When we look at metalworking as an entire profession, you have a wide variety of professions that it might encompass.
Some metal workers will be exposed to the dangers of asbestos more than others because the tasks they do will involve it more. One of the ways that a metal worker will often get exposed to these dangerous fibers is through their equipment. As a mineral, asbestos-based products were often popular because of how they could prevent the buildup of heat. Anyone who works with metal understands how the heat can often become one of the biggest problems and dangers.
Who are the People of This Profession?
Looking at this profession, you have a couple different trades that involve metal working, and they include:
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Structural metal craftsman -
Welders
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Forge men
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Blacksmiths
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Ironworkers
Sometimes these employees will work within the military branches as well.
How Do Metal Workers Get Fiber Exposure?
As stated before, it often comes from the individual’s equipment. Everything from their jackets, gloves, aprons and shields all contained asbestos-related products because of how it can help to eliminate the dangers of heat buildup. This is a substance that has been praised for its fire resistance, which is what used to make it popular. Another one of the ways that the people of this profession will often get exposed is while working on a construction site.
For example, sometimes they’re renovating an old building from back in the 1940s, and many of these buildings included asbestos-related products. In particular, welders will often have to face this problem. Some of the other areas on the construction site where an individual will be exposed to the fibers include asbestos-based cement, generators, furnaces, bricks and hot pipes that have this insulation around them.
Another big problem is how when someone was working on a site with contaminants, it could sometimes get on the clothing, and the workers would bring it home to their family. This type of secondhand exposure can be equally as dangerous.
What the Studies Found
One of the alarming things about the research surrounding asbestos-related exposure and the people who work in the metal trade was how they were often exposed to a dangerously high concentration of it. Many times the exposure came as a result of them working with the metal pipes that were insulated with this. One of the biggest problems with this type of substance was how it could often take anywhere from 10 years to 50 years before it would fully manifest itself as an illness. However, the longer time you spent around these fibers, the more of it that could accumulate in your lungs and cause you trouble. One of the startling statistics was how when researchers looked at the people working in this profession, they found how 32 percent of union workers had lung abnormalities that could likely be traced back to exposure with asbestos-related products.
The Lawsuits Filed Against Companies
A variety of lawsuits have been filed against companies for this kind of exposure over time. In fact, when A.W. Chesterton, was thought to be negligent of its workers, Barry Baumener filed a lawsuit and won $2 million against the company after he developed mesothelioma as a result of their negligence.
In a different lawsuit, Edward Walton, a former metal worker, had won a $21 million lawsuit against the various manufacturing companies for insulation, valves and gaskets because of exposure to the fibers, and he was diagnosed with cancer related to asbestos-based products.
The Manufacturers
Many of the manufacturers that have made asbestos-related products for this industry were the same ones who made them for the other industries like construction, shipyards and more. They have caused a variety of problems for a number of professions. For example, Manville, an asbestos-based company, has given out a trust that pays over $2 billion in settlements because of how many people who have filed lawsuits against them.
Another company that has more than 100,000 lawsuits in pending is Garlock Sealing Technologies. Back in 2010, they filed for bankruptcy because of how many lawsuits were piling up against them.
If you or someone you love has been developed an asbestos-based illness because of the negligence of certain companies, you should not hesitate to take legal action against them. As long as companies are allowed to get away with it, they will continue to make money off the pain and suffering of people. People from a variety of fields have begun to file lawsuits against these manufacturers as a way of taking legal action against them. Maybe you need help in paying for medical care, and this is one of the things that a lawsuit could help you with.
