Who is at risk for asbestos diseases?

Asbestos Exposure

Malignant mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure. There is a latency period of 20 to 50 years between initial exposure and development of the disease with the average being between 35 and 40 years. Rare instances have been documented when the interval was much less than 20 years.

The incidence of mesothelioma rises with the intensity and duration of exposure to asbestos. However, there are numerous cases of mesothelioma among people with very little occupational exposure or even household exposure. There are cases of people getting mesothelioma 30 or 40 years after having who had a summer job working construction in high school and cases of housewives being exposed from their husband's laundry or children getting exposed to the asbestos dust on their father's clothes. Many people being diagnosed with mesothelioma today were exposed in the Navy many years ago, often unknowingly.

Who was exposed

Literally millions of people worldwide were exposed to unhealthy levels of asbestos over the decades. The exposure was due not only to ignorance, since it has been documented that the asbestos industry knew of the dangers as early as the 1920s. Since the creation of OSHA in 1970 there have been standards for workplace exposure. But even the exposure limits have been lowered since they were first introduced.

Materials Containing Asbestos

Most insulation materials before the mid-1970s contained asbestos. Many other construction materials also contained asbestos. Some of the most common products were

Insulation on pipes
Boiler insulation
Insulating cements, plasters, and joint compounds that came in powder form and created a lot of dust before being completely mixed with water.
Fireproofing spray insulation
Firebrick and gunnite used for internal insulation of furnaces, boilers, and other vessels
Roof, floor, and ceiling tiles.
Transite Siding
Brakes and Clutches

Trades

The following tradesmen could have worked around asbestos:

Insulators (also known as asbestos workers) who actually installed insulation
Boilermakers who constructed boilers which were often several stories high and filled with insulation
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters who fitted and welded pipes together and often worked in small unventilated compartments in ships where large quantities of insulation were used
Plasterers who worked with fireproofing spray on steel beams
Shipyard workers and Navy personnel
Electricians, mechanics
Bricklayers; millwrights; carpenters; and other building trades workers
Steel workers; refinery and other industrial workers;
Maintenance workers; laborers; many others.

Industries

Industries that exposed workers to asbestos include:

Military service - especially ship duty in the navy
Shipyards - building both commercial and military
Merchant marine
Power plants
Refineries
Paper mills
Manufacturing plants
Foundries
Construction sites

What should you do if you were exposed? Find out here.

National Institute for School and Workplace Safety

Washington State Workplace Safety Center

House Committee on Education and the Workforce

Characterization of human malignant mesothelioma cell lines orthotopically implanted