Metal Works and Asbestos Exposure
The U.S. metal works industry is comprised of a number of establishments that are primarily involved in the manufacture of sheet metal work of a variety of types, which may include bins, vats, light tanks, canopies, awnings, cornices, culverts, duct work, door hoods, flooring, furnace casings and flues, guardrails, roofing, siding, pipes, and much more. The industry provides products to a large number of other industries who, in turn, use these important items in a variety of ways.
Generally, the products produced at a metal works plant do not contain asbestos. However, due to the heat- and fire-resistant properties of the mineral, it has enjoyed widespread use in the industry as an insulator. Because of that, metal workers have long been exposed to the toxic substance. Workers most at risk for asbestos exposure in the metal works industry might include:
- Metal casters - This individual pours molten metal into a mold to produce an object of desired shape. Because of the heat involved in the process, casters were often surrounded by asbestos and even wore asbestos-containing protective gear, such as aprons and face masks, to protect them from the heat.
- Welders - Welding is a joining process that uses heat, pressure, and/or chemicals to fuse two materials together permanently. The welder is often exposed to high heat and, like the metal caster, was often protected with asbestos-containing gear, especially during the years that workers were unaware of the dangers of asbestos exposure.
- Millwrights - Today's millwrights are the employees who maintain or construct industrial machinery such as that which would be related to assembly lines or items such as pumps, valves, printing presses, and more. Millwrights are usually responsible for assembling the unassembled equipment when it arrives at the job site. Often, prior to 1980, their job would involve the use of asbestos for insulation purposes.
- Machinists - A machinist is a craftsman skilled in the use of machine tools. The term may also refer to anyone who operates a machine. Like the millwright, the machinist would often work with machines that generate a large amount of heat or electricity, so these machines would be insulated with asbestos.
Anyone who worked in the metal works industry before the issuance of the asbestos warnings of the mid-1970s may have been exposed to asbestos. Workers were rarely informed as to the dangers of working closely with the hazardous mineral, so protective clothing or masks often were not issued. Sometimes such protective gear was indeed offered, but the gear itself was fashioned from asbestos materials. Because of these situations, metal workers who were part of the industry 30-50 years ago have now developed serious pulmonary diseases due to exposure, including asbestosis, pleural plaques, and mesothelioma.