Boiler Room & Engine Room Workers

Throughout the last century, many occupations carried a substantial risk of exposing workers to asbestos, but few carried as great a risk as those who worked in the boiler rooms and engine rooms of ships.

Because of a 1934 U.S. law, all ship components of ocean-going vessels were required to be protected by fire retardant materials, and until the 1980s, the fire retardant material of choice was asbestos. The engine and boiler rooms of both commercial and military ships were sheathed in asbestos, the boilers and pipes were insulated with asbestos, tanks were sprayed with fire retardant paint and furnaces were wrapped with asbestos jackets or plastered with asbestos cement. Working with and around the engines and boilers on ships often required disturbing asbestos-containing materials, which put anyone in the area at risk of inhaling asbestos fibers, a deadly carcinogen.

Maritime engineers, boiler room mechanics and engine room workers were regularly exposed to asbestos during routine repairs and general work. Among the activities that would have generated substantial asbestos dust are:

• the removal of asbestos jackets or lagging to access engines or boilers
• chipping or cutting asbestos cement around joints or pipes to access them for repairs
• the removal of asbestos tape insulation around pipes
• removal of lagging mats to access engines and boilers for repair
• being in the vicinity when any of the above activities were being carried out
• cutting back pre-formed pipe lagging to access bolts
• application of spray-on insulation to boiler room walls
• handling of poorly maintained asbestos mattresses
• manual mixing of asbestos-containing cement and insulation
• application of asbestos joint compound to pipe junctures, elbows and other places

Because of the close quarters on board a ship, even those who did not actually perform those activities were likely to be exposed to asbestos dust generated when routine repairs and maintenance disturbed asbestos-containing materials and insulation. Asbestos fibers are lightweight and remain in the air for long periods of time after a disturbance. In addition, those ship workers who repaired and maintained boilers would have carried asbestos fibers back to other areas of the ship on their clothing and bodies, potentially exposing other shipmates to the deadly dust.

The high rates of exposure to toxic asbestos fibers around boiler rooms and engine rooms on board ships puts boiler room technicians, mechanics and general laborers who worked with boilers and engines at significant risk of developing mesothelioma, a rare but extremely aggressive and deadly form of cancer. The incidence rate of malignant mesothelioma, once extremely rare, has been rising steadily since the 1960s. It is expected to peak and begin to drop off by 2020, but by that time, hundreds of thousands of workers who were exposed to asbestos in the workplace will have died of the disease.

The true tragedy of mesothelioma is that it is preventable. The manufacturers of asbestos insulation and other asbestos containing materials were aware of the dangers of their product, as were the owners and operators of many freighters and commercial ships. Instead of warning workers and protecting them from the dangers of asbestos, these companies chose to hide the dangers. As a result, tens of thousands of workers have already died, and it is estimated that that number will continue rising for decades to come.

Malignant mesothelioma is a form of asbestos cancer that affects the specialized cells of the mesothelium, a thin layer of tissue that surrounds the lungs, the heart and the abdominal cavity. The most common form of mesothelioma is pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lining around the lungs. It is caused when microscopic asbestos fibers are inhaled and work their way through the lung tissue and into the lining, causing changes that thicken the mesothelium and eventually make it impossible for the lungs to work properly. It can take up to forty years after exposure to asbestos before the symptoms of mesothelioma are obvious, but once the cancer is diagnosed, it often kills within a year.

Many of those now being diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos related diseases worked in and around boiler rooms and engine rooms on board Navy ships, oil tankers, freighters and other commercial ships, including ocean liners during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. In many cases, the courts have judged that the owners of those ships and the companies that manufactured the asbestos-containing products were negligent, and their negligence resulted in illness and injury to those who were exposed to asbestos fibers from their products.

The danger of asbestos on board ships is not just in the past. Many older ships still contain asbestos, and those who work on retrofitting, repairing and dry dock operations on those ships may face significant dangers of exposure. It is important that anyone working around engine and boiler rooms on older ships follow all recommended safety precautions, especially if there is a suspicion that there may be asbestos remaining on the ship.

If you or someone you know worked on board a ship, particularly in the boiler room or engine room, it is important that you are aware of the symptoms of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses. You should be screened for asbestos-related diseases, and should make your doctor aware of your history of asbestos exposure.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer or another asbestos-related disease, you may be entitled to compensation for your suffering and illness. A mesothelioma lawyer with experience in asbestos litigation can evaluate your case and help you understand your rights to sue for compensation for your injuries.

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