Power Plants and Asbestos Exposure

Power plants are essential to everyday life. After all, most Americans are accustomed to just flipping a switch and lights appear, appliances buzz, and air conditioners or heating systems come to life.

Towns and cities throughout the U.S. have power plants; some are large and others are small. Each requires a group of men and women to operate them efficiently. In general, those who work in power plants are divided into three groups:

  • Distributors - This employee controls the flow of electricity that is produced at the plant.
  • Operators - This employee must decide which boilers and generators should be in use and is responsible for keeping those pieces of equipment in good operating condition.
  • Dispatchers - This is an especially important job in a large power plant. The dispatcher decides where the electricity is going and just how much each region needs to operate at full capacity.

Power plants run all day and night so they are consistently manned by different shifts of distributors, operators, and dispatchers, each dedicated to making sure their town or city is never "in the dark."

The Dangers of Working in a Power Plant

Of course, whenever one works with electricity, there are obvious dangers to contend with while on the job -- fires, electrocution, and a host of other situations. However, for decades, power plant workers also suffered asbestos exposure on a daily basis as the "miracle mineral" was used for a number of applications in power plants big and small.

Asbestos was widely used as an insulation material in America's power plants, and while the asbestos in its intact state did not present a danger to power plant workers, when it was damaged or manipulated in some way, fibers were released and could be inhaled by those in the vicinity. Workers -- especially operators -- who had to cut, saw, or sand insulating materials for boilers and generators were at particular risk for inhaling sharp fibers. The material also may have been found in floor and ceiling tiles, which often suffered damaged during normal operations and released fibers.

As in most industries, prior to the asbestos warnings of the mid-1970s, power plant workers were unaware of the hazards of asbestos and were not given protective clothing to wear while performing their daily duties. The result is that, decades later, these same individuals have developed mesothelioma and other pulmonary asbestos-related diseases and many have died.

Is Asbestos Still a Risk in Power Plants?

While many power plants have been updated and no longer contain asbestos, there are older plants located throughout the country that still contain asbestos. Though plant managers should have records as to where asbestos exists, power plant workers should still exercise caution by wearing protective gear and changing clothes before they head home so as not to contaminate their family with dangerous asbestos dust.