Boilermaker Asbestos Exposure

A boilermaker is defined as one who makes or installs boilers.  The term boiler is often expanded to include any large heating and pressure vessel.  A boilermaker’s job often includes repair and maintenance of boilers as well.

Asbestos in Boilers

Until the asbestos warnings of the 1970s were issued, asbestos was a major component in boilers, largely due to its heat and fire-resistant properties.  Previous to the issuance of the warnings and the bans on certain uses of asbestos, boilermakers were unaware of the dangers of the material.  In some instances, manufacturers of the boilers were already aware of the dangers of asbestos exposure but did little or nothing to protect those who worked on boilers or similar vessels.

Companies that manufactured asbestos-containing boilers from approximately the 1920s until the 1970s include: 

• Babcock & Wilcox
• Combustion Engineering
• Foster Wheeler
• Erie City
• Kewanee
• Hercules
• Cleaver Brooks

Many of these companies also manufactured asbestos–containing gaskets, refractory lining materials and insulation for the boilers, all used to create an absolutely heat-resistant environment for the boiler.

How Exposure Occurred

Boilermakers didn’t merely pick up the boiler with a crane and guide it into the place where it was to be located.  Installing a boiler often involved hammering, filing, and sanding, therefore releasing dangerous asbestos fibers into the air.  Because boilermakers were also largely responsible for the maintenance and repair of the vessels, their exposure was continuous.  Boilers have a long life - many of them last for decades – which means there are numerous old boilers containing asbestos that are still in operation, continuing to expose unsuspecting boilermen to the dangers caused by the material.

In addition, boilers were often placed in small areas with poor ventilation, further increasing the risk of asbestos fiber inhalation.  Poor lighting in these confined spaces may also have caused repairmen to inflict unintentional damage on boiler parts that contained asbestos, therefore releasing fibers into the air.

Asbestos Diseases

Boilermakers who worked on boilers prior to the asbestos warnings of the 1970s may have suffered prolong exposure to asbestos.  While some manufacturers knew about the dangers of the material and covered-up their concerns, most boilermakers were ignorant as to the dangers of working with asbestos.  That means they wore little or no protection against inhalation of asbestos fibers.  Many boilermakers have contracted mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases throughout the last few decades.

If you worked in the boiler industry and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, a cancer which can only be caused by exposure to asbestos, you should be in tune with your legal rights as a victim.  You’ll also want to learn as much as possible about the disease and your options for treatment.  Take a moment to send for our free Mesothelioma Information Kit, available on this website.