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How a Steamfitter Can Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos
Steamfitters install and repair pipes that carry liquids or gases from various rooms and structures in industrial facilities, commercial buildings, ships and locomotives. The pipes they work on may carry water, steam, waste, air or other liquids or gasses.
Asbestos was strong, resistant to heat, corrosion and flame and readily available, so it was used in many applications. Including in thousands of products related to the construction industry. Steamfitters used pipe insulation and gaskets. As these parts became worn and were repaired or replaced by steamfitters, these professionals could breathe in microscopic asbestos fibers that became dislodged. These fibers would enter a person’s body and become lodged to the lining of the lungs, abdomen and other organs, potentially resulting in mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases.
Steamfitters could have also been exposed to asbestos when they sanded or cut asbestos-containing materials, which could cause asbestos form to enter the air where they would breathe in or ingest it. Steamfitters often had to tear out old insulation that often contained asbestos, another path to possible asbestos exposure. Because steamfitters often work in under-ventilated areas to design, install and repair pipefittings, these fibers and dust could remain in the air for days at a time until they were breathed in by those nearby.
Common duties of steamfitters include:
- Inspect pipes and systems for potential problems
- Troubleshoot malfunctioning systems
- Install pipes and fixtures
- Repair and replace worn parts
- Follow local and state building codes
- Determine the tools necessary to connect pipes or perform other job duties
Locations in the United States with the Highest Employment Rates for Steamfitters
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 500,300 workers employed in the category of “plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters.” States with the highest employment rates for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters are:
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Florida
- Illinois
Similar Occupations as Steamfitters
Similar occupations as steamfitters include the following:
- Boilermakers
- Construction and building inspectors
- Construction laborers and helpers
- Construction managers
- Electricians
- Gasfitters
- General maintenance and repair workers
- Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers
- Industrial machinery mechanics
- Machinery maintenance workers
- Millwrights
- Pipefitters
- Plumbers
- Sprinkler-fitters
- Water transportation workers
- Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Steamfitters and Mesothelioma
Steamfitters and their families have filed many lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers and other parties who were responsible for their exposure to asbestos.
In 2014, a New York jury awarded $12.5 million to the families of an electrician, steamfitter and insulator who developed mesothelioma due to exposure from asbestos products. Nearly half of the verdict went to a career steamfitter who was part of a union and was present when asbestos fireproofing spray was used during the construction of the original World Trade Center. The jury found the company that manufactured the spray acted with reckless disregard for the safety of workers on site.
A Baltimore jury awarded $14.5 million to a career steamfitter in 2017 for asbestos exposure that occurred between 1967 and 1976.
A California jury awarded $10 million to a former pipefitter in 2017 who used a cement that contained asbestos to perform his job duties. The jury found that the product manufacturer knew of the risks of its products but failed to warn workers about them and actively concealed them.
Studies Related to Steamfitters and Asbestos
There have been a number of studies that have explored the connection between steamfitters and occupational exposure to asbestos. Researchers discussed the potential adverse health consequences of pipefitters in “Asbestos-related disease in plumbers and pipefitters employed in building construction.“ It studied 153 plumbers and pipefitters. A case-control study identified steamfitters and similar professionals as being at an increased rate of asbestos-related lung cancer. In “Patterns of mortality among plumbers and pipefitters,” researchers reviewed medical records of 7,121 members and retirees of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters in California and found 16 of them were killed from mesothelioma between 1960 and 1979.
In “Domestic Asbestos Exposure: A Review of Epidemiologic and Exposure Data,” researchers focused on secondhand exposure that occurred by family members of steamfitters, plumbers and others. They found family members could develop mesothelioma by laundering clothes or being in close contact with pipefitters and steamfitters who worked around asbestos.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Steamfitters
Steamfitters worked with or came in contact with a variety of asbestos-containing products, including the following:
- Thermal insulation
- Pipes
- Boilers
- Ducts
- Tanks
- Cement
- Cloth
- Corrugated papers
- Glues or adhesives
- Valves
- Gaskets
- Pipe coating
- Packing
- Plaster
- Insulation
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Steamfitters
Some of the manufacturers who made asbestos products that steamfitters used or could have come in contact with include the following:
- Celotex Corp.
- CertainTeed Products Corp.
- Eagle-Picher Industries, Inc.
- Fibreboard Corp.
- GAF Corp.
- Carlock Inc.
- John Crane
- Johns Manville
- Kaiser Gypsum Co. Keene Corp.
- Kentile Floors
- Owens-Illinois Co.
- Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corp.
- Pacor, Inc.
- Pittsburgh Corning Corp.
- The Flintkote Company
- Union Carbide
- Weil-McLain
