Asbestos Exposure and Welders: Risk and Prevention

Welders have a difficult job, and one that is often rife with risk. 

For decades, that has included asbestos exposure.

Even in the course of ordinary operations, welders can be exposed to a wide range of physical hazards. Accidents are common, and injuries can be life-altering. 

However, welders—whether retired or working—face threats that are not always easy to ascertain, let alone mitigate. 

For decades, welders across the country were expected to work with asbestos-containing materials. Asbestos, a type of naturally occurring mineral, was seen as a convenient and inexpensive solution to the demands of heavy industry. It was used to reinforce welding rods, fireproof buildings, and insulate equipment. 

While scientists began investigating claims that asbestos could significant respiratory distress as early as the 1920s, the powerful asbestos lobby fought back, using its money and influence to silence researchers and sway federal regulators.

Asbestos is a carcinogen, and poses many ongoing health risks.

We know today that asbestos, for all of its supposedly “miraculous” properties, exacts a heavy toll—a toll that far outweighs its advantages. As rates of asbestos-related illness began to rise after the end of the Second World War, the federal government was finally forced to take action. 

Yet, in spite of the Environmental Protection Agency’s decades-long drive to curtail the sale and import of asbestos-containing materials, contamination remains a widespread source of concern. Asbestos can still be found in tens of millions of American homes, offices, and worksites, posing a dire threat not only to welders but their families, too. 

The Understated Dangers of Asbestos-Containing Welding Equipment

Since asbestos can be repurposed as a fire retardant and electrical insulator, businesses began purchasing asbestos-containing materials in bulk. Many of these materials were used—at least in theory—to make welders’ jobs easier and safer. 

El asbesto no tiene sabor ni olor.

Es posible que no sepa que lo está respirando.

On some worksites, welders were effectively required to use a variety of asbestos-containing tools, equipment, and clothing, including the following:  

Asbestos Welding Aprons 

Asbestos aprons were most likely invented in 1883 by Munich-based Metzler & Co., a rubber works company in what is today Germany. 

By mixing asbestos fabric with natural rubber, Metzler & Co. created aprons that could protect workers from: 

• Extreme heat 

• Molten metal 

• Fire-related injuries 

While asbestos aprons originated in Germany, they were soon sold—and, eventually, manufactured—in dozens of countries, including the United States. 

Several health studies have shown that the spouses of asbestos workers are at an elevated level of risk for asbestos illnesses like cáncer de pulmón.^{3 4 5 6}

Asbestos Welding Blankets 

Asbestos welding blankets were originally designed as safety devices. They were usually kept in close proximity to places with recognized fire hazards, including welding worksites. 

Since asbestos is a flame retardant, asbestos-containing blankets could be thrown over small fires, depriving the flames of oxygen and preventing conflagrations from spreading to other areas. 

Asbestos Welding Gloves 

Asbestos gloves, or asbestos mitts, were used in a variety of occupations: military machine-gunners were sometimes outfitted with asbestos gloves, which helped soldiers handle hot barrels and expended cartridges, while welders wore them to perform routine industrial tasks. 

Researchers believe that the limited use of asbestos mitts posed little risk to workers. However, when asbestos gloves began to degrade or fall apart, they could become friable, emitting small and invisible clouds of microscopic asbestos fiber. 

Asbestos Welding Rods 

Since every type of asbestos is heat-resistant, companies would sometimes coat welding rods with an insulating layer of asbestos-containing material. 

While asbestos was an effective insulator that could prevent welding rods from overheating or catching on fire, the regular use of such rods could—over time—dislodge significant collections of asbestos fiber. These fibrous strands would separate from the rod, lingering in the environment and posing a serious inhalation risk to welders and other persons sharing the same workspace.

The Devastating Effects of Asbestos Exposure 

Asbestos exposure can take the following forms: 

• Occupational asbestos exposure: Occupational asbestos exposure, or asbestos exposure that takes place at work, is the most common type of asbestos exposure. Most people who have been diagnosed with serious asbestos-related illnesses were exposed to asbestos on the job. 

• Secondary asbestos exposure: Secondary asbestos exposure, or take-home asbestos exposure, occurs when a person employed in an asbestos-contaminated workplace inadvertently tracks asbestos back to their place of residence. Take-home asbestos exposure can affect asbestos workers, their spouses, and their children. 

• Environmental asbestos exposure: Environmental asbestos exposure occurs when asbestos is present in the soil, water, or air. Since asbestos deposits can be found across the United States, almost everyone could be exposed to natural asbestos. However, the current or historical presence of asbestos-related industries in a community can increase the risk of disease for residents who have never worked with or around the mineral. 

Las personas que trabajaron en estas industrias antes de mediados de la década de 1980 tienen un mayor riesgo de desarrollar enfermedades relacionadas con el asbesto:

Construcción	Fábricas	Fundiciones	Refinerías	Astilleros	Minería / Molienda
Demolición	Aislamiento	Trabajadores del acero	Instalación de tuberías	Construcción naval	Mecánicos
Techumbre	Textiles	Trabajadores del hierro	Calderas	Extinción de incendios	Reparación de frenos
Piso	Cemento	Electricistas	Reparación de juntas	Ferrocarril	Climatización

Desafortunadamente también lo hacen sus familias.

Asbestos exposure: an ongoing problem

Asbestos exposure does not discriminate, and scientists believe that no level of asbestos exposure is safe. It is associated with a wide range of illnesses, up to and including cancer. 

Asbestos-related illnesses include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• La Asbestosis, a respiratory disease that affects the lungs. Asbestosis caused by the inhalation of asbestos fibers, which irritate the membranous lining of the lungs and chest cavity. 

• Cáncer, including cancers of the lungs, larynx, and ovaries. 

• Enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica, often abbreviated to COPD. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder is characterized by obstructive inflammation. People with COPD may experience difficulty breathing and performing routine tasks. 

• Mesotelioma, an unusually aggressive type of cancer that is most often caused by asbestos exposure. Most people who have mesothelioma are victims of occupational asbestos exposure or second-hand asbestos exposure. 

• Enfermedad pleural, which could include the development pleural plaques and pleural effusions. 

Most asbestos-related diseases have long latency periods, or latent period. A latency period is the time it takes for an infection or disorder to begin exhibiting noticeable symptoms. 

The Latency Period: Asbestos-related diseases can take 20-50 years to appear.

Since asbestos-related illnesses like mesothelioma can have decades-long latency periods, many former asbestos workers never know that their body is harboring a potentially life-threatening disease until they receive a diagnosis.

Compartir una casa o un vehículo con alguien que usa ropa contaminada con asbesto lo pone en riesgo de contraer enfermedades relacionadas con el asbesto.3 ¹⁰

AsbestosClaims.Law

Asbestos claims aren’t just a day in the office for Justinian C. Lane. 

Son una misión.

En el pasado, los trabajadores expuestos al asbesto no sabían acerca de los peligros de la exposición al asbesto. Entre esos trabajadores estaban los abuelos de Justinian y su propio padre. 

Desafortunadamente, también se les mantuvo en la oscuridad acerca de las opciones de compensación disponibles para ellos, como las demandas por asbesto y los fondos fiduciarios. En sus últimos años, murieron de cánceres relacionados con el asbesto.  

Debido a que nadie en la familia de Justiniano conocía sus opciones, nunca recibieron compensación alguna por la muerte de sus seres queridos. 

Hoy, estamos trabajando para cambiar el rumbo. 

Puede haber una compensación significativa disponible para usted si ha contraído una enfermedad o lesión relacionada con el asbesto. Esto incluye tanto a los trabajadores como a los miembros de la familia que han estado expuestos.

La compensación es su clave para recibir el tratamiento médico que necesita, financiar los servicios de remoción de asbesto y mantener su bienestar físico. 

¿Quiere conocer una de las formas más rápidas y fáciles de recibir una compensación? Permítanos hablar con usted sobre las reclamaciones de fideicomiso de asbesto. Esta opción a menudo puede evitar demandas por completo.

Queremos escuchar su historia y, lo que es más importante, queremos redimirla. 

¿Necesita ayuda para presentar un reclamo? No hay problema, puede enviarnos un correo electrónico a [email protected].

¿Prefieres hablar por teléfono? Simplemente llámenos o envíenos un mensaje de texto al (206) 455-9190. 

No nos pagará ni un centavo a menos que reciba el dinero primero, por lo que no hay riesgo. 

Además de demandas legales, discapacidad de veteranos, seguridad social y protección del empleo como compensación de trabajadores, FELA y La ley de Jones para los trabajadores marítimos, hay fideicomisos de asbesto que se han establecido para indemnizar a los perjudicados por el asbesto sin tener que presentar una demanda.

Los peligros del asbesto solían ser un secreto guardado por la industria para evitar que personas como la familia de Justiniano sufrieran. Ya no. Te traemos la verdad.

Hemos creado numerosos recursos para ayudarlo a responder sus preguntas y brindarle la información que necesita saber y actuar. 

Nuestro sitio web tiene una gran cantidad de información dedicada a cosas como la salud y la seguridad, prueba de asbesto, asbestos removal, y información legal sobre la compensación por lesiones de asbesto.

¿Eres un aprendiz visual? ¡Ningún problema! 

Nuestro página de YouTube tiene infografías, una serie sobre la historia del asbesto y otros recursos útiles que puede consultar!

Trabajar con nosotros es libre de riesgos. A menos que reciba dinero de compensación, ¡NO HAY HONORARIOS! Háblenos sobre litigios de asbesto hoy.