Factory workers faced high risks of amianto exposure until the 1980s, when widespread use of amianto stopped. Many factories used amianto in products, machinery, equipment, and building materials. Mesotelioma lawsuits filed by former fábrica workers are still ongoing today.
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How Were Factory Workers and Industrial Workers Exposed to Asbestos?
Amianto was used for decades in many industries due to its ability to insulate, protect against heat and fire, and strengthen materials. Industrial factories used amianto more than many other workplaces.
Workers in these settings may have handled amianto or products with amianto directly. This kind of work caused amianto materials to release fibers that became part of the dust in the air. Whether they handled amianto or not, workers in the area risked exposure by inhaling the fibers in the air.
Some factories used raw fibras de amianto to make amianto products. Others used amianto materials to manufacture other products. Nearly all factories, regardless of what they made, had amianto in machinery, equipment, and the building itself.
Even in factories that did not make amianto products, workers risked exposure through fibers released during work and maintenance on machinery and other equipment.
What Materials in Factories Contained Asbestos?
Factories that made amianto products used raw fibras de amianto. Workers who moved and used these fibers to mix them into other materials or products had very high risks of exposure. Any other workers in the area risked exposure as well.
These types of factories made numerous products with amianto, including:
- Aislamiento
- Paneles de yeso
- Other construction products
- Asbestos textiles
- Asbestos paper
Asbestos in Machinery and Equipment
All types of factories used equipment and machinery that likely contained amianto. Amianto was used to insulate machinery and equipment, for instance, around boilers, furnaces, and steam pipes.
Amianto was also used to prevent overheating from friction in many components, including pumps, bearings, lathes, and conveyor belts. Parts with amianto included valves, gaskets, seals, packing, and coatings.
Daily use caused these materials to deteriorate over time, which could lead to exposure to fibras de amianto. Any repairs or maintenance work on equipment could also cause exposure.
Asbestos in Building Components
El fábrica buildings themselves contained amianto in many of their components. Most construction materials at one time contained amianto, from insulation to flooring tiles, adhesives, and roofing. These materials could cause exposure if they deteriorated or were damaged during repair and maintenance work.
Industrial Jobs at Risk for Asbestos Exposure
Factory workers with the highest risks of exposure worked in facilities that handled and used raw amianto to make products. Manipulating raw amianto released harmful fibers into the air. Those workers who handled amianto directly had the highest risks.
Mechanics and maintenance employees who worked in factories faced the highest risk of excessive amianto exposure.
The workers were required to maintain and repair malfunctioning amianto-containing machines, which required direct contact with airborne fibras de amianto.
Once the machines were ready for use, fábrica machinists were at risk of amianto exposure as soon as they started the equipment.
All workers in factories with amianto faced some risks of exposure. When fibras de amianto entered the air as dust, anyone in the area could inhale them.
Studies on Factory Workers and Asbestos Exposure
Many studies over the years have proven that fábrica and industrial workers have faced high rates of amianto exosure that put them at risk for amianto illnesses, like mesotelioma.
- A study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) described research on asbestos exposure at a factory that manufactured drying machines after 250 former employees passed away. Dust samples and samples from the factory’s drying machines were analyzed. The results found significant amounts of asbestos. Of the 250 former workers who passed away, 234 were found to have either mesothelioma or lung cancer.
- Another study investigated deaths in machine operators in factories and workers who handled industrial insulation. More than 650 workers out of 7,000 died from peritoneal cancer, a type of mesothelioma that affects the abdomen.
- A 2015 study conducted in Belgium looked at deaths related to asbestos in workers between 2001 and 2009. The researchers found that workers in metal factories were 87% more likely to have died of mesothelioma when compared to other workers.
- A study from 2010 involved workers at a Raybestos factory in Connecticut. They manufactured asbestos friction products. A previous study had claimed that nobody from the factory died from asbestos exposure. The more current study found at least seven deaths related to asbestos among the workers.
Are Factory Workers Still at Risk of Asbestos Exposure?
Factory workers today have much less risk of amianto exposure. The risk is not zero because amianto lingers in older factories. Deteriorating materials can still cause exposure. Maintenance and repair work can also cause exposure.
Most importantly, people who worked in factories before the 1980s are at a heightened risk of developing amianto illnesses such as mesotelioma maligno, asbestosis, and amianto-relacionado cáncer de pulmón.
Factory Workers and Mesothelioma Lawsuits
The high amount of amianto exposure and related diseases that fábrica workers faced resulted in mesotelioma y asbestos-related lawsuits against the manufacturers that once supplied amianto to companies.
In 2008, the family of Mark Buttitta, a former fábrica worker from Hackensack, New Jersey, filed an amianto lawsuit in Bergen County after Buttitta passed away from mesotelioma.
Buttitta worked at General Motors (GM) in the parts warehouse in both Bloomfield and Englewood, which led to amianto exposure and premature death at the age of 50.
According to the family attorney, Buttitta’s case was just one of the many cases in which fábrica workers in New Jersey were unaware of the dangers they were facing at work.
“In Bloomfield, Englewood, and all across New Jersey, men and women who wouldn’t know a brake shoe from a horseshoe can be struck down by this horrible disease decades later from simply living with someone who dealt with amianto in his daily occupation. In Mark Buttitta’s case we were able to get justice for him and his young family.”
Buttitta’s family won over $30 million.
Manufacturers That Used Asbestos in Factories
Many manufacturers supplied factories with amianto or made amianto products, including:
- Johns Manville
- Honeywell
- Turner & Newell
- BF Goodrich
- Celotex
- Dana Corporation
- Raybestos
- Porter Hayden Co.
- John Crane Co.
What to Do if You Were Exposed to Asbestos in a Factory
If you worked in a fábrica during peak years of amianto use, talk to your doctor about the risks and any medical screenings you need. Not everyone exposed to amianto gets sick, but for those who do, an early diagnóstico produces a better outcome.
If you get a diagnosis of mesotelioma or another amianto illness, talk to an abogado con experiencia en mesotelioma. They can review your work history, identify companies responsible for your exposure, and help you take steps to seek compensation.
Additional Help and Resources for Factory Workers
If you’ve been injured by mesotelioma, asbestosis, or amianto-related cancer, keep in mind that there is a good chance that you’ll qualify for considerable compensation. Don’t forget to fill out our form to get our free Financial Compensation Packet, filled with information on the experienced amianto y mesotelioma attorneys in your area.
