Occupational asbestos exposure remains a significant concern globally, stemming from the extensive historical use of asbestos in various industries. In the developing world (China, Mexico, India) – exposure to new asbestos containing construction materials tragically continues into the 21st Century. Workers in specific occupations face heightened risks of exposure to asbestos fibers, which can lead to severe health consequences over time.
Industries and Occupations at Risk
Construction and Building Trades
Workers in the construction industry are particularly vulnerable to asbestos exposure due to the widespread use of asbestos in building materials until the late 20th century. Construction workers involved in activities such as demolition, renovation, and maintenance of older structures are at risk. Asbestos was commonly used in insulation (both thermal and acoustic), roofing materials, flooring tiles, and cement products. Specific occupations include:
• Insulators: Handling asbestos-containing insulation materials on steam lines and hot process equipment.
• Plasterers: Applying asbestos-containing plaster and stucco.
• Tile Setters: Installing asbestos-containing floor and ceiling tiles.
• Drywall Installers: Using joint compounds containing asbestos for wall finishing.
• Carpenters: Cutting and sawing asbestos-containing materials such as insulation boards and panels.
• Electricians and Plumbers: Handling asbestos-containing electrical insulation and pipe insulation, respectively.
Manufacturing
Asbestos was extensively used in manufacturing processes, exposing workers in industries such as textiles, automotive manufacturing, and general industrial manufacturing. Specific occupations include:
• Textile Workers: Processing asbestos fibers into textiles and protective clothing.
• Auto Mechanics: Handling asbestos-containing brake linings and clutch facings.
• Boilermakers: Fabricating and repairing boilers insulated with asbestos-containing materials.
• Millwrights: Maintaining machinery and equipment with asbestos components.
Shipbuilding and Maritime Industry
Shipbuilding and maritime industries have historically used asbestos extensively due to its fire-resistant and insulating properties. Workers involved in the construction, repair, and renovation of ships faced significant asbestos exposure, particularly during the 20th century when asbestos was widely incorporated into ship components.
• Ship Fitters: Responsible for installing and fitting asbestos-containing insulation and other materials during ship construction.
• Pipefitters: Installed and maintained asbestos-containing pipe insulation and gaskets.
• Boilermakers: Fabricated and repaired boilers insulated with asbestos materials.
• Engine Mechanics: Worked with asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, and insulation in engine rooms.
• Electricians: Handled asbestos-containing electrical insulation and wiring components.
For more detailed information on mesothelioma and asbestos exposure related to U.S. Navy ships, please refer to Mesothelioma and the Navy | Asbestos Exposure U.S. Navy Ships.
Other Asbestos-Containing Products
Throughout the twentieth century, asbestos was incorporated into a wide range of products due to its fire-resistant and insulating properties. These products included:
• Acoustical Panels, Plaster, and Tile
• Adhesive, Asbestos Board, Canvas, Cloth, Cord
• Corrugated Sheets, Curtains, Felt, Fiber
• Drilling mud additives
• Finishing Cement, Flatboard, Furnace Tape, Gaskets
• Gloves, Insulating Blankets, Insulating Cement, Insulation
• Millboard, Mittens, Packing, Pads, Panels
• Paper, Spray, Tape, Textile, Tiles, Yarn
• Attic Insulation, Automobile Hood Liners, Sound Deadeners
• Block Board, Boilers, Cables, Calcium Silicate Insulation
• Castables, Ceiling Tiles, Cement, Ceramic Tile
• Clutches, Duct Adhesive, Drilling Mud Additives
• Electrical Arc Chutes, Circuit Breakers, Control Boxes
• Fake Snow, Flexible Duct Connectors, Fireproofing
• Furnace Cement, Millboard, Paint, Putty
• Refractory Cements, Roofing Felt, Rope Packing
• Sheetrock, Shingles, Sound Shield, Spackle
• Talc Powder, Tape and Bed Joint Compound
• Turbines, Valve Stem Packing, Valves
• Vermiculite, Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tile, Waterproofing, Wires
The widespread use of asbestos in these products significantly increased the risk of exposure for workers across various industries, as well as for the general population through environmental contamination and product use.
Asbestos Job Sites
Asbestos was a common construction and manufacturing material throughout the twentieth century. Not only was asbestos used to insulate steam pipes, boilers, turbines, pumps, valves, and other industrial equipment, but it was also an ingredient in thousands of construction and household products such as floor tiles, drywall joint compounds, roofing cement, plaster, cement pipe, and automobile brakes.
The petroleum refineries and powerhouses throughout the United States exposed thousands of workers to asbestos in trades such as insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, millwrights, and operators. In addition to oil refineries, asbestos was also used where oil came out of the ground—on the drilling rigs of Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana—where oilfield workers, including roughnecks, derrickmen, and roustabouts, were exposed to asbestos-containing drilling mud additives.
Thousands of U.S. workplaces once used asbestos-containing materials. Visit our Asbestos Job Sites database to see if your job site is listed by asbestos bankruptcy trusts.
As America’s population boomed in the postwar era, workers in residential and commercial construction trades, such as carpenters, plasterers, roofers, painters, and electricians, also experienced occupational asbestos exposure.
U.S. Navy veterans from World War II through Vietnam were also exposed to asbestos while serving aboard ships. For information about U.S. Navy exposure, see [Asbestos in the Navy](https://duboselawfirm.com/asbestos-exposure-us-navy