AsbestosAsbestos Industry
Who is at Risk?Machinists
History and Background
The term "Machinist" generally refers to someone who works with machine tools. It is a generic term that can encompass anyone who uses machine tools - such as lathes, milling machines, and machining centers - to produce precise metal parts. These men and women carefully plan and map out every aspect of their job so that there are few errors. Once they have everything set, they create their products. Often a machinist will create many copies of a single part, but they oftentimes just make small batches or one-of-a-kind pieces depending on the situation.
A machinist mainly works within the construction industry, though that does not limit what they do. Machinists often create parts that are used in building skyscrapers, ships, and even commercial piping systems. They also do maintenance work when it's needed and create replacement pieces when older ones are no longer sufficient. A machinist can have a constant job, for instance at a shipyard, or they can freelance working different construction sites as often as they are needed.
Tasks Putting Machinists at Risk for Asbestos Exposure
Until asbetsos became restricted, machinists often used asbestos-containing products. The process of machining metal parts creates a lot of heat and asbestos was often used to insulate areas that saw increased temperatures. Asbestos paper could be used around steam pipes or electrical wires as well as valves. The insulation would have to be cut and fitted and then maintained. As it aged, the asbestos insulation could get cracked putting small particles of asbestos into the air, thus posing a serious risk.
Machinists also created products that contained asbestos. For instance, many kinds of pumps and valves were finished using an asbestos and graphite gasket. A machinist would remove the old gasket, which contained asbestos, then cut a piece of the asbestos-graphite material and fit it to the valve. Removing the old gasket, as well as cutting and fitting the new gasket could throw asbestos dust in the air, thus creating a dangerous environment. An example of companies that created gaskets and sealants using asbestos are: John Crane Company, and Power Engineering Company.
Machinists would also protect themselves from the excess heat by wearing clothing that contained asbestos in it, including gloves, leggings and aprons. Not only did these allow the workers to protect themselves from the heat, they were also designed to be protection against possible sparks. Asbestos blankets and cloth were also used to regulate heat if a machine was getting too hot. These articles of asbestos cloth and clothing would oftentimes fray, thus allowing asbestos particles to get into the air.
At Risk for Mesothelioma and Other Asbestos Diseases
By the mid 1970s, strong evidence was uncovered regarding the health dangers associated with prolonged exposure to asbestos. Many who had worked with asbestos for extended periods of time were coming down with pulmonary diseases (such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis) from breathing asbestos dust.
The asbestos related diseases include:
- Mesothelioma: a type of cancer only caused by asbestos exposure that attacks the lining around the lungs and/or heart and/or abdomen. This cancer is not in the organs themselves, though untreated it will spread. The most common form is pleural mesothelioma (lung lining), then peritoneal mesothelioma (stomach lining), and then pericardial mesothelioma (heart lining).
- Asbestos Related Lung Cancer: while lung cancer can come from numerous sources, asbestos exposure can lead to the formation of a malignant tumor that blocks the air passages (common for smokers who were exposed to asbestos).
- Asbestosis: a pulmonary condition, only caused by exposure to asbestos, where scar tissue builds up in the lungs causing breathing problems and low blood flow.
The diseases associated with asbestos are similar in that their symptoms often do not appear for many years after exposure. It is not uncommon for someone to develop lung cancer after a 10 year lag between onset and initial exposure. Asbestosis and mesothelioma often do not become apparent for nearly 30 or 40 years after the initial exposure to asbestos. Common symptoms include: difficulty breathing, chest pains, a dry hacking cough that sometimes contained blood. These diseases are usually fatal.
The health problems associated with asbestos were not just isolated to people who worked with the product. The asbestos dust would spread easily through the air putting workers who never used it at risk. Also, many family members were at risk as well because workers would return home with the dust on their clothes, shoes and even hair.
