AsbestosAsbestos Industry
Who is at Risk?Metal Lathers
History and Background
Lathers are the men and women who install the support framework for interior and exterior walls as well as ceiling systems and building partitions. These people work using metal and/or wood lath, which are thin strips that are usually nailed in rows to framing supports as a substructure for plaster, shingles, slates or tiles. For the purpose of this particular write-up the focus will be on lathers who work with metal rather than wood.
There is also a form of metal lath that appears as a sheet with thousands of small holes that are designed to help attach plaster and stucco to walls and ceilings. This sheet can either be flat or 'furred'. 'Furred' lathing has ripples throughout that keep parts of the metal a little off the surface of the wall that permits the cement or plaster to penetrate the lath openings and surround the strands making it stronger and reinforced.
A metal lather has many different tasks. They first will measure their work and prepare a proper layout and plan. They will cut the pieces as needed and attach the lath, cutting openings for heating and ventilation pipes, ducts and electrical outlets. They may even install acoustic tile, hangers for suspended ceilings and metal studs for composition wall board. Some lather's are also experienced with applying stucco and plaster. These men and women would not only attach the lath but they will apply the plaster as well. They may also remove older plaster and lathing in order to remodel a project.
Tasks Putting Metal Lathers at Risk for Asbestos Exposure
Metal lathers are often employed by construction companies, or plastering, drywall and lathing contractors. For most of the twentieth century, asbestos was a major component of the construction industry being used in many areas including insulation and fire protection. All employees who worked within the industry risked possible exposure during their everyday work, metal lathers included. This exposure could come from being in an area where asbestos products are used or through contact with other workers as described below.
Metal lathers were also directly exposed to asbestos in some of their work. The plaster that was often used to cover the metal lathing was a compound known as 'cement asbestos'. It was made out of Portland cement, sand and between 5% and 10% asbestos fibers. The asbestos was added because the cement was spread extremely thin and it was needed to increase the strength. Once the cement was dry it often needed to be sanded down, putting potentially hazardous asbestos dust into the air. The metal lathers would also have to remove the cement and plaster if they were replacing the wall covering.
These men and women were also exposed through the asbestos insulation on piping systems. Pipes that carried hot water and steam were covered with a block insulation that was made mainly out of asbestos. It was usually wrapped with metal lathing to keep it in position and hold the insulation on. Undoubtedly attaching metal lathing onto asbestos insulation could get hazardous dust in the air creating a dangerous environment.
Another way that metal lathers were exposed to asbestos was through the shingles and tiles that were often used. These were commonly made using asbestos because it was heat and fire resistant.
Metal Lathers 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.
