Boilermakers and Asbestos Exposure

A boilermaker is an individual whose job it is to maintain, install, and repair boilers or other large vessels that hold either liquids or gasses. The job of a boilermaker can be difficult and dangerous, sometimes involving hours spent in damp, cramped quarters, working with potentially hazardous acetylene torches and other tools.

Many years after the first boilers were manufactured and installed in commercial buildings and residences, many thousands of boilermakers are suffering from serious diseases, largely due to the fact that their working environment was contaminated with asbestos.

Because boilers and other similar vessels produce extreme heat - hence the name boiler-insulation was often used to protect the vessels from fire. In the days prior to the asbestos warnings, the insulation was fashioned from the most successful insulation product ever manufactured - asbestos. In fact, thousands of boilers around the country are still contaminated with asbestos, found in the insulation for both the boiler and the pipes that surround it. While repairing or maintaining such a boiler, a boilermaker is at risk of disturbing the asbestos insulation, which may then in turn release asbestos dust into the air. If a worker or bystander aspirates this dust, he or she may eventually develop a life-threatening illness.

Other boiler-related materials also pose the risk of asbestos exposure for the working boilermaker. Sealants used to patch boilers and pipes often contained asbestos, as did asbestos cloth and asbestos tape, used to prevent leakage of gas or liquid from pipes. Most boilers also require a gasket, which is used to protect the inner parts of the boiler from extreme heat. For many years, asbestos was the number one material from which gaskets for boilers and other heating units were produced. During installation, boilermakers would often cut or manipulate the asbestos gasket so that it would fit properly inside the boiler. As the asbestos material was manipulated, microscopic asbestos fibers could be released into the air, where they could cause serious harm if inhaled.

Even today, most boilermakers are at risk of exposure because well-made boilers can last decades, which indicates that many boilers insulated with asbestos are still in use today and may present a hazard for the individual who maintains, repairs, or disassembles them for removal.

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