Construction Workers and Mesothelioma
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry in 2020 employed approximately 7 million people. Many construction industry workers will be exposed to asbestos if they do not take proper precautions. However, countless construction workers involved in the original building of those pre-1980s structures did sustain asbestos exposure. For many construction workers, Mesothelioma has wreaked havoc on their lives.
If you're one of the construction workers and mesothelioma has impacted your life, you may be eligible for compensation. Contact our office today to learn if you are and start immediately. You can also learn more about the mesothelioma claims process here.
Asbestos exposure is caused by asbestos-ridden materials that the workers handled daily from 1930 to 1980. Asbestos was in:
- roof tiles
- wall insulation
- certain types of cement
- automotive parts
- and more
Even when building these pre-1980s structures, countless construction workers were exposed to
asbestos every time they stepped up to work. The real danger of asbestos exposure is the resulting health problems it can cause. The construction workers exposed to asbestos developed:
- mesothelioma
- Asbestos lung cancer
- asbestosis
- and other asbestos-related illnesses
The good news about this is that in the present, we stand a better chance of both fighting the health problems caused by asbestos exposure and also raising awareness about asbestos exposure. Construction Workers and Mesothelioma can go hand in hand, know your rights and
file a claim today.
Who Qualifies As A Construction Worker?
A construction worker is a part of a construction crew and will perform many tasks that often involve physical labor on construction sites. However, there are plenty of roles that don’t involve being on a construction site. Asbestos was used in everything and in every type of building, so no matter where they are working, if the building is old enough, it will expose them to asbestos. Other trades also experienced asbestos exposure that developed into mesothelioma. These trades include:
- Factory workers
- Electricians
- Insulators
- Ironworkers
- Machinists
- Masonry Workers
- Mechanics
- Painters
- Plumbers
- Steamfitters
- Veterans
- Welders
How Common Is Asbestos?
If you're one of the construction workers and mesothelioma has impacted your life, you may be eligible for compensation. Contact our office today to learn if you are and start immediately. You can also learn more about the mesothelioma claims process here.
More than 3,500 products for use in constructing homes, offices, schools, factories, bridges, and other structures were made with asbestos. And not only were they made with asbestos, but they also were heavily marketed as superior products. That's why construction workers and mesothelioma can go hand in hand. Here are some of the types of
asbestos products construction workers could—and may still—encounter at job sites:
- Plaster
- Felt
- HVAC systems
- Cables
- Wires
- Ceiling tiles
- Ceiling stucco
- Insulation
- Flooring
- Furnaces
- Generators
- Garage door opener motors
- Ducts
- Wall panels
- Drywall
- Pipe coatings
- Shingles
- Siding
- Vinyl wallpaper
It’s one of these materials we want to have a much closer look at in the following paragraphs, something so familiar that nearly every construction worker will have to interact with it at some point.
Construction Workers and Mesothelioma: Asbestos Exposure From Drywall
Asbestos was used in drywall systems throughout most of the 20th century. The carcinogenic mineral was added to drywall boards, to the tape applied over the joints between adjoining boards, to the compound applied over the tape, and even to the coatings brushed over the boards.
Asbestos was added to these materials to make them stronger and lighter. Asbestos was also added to make them moisture-resistant. Asbestos was also added to drywall systems so rooms could be warmed with less furnace heat and cooled with less air-conditioning.
The other benefit of adding asbestos was it made drywall systems fire-resistant. Asbestos won’t cause a massive health risk if you do not disturb it. It’s an airborne disease and most dangerous whenever the particles are in the air. However, whenever drywall gets handled during construction, the asbestos goes airborne. When the drywall is stacked and prepared for installation, the materials will chip off, and the asbestos particles will get into the air.
How Can Asbestos Disturbance Happen?
Disturbance can also happen when a drywall board is drilled, cut, or hammered into. And whenever a construction worker sands the joint compounds and board coatings, that is the most significant cause of the disturbance. Once it enters the air of an enclosed space, it floats for days. Anyone who passes through that enclosed space without a respirator is likely to inhale some floating asbestos particles, which then find their way into the person’s lungs.
Those asbestos particles can cause healthy cells to begin mutating and produce mesothelioma. Notably, not all drywall systems contained asbestos. In the 1970s, some companies (such as U.S. Gypsum) sold drywall systems expressly labeled as asbestos-free. This sort of marketing appears to acknowledge the risks of asbestos.
Construction Workers And Asbestos Exposure From Roofs
If you're one of the construction workers and mesothelioma has impacted your life, you may be eligible for compensation. Contact our office today to learn if you are and start immediately. You can also learn more about the mesothelioma claims process here.
In the early 1900s, roofs topped by decorative clay or slate shingles became fashionable. These shingles looked attractive and helped protect structures from catching fire. Clay and slate shingles also provided insulation against the beating rays of the sun, which helped keep rooms cool and comfortable during hot-weather months.
However, clay and slate shingles were heavy and expensive. When comparatively lightweight and lower-cost shingles fashioned from composited hydraulic cement and asbestos hit the market around the 1920s, they quickly overtook clay and slate.
Asbestos shingles held the top spot until the early 1950s. New asphalt-based roofing materials were cut into their market share (which overtook asbestos-based roofing products by the 1960s). Asbestos-based roofing products were no longer used after around 1980, but many buildings still standing and in use today continue to be covered with asbestos shingles. Asbestos shingles become dangerous to human health whenever they are installed. Installing asbestos shingles isn’t the only problem; removing them can also send asbestos airborne.
Construction Workers And Asbestos Exposure From Ceilings And Floors
It was common between the 1930s and late 1970s to spray or paint the ceilings of homes and low-rise office buildings with stucco. Stucco is a decorative covering made of sand, cement, and other additives. Often, one of those additives was asbestos.
Many builders preferred stucco to alternative ceiling materials such as tiling and wood. First, stucco was easy to apply. It could be rolled on like paint or shot out of a spray gun. Second, it was cheaper than wood or tiles. Third, it held up better over the years. Fourth, it significantly improved a room’s acoustic characteristics. And fifth, it was attractive—asbestos stucco ceilings were usually a very bright white that made rooms seem cheerier.
Construction Workers And Asbestos Exposure From Electrical Systems
If you're one of the construction workers and mesothelioma has impacted your life, you may be eligible for compensation. Contact our office today to learn if you are and start immediately. You can also learn more about the mesothelioma claims process here.
For construction workers, electrical systems represented a health risk if those systems contained asbestos. Many, if not most, of those systems contained asbestos at one point. Asbestos was used as electrical insulation for high-voltage and household-voltage applications. It was also used as low-voltage insulation for telephone cables. Asbestos electrical insulation—which offered fire-resistance and heat-containment properties, was preferred.
Asbestos electrical insulation was added to:
- HVAC systems
- Lighting systems
- sump pumps
- construction machinery
- portable tools, generators
- and welding equipment
Any construction worker who stripped off or disturbed these electrical insulations would send the particles into the air, then enter an unprotected person’s lungs. Then they would be at an increased risk for illnesses such as asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma.
Construction Workers And Asbestos Exposure From Cement Pipes
Construction workers and plumbers have found themselves near cement pipes, and piping made with asbestos. Those construction workers were exposed to asbestos particles, and they could now be at risk for the diseases that asbestos particles in the lung can cause.
Asbestos cement pipe—also known as transit pipe—was introduced in the 1930s. It was often used for underground water mains, sewer, and street runoff lines. Demand for asbestos cement pipe was strong in the U.S. and remained that way until the 1970s when more than a half-million miles of it had been laid. Driving that demand was asbestos cement pipe’s reputation for being relatively lightweight yet durable enough to remain in service for a half-century.
Construction Workers’ Rights To Compensation After Asbestos Exposure
If asbestos exposure has caused you or someone you love to develop any asbestos-related illness, from malignant mesothelioma lung cancer, and asbestosis, you have the
right to compensation. You may have the treatment costs reimbursed, and you can be paid additional money for pain and suffering due to your exposure.
Asbestos Exposure Lawsuits:
One of the ways you can get your cash is to bring a lawsuit against the companies that made the affected products. If you win your exposure lawsuit, you won’t just be bringing a company to justice but also gaining compensation in the form of 6 to 7 figures,
Asbestos Exposure Settlements:
Most companies don’t want to mess with people exposed to asbestos because they aren’t arguing their innocence in the crime; they are arguing that yes, you or your loved one was hurt due to asbestos exposure… but it wasn’t their fault. Most companies don’t want to do that, so they will try and settle out of court.
Asbestos Exposure Trust Claims:
Even if the company has filed for bankruptcy, there are unique systems you can work with to ensure you get the justice you deserve. You can make an asbestos claim under this system (called an asbestos trust) and get your compensation.
File a claim.
Other Industries with a Higher Risk of Cancer Diagnosis
