Mechanical Engineers

Despite the presence of asbestos in the environment it's very rare for people to develop asbestos-related diseases as a result of this low level exposure. Diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma most often occur in people who are exposed to higher levels of asbestos for prolonged periods. This type of exposure generally occurs in the workplace.

For the most part, workers in construction, shipyards, and maintenance and custodial trades are those who are most at risk of dangerous levels of asbestos exposure. This is because asbestos was heavily used in the construction and shipbuilding industries between the 1940s and 1980s. Asbestos was also heavily used for industrial purposes, and many workers in manufacturing industries are also at risk.

This may include manufacturing engineers, whose work often took them into construction sites, factories, and other locations where asbestos was historically in heavy use. In addition the very nature of mechanical engineering - which involves the use and manipulation of machinery with moving parts - meant that some mechanical engineers may actually have designed machinery that took advantages of the special properties of asbestos.

Asbestos Exposure

Mechanical engineers are involved in designing and developing a variety of different products and structures depending on the type of work they specialize in. While many work in traditional fields such as the chemical, automotive, or aerospace industries, new industries such as bioengineering are increasingly important. Mechanical engineering involves working with thermodynamic systems, electrical circuitry, and other subsystems that make up a complicated moving system.

Given that those most at risk of exposure to asbestos are construction and shipyard workers, how is it that mechanical engineers might be at risk? The answer is simply that the work of the mechanical engineer often took them into places where asbestos was being used. Steel mills, factories, processing plants, power plants, shipyards, and even large construction sites are all places where mechanical engineers may be employed, and are also all places where asbestos was used very heavily.

Depending on where they worked, a mechanical engineer could have been exposed to a number of asbestos products inclduing: brake pads, gaskets, pipe covering, friction-reducing machine parts, heat-resistant cloth, insulation, and in fact any number of construction products and machinery parts. The nature of a mechanical engineers work is such that they often spend time at many different locations in a factory, plant or other place of work, and might potentially be exposed to asbestos in many different places.

Mechanical Engineering Asbestos Uses

Asbestos has high tensile strength, and is very resistant to chemical and thermal degradation. Prior to the 1980s, the mineral was often added to construction products, to increase strength, stability, and acoustical and thermal insulation qualities.

These properties made asbestos an ideal choice for use in certain types of products, particularly those where high thermal stability was required, such as insulation, gaskets, and brake pad linings used in vehicles. In fact, asbestos is so ideal that is it still used in the United States in a limited number of products, including brake pad linings, packing used around ball-bearings, and gaskets used to close seals tightly.

Moving parts to be used in machinery often used asbestos lining to reduce friction and improve thermal stability, and the work of mechanical engineers often put them in contact with these products, either finished or during various stages of production.

If you worked as a mechanical engineer prior to the 1980s, you may be at risk of developing an asbestos-related disease. However, the level of risk is not as easy to define as it might be for someone who had worked in construction or ship-building. If you are concerned by the possibility of asbestos exposure, there are some steps you can take to safeguard your health.

What Mechanical Engineers Should Know

Exposure to asbestos is known to be the sole cause of asbestosis and mesothelioma. Asbestosis is a chronic lung condition that develops as a result of exposure to inhalable asbestos fibers. Once inhaled, the fibers become trapped in the lungs, causing chronic inflammation and irritation over time. This eventually leads to the formation of scar tissue that causes pain and breathing difficulty. Asbestosis is a debilitating disease with no cure.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that can develop as a result of relatively small amounts of asbestos exposure, but the disease tends to have a much longer latency period. This means that people exposed to asbestos may not develop symptoms of mesothelioma for three to five decades, and sometimes longer. Mesothelioma is an aggressive and treatment-resistant cancer that is currently incurable.

Because mesothelioma has such a long latency period, people exposed to asbestos that appear healthy are still at risk of developing the disease. For this reason, it's a good idea to get regular check-ups if you are a present or former mechanical engineer who may have been exposed to asbestos.

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