Asbestos and Construction Workers

Construcción workers have high risks of occupational amianto exposure. Although amianto isn’t used as heavily in today’s construcción industry as it once was, amianto materials linger in older buildings. Construcción workers are still at risk of exposure and amianto illnesses.

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How Are Construction Workers Exposed to Asbestos?

Construcción is one of the most dangerous industries for workers. Among the many risks are exposición al amianto. Amianto posed a risk in the past and continues to harm workers in the industry today.

Construcción workers are at risk for exposure because amianto was once used heavily in materials used to construct buildings. This includes residential, commercial, and industrial buildings.

Amianto is an efficient insulator and also strengthens materials. It was also, at one time, readily available and inexpensive. It was a material of choice in hundreds of construcción products until approximately the 1970s.

Amianto materials cause exposure when they deteriorate or are disturbed by handling, cutting, or sanding. These activities release tiny fibras de amianto that enter the air as dust. Whether they handle amianto directly or not, workers in the area can easily inhale the fibers.

Inhaled fibras de amianto cause damage and inflammation to tissues in the body. In some people, this causes illnesses years later, including mesotelioma, cáncer de pulmón, and asbestosis.

Construcción workers who directly handled amianto materials, especially those who cut or sanded them, had the highest risks of exposure.

Construction Materials Made with Asbestos

Nearly all materials that went into buildings in the past contained amianto. Some of the main categories of construcción materials made with amianto incluir:

• Aislamiento
• Piso
• Techumbre
• Vía muerta
• Paneles de yeso
• Joint compound and packing
• Textured paints
• Furnace and wood-burning stove components
• Products made with vermiculite

Are Construction Workers Still at Risk of Asbestos Exposure?

Mayoría construcción materials manufactured and used today are amianto-free. However, many buildings constructed before the 1980s still contain amianto materials.

Modern construcción workers still face risks of exposure to amianto in older materials, including insulation, boilers, pipes, electrical conduits and insulation, roofing materials, siding, and vinyl flooring.

Construcción workers who work around insulation in older homes and buildings have some of the highest risks of developing an asbestos-related disease. Removing and cutting into amianto insulation releases a lot of fibers.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), these construcción materials might still contain amianto if installed before 1981:

• Caulk
• Azulejos del techo
• Cemento
• Heat-resistant textiles
• Industrial pipe wrapping
• Plaster
• Techumbre
• Vía muerta
• Spray-on coatings
• Thermal system insulation

Companies That Made Asbestos Construction Materials

Many different companies manufactured construcción materials with amianto. These are just some of the largest companies that made and distributed amianto construcción products:

• Bestwall Gypsum
• C.E. Thurston & Sons
• Celotex
• Congoleum Corporation
• Flintkote Company
• Johns Manville
• Kentile Floors
• National Gypsum
• Owens Corning
• Synkoloid
• WR Grace

Studies Show Link Between Asbestos and Illness in Construction Workers

According to a 2004 study published by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, an estimated 1.3 million construcción workers in the U.S. are still at risk for amianto exposure.

Another study was conducted in Italy but illustrates how at-risk construcción workers are for amianto exposure. Researchers looked at the Italian disease registry to analyze exposure and amianto illnesses.

They found that among 17,191 mesotelioma cases with known amianto exposure, 3,574 were people who worked in construcción. The number of affected workers in construcción increased from the 1990s to the 2000s, indicating more people are being diagnosed with mesotelioma.

A study of construcción workers in North Carolina looked at the cause of death for those who passed away between 1988 and 1994. The results indicated that they had higher cancer rates than other groups of workers, including higher incidences of pleural and mesotelioma peritoneal.

Another U.S. study investigated mesotelioma diagnoses and fibras de amianto in the lung tissue of thousands of workers. Out of 952 cases of mesotelioma, 251 of the workers were in the construcción industry. Construcción workers had high amounts of fibras de amianto in their lungs.

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Where Is Asbestos Found in Homes—and Why Should You Care?

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Types of Construction Workers at Greatest Risk for Asbestos Exposure

Con amianto materials lingering in older industrial, commercial, and residential buildings, thousands of workers are still at risk of exposure to amianto.

According to studies, workers in the following ocupaciones face risks of amianto exposure and developing an amianto-related disease.

Aisladores

Workers who handle insulation materials have high risks of amianto exposure. Amianto insulation was used in all kinds of buildings, especially around pipes in industrial settings.

Workers who cut, remove, or repair old insulation face high risks of exposure. Their work is likely to cause fibras de amianto to come free from insulation, contaminating the air in the workspace.

Drywall Workers

While cutting and shaping drywall panels, drywall workers risk ingesting fibras de amianto that come loose. In addition, sanding down taping compounds results in high amounts of fibras de amianto releasing and permeating the air.

Today, drywall workers aren’t at risk when working on newer structures, but any home or building built before the 1980s may contain amianto.

Roofers and Tilers 

Roofers and tilers who work on amianto-containing shingles and tiles are exposed to fibras de amianto each time a tile or shingle is removed or repaired.

In the past, numerous roof and floor products were constructed with amianto-containing materials (ACMs).

Bricklayers

Bricklayers and masons once mixed amianto into other materials to do their jobs. They may have cut into or ground down materials, which put them at risk for additional amianto exposure.

Although bricklayers and masons today hardly ever use amianto-containing products, thousands of people were previously exposed to amianto daily.

Instaladores de tuberías

Pipefitters were responsible for sanding down and cutting products that contained amianto, in addition to installing and fitting the pipes correctly.

Gaskets once contained amianto, and some pipefitters are responsible for sanding them down to fit.

Pipefitters can be exposed to various amianto-containing products while working, including Aircell amianto paper, silica mixed with amianto, laminated sponge felts, and joint compounds.

Other construcción-type occupations at risk of amianto exposure include:

• Carpinteros
• Home renovators
• Fontaneros
• Wrecking crews
• Demolition crews
• Labor helpers
• Pintores
• Plasterers
• Fontaneros

Protecting Construction Workers from Asbestos

Because construcción workers still face high risks of amianto exposure, it is essential to be aware of protective measures. OSHA regulates workplace safety, including issues related to amianto exposure. Algunos de los amianto safety protections OSHA ensures for workers include:

• Asbestos exposure limits cannot exceed 0.1 fibers per square centimeter of air.
• Employers must share information with workers regarding asbestos risks and clearly label areas in the workplace that contain asbestos.
• Employers must monitor workplaces regularly for asbestos and damaged asbestos materials as well as air levels.
• Workers must be provided with safety training and protective gear when working around asbestos.
• If exposed to asbestos, workers must be given medical surveillance benefits.

Construction Workers and Asbestos Lawsuits

Many construcción workers filed demandas por mesotelioma against amianto suppliers and manufacturers after developing amianto illnesses.

For example, in 2012, John Doherty, a New York resident who worked as an acoustical construcción worker and a carpenter, filed an amianto lawsuit after spending years working around amianto at the World Trade Center.

For around 15 years, Doherty shaped, cut, and installed amianto sheetrock and tiles in both towers.

Doherty developed amianto-related lung cancer due to working around amianto products for numerous years during the 1960s and early 1970s. He was employed by the Port of New York Authority but did contract work for construcción companies.

Doherty sued Tishman Realty and Construcción Co., claiming that the site manager knew workers were being exposed to amianto yet didn’t provide any protection or advise them of amianto exposure.

The Supreme Court upheld Doherty’s case and ruled in his favor. Unfortunately, the former contractor passed away due to complications with his disease.

Seeking Compensation for Asbestos Exposure in the Construction Industry

If you worked in construcción and now have an amianto disease, let un abogado especializado en mesotelioma guide your next steps. You could be eligible to file a lawsuit against amianto companies to recover damages.

If the companies responsible for your exposure went bankrupt, you probably qualify to make a afirmar with an fondo fiduciario para el amianto to receive compensación.

Un experimentado abogado de asbesto can review your work history and determine which companies could be held liable for your amianto illness. You likely have multiple options for seeking compensación.

Additional Information and Resources for Construction Workers

Recuerde, si le han diagnosticado mesotelioma o amianto-related cancer, you may qualify for significant compensación. Don’t forget to fill out our form for our free Financial Compensación Packet, filled with information on the experienced amianto y mesotelioma abogados en tu área.