MESOTHELIOMA: TYPES OF ASBESTOS EXPOSURE

Malignant mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure. There is a latency period of 20 to 50 years or more 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 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 a summer job working construction, and cases of housewives or children being exposed from work clothing. Many people being diagnosed with mesothelioma now were exposed in the Navy many years ago, often unknowingly. Many school buildings were also built with asbestos.

Despite what many believe, asbestos is not banned in the United States. Some countries have moved to ban asbestos but even if it is banned from new product sales, asbestos remains a problem because the material is around in so many buildings. The World Health Orgnization estimates that worldwide, 125 million people are exposed to asbestos on their jobs every year, and 90,000 die from asbestos diseases.

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
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.
More

OSHA has lowered asbestos exposure levels over the past three decades.

Sites

Industrial sites typically had the heaviest exposure. These include shipyards where ships were constructed or overhauled, power plants, refineries, paper mills, manufacturing plants, foundries, and construction sites.

For more details, see , Asbestos Exposure at Work.

Firefighters and asbestos

Sources for information on this page:

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry: Tox FAQs for Asbestos
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts61.html

Environmental Protection Agency: Asbestos and Indoor Air
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/asbestos.html

Minnesota Dept of Health - Asbestos Health Effects

Naval Facilities Engineering Command - About Asbestos

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