acids through buildings and ships. They may work at large commercial buildings, industrial facilities, oil refineries or shipyards. They might work with large-scale heating and cooling systems.
How Can a Pipefitter Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
Before the 1980s, many pipes were insulated with asbestos-containing materials. Asbestos was commonly used as an insulating material because it was resistant to heat, fire and water. It was also durable and affordable, making it a highly desired product. Today’s pipefitters are still at risk of being exposed to asbestos when they work in buildings or ships that have asbestos pipe insulation. If repairs or removal of asbestos are conducted, the process can dislodge asbestos fibers and make them airborne. Pipefitters and other professionals are then at risk of inhaling these deadly fibers that can cause mesothelioma and asbestosis.
Locations in the United States with the Highest Employment Rates for Pipefitters
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, states with the highest employment levels for pipefitters are California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois, which collectively account for more than 155,000 pipefitters.
Similar Occupations as Pipefitters
Some occupations that are similar to pipefitters but may have some different job duties and different potential risks of asbestos exposure include:
- Boilermaker
- Gasfitters
- Plumbers
- Sprinkler-fitters
- Steamfitter
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Pipefitters and Mesothelioma
Some of the largest asbestos verdicts and settlements have been for pipefitters and their families. Some notable victories include:
- $40 million verdict in 2001 in Baltimore to five victims, including three former pipefitters and the daughter of a former pipefitter who washed her father’s clothes and developed cancer against product manufacturers the jury found knew about the dangers of asbestos but failed to take adequate action to protect workers
- $10 million verdict in 2017 to a former pipefitter in California who was exposed to asbestos when he used a cement during his work. The jury found that the product manufacturer knew of the risks of its products but failed to warn of the risks and actively concealed them.
- $8.45 million verdict in 2018 in favor of the son of a former pipefitter in California after the jury found that the defendant’s asbestos insulation contributed to the pipefitter developing mesothelioma and ultimately dying from the disease
- $6 million verdict in 2017 to the daughter of a former pipefitter in Illinois against John Crane for the development of mesothelioma
- $5 million verdict in 2017 to a retired pipefitter against John Crane, Inc. after the jury found that the manufacturer’s asbestos-containing products were defectively designed and the company failed to warn of the dangers of its products and was negligent
- $1.4 million verdict in 2009 to the wife of a pipefitter who died from mesothelioma against a manufacturer the wife claimed made defective products that exposed her husband to asbestos
- $1.1 million verdict in 2018 to the widow of a former pipefitter in California against the manufacturer of the asbestos-cement pipe
Studies Related to Pipefitters and Asbestos
There have been a number of studies on pipefitters and asbestos risk, including the following:
- Asbestos-related disease in plumbers and pipefitters employed in building construction discusses the potential negative health consequences of pipefitters in the construction trade by studying 153 pipefitters and plumbers through a cross-sectional prevalence study
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3877801
- Patterns of mortality among plumbers and pipefitters reviews 7,121 members and retirees of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters in California and finds 16 were killed by mesothelioma between 1960 and 1979
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3740068
- Malignant Mesothelioma and Occupational Exposure to Asbestos: An Analysis of 1445 Cases correlate the manner of exposure with asbestos fiber content and type
- https://watermark.silverchair.com/46-suppl_1-150.pdf
- Domestic Asbestos Exposure: A Review of Epidemiologic and Exposure Data reviews cases involving secondary exposure of asbestos through family members, including those of pipefitters who later developed mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3863863/
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Pipefitters
Pipefitters often worked in close contact with products that contained asbestos. These products covered air supply ducts, were used for pipe insulation, were used as insulation mud or were used on flangs or in pumps and valves. Some of these dangerous products included:
- Aircell
- Block insulation
- Cement
- Cloth
- Amosite sheeting
- Laminated asbestos felt
- Diatomaceous earth combined with asbestos fibers
- Hydrous calcium silicate
- Glues or adhesives
- Joint/elbow fillers
- Insulation
- Plaster
- Gaskets
- Packing
- Corrugated papers
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Pipefitters
Some of the manufacturers who made asbestos products used by pipefitters include
- P. Green Industries, Inc.
- Armstrong Contracting and Supply
- CertainTeed
- John Crane
- North Brothers
- E. O’Hair & Co.
- Union Carbide
- Weil-McLain
