Carpenters

History and Background

The term 'carpenter' generally refers to men and women who are skilled craftsmen that specifically work with wood. These people work in a wide range of jobs from constructing small pieces of furniture to large scale buildings. Carpenters have been around for thousands of years as building with wood was one of the earliest forms of construction.

There are several basic types of carpenters. A 'rough carpenter' does more large scale work or any work that does not need to be artistically completed, including framing buildings. A 'finish carpenter' is someone who does fine woodworking, specializing in smaller projects including furniture making and cabinetry where exactness and polish are extremely important. A 'shipwright' is a carpenter who builds ships and other nautical vessels. A 'framer' works mainly on the skeletal structure of a building, focusing on room partitions. Finally a 'roofer' is a carpenter that focuses on roof construction.

Tasks Putting Carpenters at Risk for Asbestos Exposure

Similar to any other construction worker, carpenters were often exposed to asbestos, a natural mineral widely used in construction that is hazardous to one's health as discussed below. Asbestos is likely to be found in buildings that were built or refurbished between 1940 and 1980. It was also applied as insulation to buildings with a steel frame and used as insulation on and around boilers and generators.

Often carpenters worked on or around asbestos containing products, including: wallboard, gypsum, floor tiles, shingles, paint, millboard, even asbestos paper and cement, among others. The risk of exposure is worse if the carpenter uses power tools as these are more likely to create a large amount of possibly hazardous dust. Until the past couple of decades the dangers were not well known and many carpenters would work without safety equipment. Now most use masks and respirators to avoid exposure to dangerous dust.

Today, prior to remodeling projects, there must be inspections into whether or not asbestos is present. It subsequently needs to be removed before the work can begin. Small amounts of asbestos are commonly removed by those who are working on the project, though if there is a large amount present then a specialist must be called in.

Mesothelioma Cancer Risk in Carpenters

If you worked as a carpenter you may be at risk of developing mesothelioma cancer. Those who worked in the trade prior to the 1970's, before the truth about the health hazards of asbestos use was disclosed, may have been exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos. Today, it is a well-known fact that asbestos causes mesothelioma in addition to other asbestos diseases like asbestosis and lung cancer. What might not be as well known is the fact that mesothelioma takes a long time to develop. As a result, someone exposed to asbestos thirty or forty years ago might just now start showing signs of the disease. Because of this, a mesothelioma diagnosis frequently occurs after the disease has advanced to a later stage where the prognosis generally becomes much less favorable.

If you worked as a carpenter and believe you were exposed to asbestos containing products on the job it is imperative to know what the signs and symptoms of mesothelioma cancer are. If you experience shortness of breath, prolonged cough and/or chest pain it would be advisable to contact your physician. A medical professional can prescribe the appropriate screening tests to determine whether or not you may have an asbestos-related illnesss and determine an appropriate course of treatment if needed.