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How a Tinsmith Can Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos
Tinsmiths – or tin sheet metal workers – create functional and decorative pieces, such as gutters, roofs, drains, grills, moldings, spouts, walls and awnings.
Tinsmiths may have worked with metal that was coated with asbestos because asbestos is durable and is a good insulator. Tinsmiths could have breathed in asbestos fibers, which could ultimately result in mesothelioma or other types of cancers.
Many tinsmiths worked in the construction industry where they may have been exposed to asbestos from construction products, like insulation, ceiling tiles, joint compound, shingles, vinyl and paint. Tinsmiths often interact with other construction workers, including supervisors, roofers, welders and carpenters. These individuals may have used asbestos-containing products or had asbestos fibers on their clothing that they transferred to others on site, such as tinsmiths.
Common job duties of tinsmiths include:
- Select appropriate types of tin metal sheets according to specifications
- Measure and mark dimensions and reference lines on tin metal sheets
- Drill holes in tin sheets for bolts, rivets and screws
- Repair tin metal sheets
- Cut, bend and straighten sheet metal
- Shape metal over forms
- Join sheet metal parts
- Inspect, assemble and smooth seams and joints of combined surfaces
- Install prefabricated products
- Use hand tools and machinery such as drills, welding irons, automated machinery, saw and hammers
- Fasten seams or joints by bolting, riveting, welding or soldering
- Fabricate or alter metal components at construction sites
Locations in the United States with the Highest Employment Rates for Tinsmiths
Tinsmiths are part of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ listing of sheet metal workers, of which there are currently 143,000 workers. States with the highest employment rates for these professionals include:
- California
- Texas
- Florida
- New York
- Illinois
Similar Occupations as Tinsmiths
Some occupations that are similar to tinsmiths include:
- Boilermakers
- Carpenters
- Drywall finishers
- General laborers
- Glaziers
- HVAC workers
- Insulation workers
- Machinists
- Metal and plastic machine operators
- Metal workers
- Millwrights
- Masonry workers
- Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters
- Roofers
- Welders, cutters, brazers and solderers
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Metal Workers
There have been a few lawsuits filed by metal workers and their families who were exposed to asbestos and filed a lawsuit based on this exposure. The family of a former steel mill metal worker was awarded $2 million after a court found Oglebay Norton, Co. negligent in exposing workers to its asbestos-containing products. The former metal worker was employed at a steel mill in Reading, Pennsylvania.
The family of a former welder received a $1.29 million verdict against Hobart Brothers Company, which manufactured asbestos-containing welding rods. For nearly 30 years, the man used these contaminated rods to weld electric arcs at a metal fabrication company. He died from lung cancer that was caused by asbestos exposure.
A U.S. Navy metalsmith who was diagnosed with an asbestos-related lung cancer in 2005 was awarded $21 million. His lawsuit was against several manufacturers who supplied asbestos-containing products to the Navy, including insulation products, gaskets and valves.
Studies Related to Tinsmiths and Asbestos
There have been several studies that have found an elevated level of asbestos exposure in the metal works industry.
The Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust found that 32% of union workers in the sheet metal industry who were employed between 1986 and 1990 had lung abnormalities consistent with occupational lung diseases. Research that was subsequently completed found lower results, suggesting that Later increased safety measures in the industry were helping.
The Occupational Health Program of Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine conducted a study in 1982 and found that New York City sheet metal workers who constructed buildings were exposed to asbestos at dangerously high levels.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Tinsmiths
Tinsmiths may have come into contact with a variety of asbestos-containing products from their work environments. The metal they worked on may have contained asbestos from spray-on applications. They may have worked on construction sites or in metal production facilities that were constructed with asbestos-containing materials, such as asbestos cement, insulation, pipe wrapping, asbestos bricks and floor and ceiling tiles. They may have also worn protective clothing made with asbestos, such as:
- Aprons
- Gloves
- Helmets
- Jackets
- Masks
- Shields
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Tinsmiths
Some of the manufacturers that made asbestos products that tinsmiths and other metal workers may have been exposed to during the course of their work include the following:
- Afton Pumps
- P. Green Industries
- AK Steel
- Armstrong World Industries
- ASARCO
- Babcock & Wilcox
- Bondex International
- Celotex
- Combustion Engineering
- Congoleum
- Eagle-Picher Industries
- Eastern Refractories Company
- Flintkote
- GAF Corporation
- Garlock Sealing Technologies
- Harbison Walker
- T. Thorpe
- Johns-Manville
- Kaiser Gypsum Company, Inc.
- Kentile Floors, Inc.
- Lincoln Electric
- NARCO
- National Gypsum
- Owens Corning
- Pfizer/Quigley
- Pittsburgh Corning
- Riley Stoker Corporation
- Sterling Fluid
- Turner & Newall
- United States Gypsum
- Vulcan Iron Works, Inc.
- Westinghouse
- R. Grace
- Western MacArthur
