Occupations At Risk
Information About Asbestos Exposure
Since asbestos was used in so many ways, many people in various occupations suffered from exposure to the material. Workers from practically all trades were involved with asbestos at some time or another, even those of the unlikeliest professions.
Over the decades, asbestos was used in shipyards, petrochemical plants, paper mills, factories, steel mills, building construction, and the telephone industry. Asbestos was used so widely that virtually all that was involved with construction or design, of any kind, had exposure to asbestos in one form or another.
Further, anything that had to do with protection from the high temperatures, probably used asbestos somewhere, which is why military veterans — especially those who served prior to 1970 — are at risk for asbestos exposure.
- Textile mill workers came in contact with asbestos while weaving it into cloth, as did protective clothing and glove makers.
- Automobile manufacturing production workers, including automobile mechanics and brake repairers, used brake linings and clutch pads that were made from asbestos, as did brake and clutch manufacturing and assembly workers.
- Building engineers, building material products manufacturers, cement plant production workers, construction workers (including insulators, boilermakers, laborers, steel/ironworkers, plumbers, steam fitters, plasterers, drywallers, cement and masonry workers, roofers, tile/linoleum installers, carpenters, HVAC mechanics and welders) all used asbestos in many products that they worked with.
- Electrical workers, including electricians, electrical linemen, and telephone linemen came in contact with the asbestos insulation around electrical products.
- Shipyard workers (including electricians, insulators, laborers, laggers, painters, pipefitters, maintenance workers, and welders), Coast Guard personnel, merchant mariners, longshoremen, and U.S. Navy personnel worked and lived in ships that employed the use of asbestos.
- Demolition and wrecking crews of all trades are at risk when they destroyed buildings that used asbestos, since the disturbance would stir the asbestos fibers to become airborne.
- Custodians, insulation manufacturing plant workers, insulators, machinists, packing and gasket manufacturing plant workers, pipefitters, and powerhouse workers all came in contact with asbestos day to day.
- Railroad workers, steamfitters, refinery workers, sheetmetal workers, refractory products plant workers, rubber workers, and warehouse workers also worked with asbestos on a daily basis.
- Asbestos was used in the flight industry, so aerospace and missile production workers, aircraft manufacturing production workers, and aircraft mechanics are all at risk.
- Basically all trades of construction workers are at risk.
- Even the family members of occupationally exposed people and the guard dogs at asbestos plants are at risk for having asbestos exposure.