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How a Textile Mill Worker Can Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos
Textile mill workers often directly handled asbestos to produce textiles. Asbestos fibers were sometimes included in the textiles themselves. Transforming asbestos into fabric often involved various mill jobs and workers.
Asbestos was cheap and durable, so it was used on many textiles and garments, including fireproofing materials.
Textile mill workers would deliver asbestos-containing materials to storage. Workers mixed asbestos with cotton. Asbestos and cotton were put in alternating layers and fed into a machine. Then, workers would arrange the cotton and asbestos fibers in parallel rows and the asbestos was spun into yarn. This was then weaved, crocheted or knitted into partially or completely finished products.
Due to the prevalence of asbestos during this manufacturing process, asbestos fibers were often in the air. Asbestos could be disturbed throughout various aspects of the process. Additionally, asbestos insulation was often used around machinery that these workers came in contact with. Asbestos cement was often used to insulate panels of drying machines. Lint and dust in these machines could also contain asbestos. When workers breathed in asbestos fibers, these fibers could become lodged in the workers’ lungs and eventually lead to mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Locations in the United States with the Highest Employment Rates for Textile Mill Workers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 111,870 people employed in the textile mill industry. States with the highest employment rates for these workers include:
- California
- North Carolina
- Georgia
- Minnesota
- Texas
Similar Occupations as Textile Mill Workers
Some occupations that are similar to textile mill workers include:
- Assemblers
- Fabricators
- Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Sewers and tailors
- Upholsterers
- Weavers
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Textile Mill Workers
There are some cases that have been filed against textile companies that exposed workers to asbestos. For example, a former shipfitter’s estate sued a manufacturer of asbestos cloth and rope including Uniroyal, Garlock Sealing Technologies and Johns Manville, which supplied products to ships the man worked on. The jury found them responsible for the man’s mesothelioma and death and awarded his estate $250,000 and his wife $1.6 million for loss of consortium.
A shipyard storeroom worker who worked in a storeroom from 1964 to 1992 sued Raymark Industries. The defendant manufactured asbestos cloth that the man was exposed to. His job duties included cutting pieces of cloth for orders, during which time he was exposed to asbestos dust. He developed mesothelioma. The outcome of this case is unknown.
Studies Related to Textiles and Asbestos
There have been a few studies that have explored the connection between textiles and asbestos. Several studies have examined the risk of exposure to chrysotile asbestos in textile factory workers and found a significant increase in lung cancer mortality rates among this population when compared to the general population. These studies have also found a marked increase based on the workers’ asbestos exposure level.
A 2015 study analyzed rates of asbestosis among workers at five asbestos-product factories that operated from the 1940s to the 1990s. The highest rate of asbestosis were found for asbestos textile workers.
A 2009 study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine reviewed data for 3,803 workers over a 30-year period at three factories in North Carolina. Researchers found that the length of asbestos fibers was significantly associated with an increased rate of cancer.
A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study identified 170 deaths that resulted from mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer among workers at an asbestos textile, friction and packing plant.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Textile Mill Workers
Textile mill workers may have helped create asbestos-containing products, such as:
- Aprons
- Canvas
- Carpeting
- Cloths
- Electrical cloth
- Filter paper
- Fire blankets
- Fire draperies and curtains
- Firefighter uniforms
- Glassblower mitts
- Gloves
- Ironing board covers
- Metal mesh blankets
- Motorsport uniforms
- Oven mitts
- Pipe coverings
- Pot holders
- Prison cell padding
- Protective clothing
- Upholstery
- Welder’s blankets
They may have also come into other asbestos-containing products, such as:
- Cords
- Protective clothing
- Ropes
- Tapes
- Threads
- Wicks
- Yarns
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Textile Mill Workers
Some of the manufacturers that made textiles that included asbestos or textile mills known to have been constructed with asbestos materials include:
- Amatex Corp.
- Anchor Packing Co.
- Armstrong World Industries
- Asten Group, Inc.
- Atlas Turner, Inc.
- Avondale Mills Textile Mill
- Koppers Co. Inc.
- Celotext Corp.
- CertainTeed Corp.
- Coats & Clark Textile Mill
- Coats & Clark Thread Company
- Dresser Industries, Inc.
- Duke Power
- Du Pont De Nemours and Company, Inc.
- GAF Corporation
- Garlock, Inc.
- K. Porter Co.
- Hogansville Stark Mills
- Johns Manville Corp.
- P. Stevens
- Laclede Christy Works
- Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing
- National Gypsum
- Nicolet
- Pacor Inc.
- Philip Carey Manufacturing Co.
- Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc.
- Raymark Industries
- Regal Textile
- Southern Asbestos Company
- Southern Textile Company
- Thermoid Corp.
- Uniroyal
- Wheeler Protective Apparel, Inc.
