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What is an Asbestos Plant Worker?
Asbestos plant worker processed raw asbestos and made products out of them, including:
- Adhesives
- Automotive products
- Cement and cement powders
- Cloth
- Drywall
- Electrical and mechanical components
- Fireproofing materials
- Gaskets
- Hoses
- HVAC equipment
- Insulation
- Mortar mixes
- Paints
- Pipes and pipe coverings
- Protective equipment and clothing
- Sealants
- Shingles
- Textiles
- Tiles
- Valves
- Various construction materials
Asbestos was a highly sought after product because it was affordable, lightweight, durable and readily available. Therefore, many industries used this product.
How Can an Asbestos Plant Worker Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
Asbestos plant workers often worked directly with raw asbestos, which they used to process other products. While certain jobs may have placed them in more direct risk of being exposed to asbestos, all workers in these factories were at risk of exposure because asbestos fibers were airborne and able to be ingested by anyone in the facility.
Asbestos plant workers who worked with asbestos cement were at an elevated risk of exposure. However, all asbestos plant workers were in danger of inhaling asbestos fibers.
Asbestos plant workers received raw asbestos from mines and then processed it into a variety of products. Asbestos workers received raw asbestos as fiber bundles. These were placed into special machines to break down the asbestos. Then, asbestos fibers were cleaned, fluffed and separated into smaller strands. These strands were bundled. Some of these new bundles were processed into cement when it was combined with other raw materials. Others were spun into yarn, placed on looms and turned into cloth to be used for fire-resistant blankets, protective clothing and insulation. The remainder of the asbestos went through a special process to be turned into caulking, sealants and packing materials. Any of these processes could have resulted in the inhalation of microscopic asbestos fibers.
Potential sources of asbestos exposure include:
- Shipping and receiving raw asbestos materials
- Handling raw asbestos materials
- Assembling components into final products
- Building tools for assembly lines and processing equipment that contained asbestos
- Maintaining equipment that contained asbestos
- Inspecting products that contained asbestos
Additionally, many of these workers worked in factories that contained asbestos materials, such as insulation in the walls of the factories. The equipment may have been lined with fireproofing asbestos materials. Workers may have also worn protective clothing that was made of asbestos, which represented additional sources of potential exposure to asbestos.
Locations in the United States for the Highest Employment Rates for Asbestos Plant Workers
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 27 million Americans were exposed to aerosolized asbestos fibers between 1940 and 1979. Some of these included workers who worked in asbestos product manufacturing who had past direct occupational exposure to asbestos. Information about the dangers of asbestos became publicly known during the 1970s. However, some lawsuits have uncovered that some manufacturers knew about the dangers of asbestos as early as the 1930s. Federal regulators began taking steps to regulate asbestos products during the 1970s. They had banned several asbestos products by the 1980s, including:
- Commercial paper
- Corrugated paper
- Flooring and roofing felt
- Pipe and block insulation
- Rollboard
- Specialty paper
- Wall patch compounds
Additionally, “new use” products that did not previously contain asbestos cannot be manufactured in the United States. However, there are still many products that can continue to be manufactured with asbestos in the United States, including gaskets, friction products, fireproofing materials and roofing materials.
Workers who are at the greatest risk work in factories in the United States that still use raw asbestos to manufacture products.
Similar Occupations as Asbestos Plant Workers
Similar occupations as asbestos plant workers include:
- Factory workers
- Assembly plant workers
- Hazardous materials removal workers
- Manufacturing workers of sand or abrasive products
- Building inspectors
- Grinders
- Ironworkers
- Welders
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Asbestos Plant Workers and Mesothelioma
There have been a few notable court victories for former asbestos plant workers, including:
- A verdict of $150,000 was granted against Johns Manville in 1982 in favor of Pittsburgh plant workers after the California Supreme Court ruled that manufacturers could not be insulated from liability through the workers’ compensation system.
- A California jury awarded $20.5 million to a former cement pipe manufacturing worker and his wife in 2001 after the worker developed cancer after many years of working at a plant to manufacture asbestos-cement pipe made by J-M A/C Pipe Co.
- A jury in New Jersey awarded $2.38 million in 2019 to the widow of a manufacturing plant worker who worked for years with raw asbestos that was mined, marketed and distributed by Union Carbide Corporation and who died of mesothelioma.
Studies Related to Asbestos Plant Workers and Asbestos
There have been several studies conducted that are related to asbestos plant workers, including the following:
- Mortality from all cancers of asbestos factory workers in east London 1933-80 explored the mortality experience of more than 5,000 individuals since their first exposure to asbestos.
- https://oem.bmj.com/content/57/11/782
- Asbestos Textile, Friction, and Packing Plant Workers (Asbestos) was a study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health that studied over 3,200 people during the 1970s and tracked asbestos-related deaths.
- https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pgms/worknotify/asbestos.html
- A study of the mortality of workers in an asbestos factory was an early study conducted in 1969 on 4,000 male asbestos factory workers and found that when workers were heavily exposed to asbestos, there was a higher rate of incidence for cancer of the lungs and pleura.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1008987/
- Tyler asbestos workers: A mortality update in a cohort exposed to amosite was a study published in 2016 by the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health that analyzed data related to 1,130 people who worked at a Tyler, Texas asbestos plant between 1954 and 1972 and found that their risk of dying from throat or lung cancer increased by 244 percent due to their work at the plant.
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10937404.2016.1195319
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Asbestos Plant Workers
There are thousands of products that asbestos plant workers may have manufactured. They could have been exposed to asbestos when manufacturing products such as:
- Adhesives and sealants
- Automotive parts and fireproofing materials
- Cement powders and mortar mixes
- Construction materials including drywall, paints, tiles and shingles
- Fireproofing and heat control products
- Gaskets, hoses and valves
- Electrical and mechanical components
- Consumer products
- Protective clothing
- Insulation
- Heating and air conditioning equipment
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Asbestos Plant Workers
There were many companies that manufactured asbestos products and placed their workers at risk of developing mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases. Some of the more noted names include:
- Amatex
- P. Green Industries
- Bendix Corp.
- CertainTeed Corp.
- Duro Dyne Corp.
- Garlock Sealing Technologies
- Georgia Pacific
- Ingersoll-Rand
- Johns-Manville
- Molded Industrial Friction Corp.
- Raybestos Manhattan
Workers at factories operated by these companies could have breathed in asbestos dust while performing their work.
