Potential Asbestos Problem at American Airlines Base

May 6, 2006 - Workers at the American Airlines base in Tulsa, Oklahoma were recently warned of potential exposure to asbestos materials from some of the airline’s Boeing 757 jets. 

Maintenance employees were told that the lavatory modules for these older planes, built in the late 1980s, may contain small amounts of asbestos.  The material could be found in the adhesive that's used in the wall or wall covering of the lavatory module in about 40 of the company’s 757 fleet.  The lavatory modules are manufactured as a separate piece of the plane, and American Airlines purchases these modules from Yokohama Aerospace America, a U.S. subsidiary of Japan’s Yokohama Rubber Company.

Concerns arose not only because of the presence of asbestos in the adhesive but because the adhesive is sometimes disturbed through the process of sanding or drilling on the lavatory modules.  Such disturbances may cause asbestos fibers to become airborne.  Unprotected workers could then inhale the fibers, which can become lodged in their lungs, causing any number of asbestos-related illnesses, including mesothelioma - a cancer of the lining of the lungs.

An American Airlines spokesperson noted that the problem was brought to their attendance by an outside company who does airplane maintenance work.  Officials for the airline stress that this is only a potential concern and that air quality is being constantly monitored for the presence of asbestos.