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What is an Agricultural Equipment Mechanic and Operator?
Agricultural equipment mechanics and operators work with various types of farm machinery to perform operations needed on a farm, including soil preparation, crop planting, harvesting and processing of crops. They may use various types of equipment, such as rake operators, tractors, cutters and hay balers. Mechanics repair the equipment while operators use the equipment to perform their job functions.
How Can an Agricultural Equipment Mechanic and Operator Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
Even though farming is not as common today, it still employs more than 850,000 people in the United States. Additionally, there were 2.78 million active farms in 1970 when asbestos was frequently used, so it is possible that agricultural equipment mechanics and operators and other agricultural workers could have been exposed to asbestos during this era when they worked with machinery or in buildings that contained asbestos.
Asbestos was commonly used from the 1930s to 1970s before the risks of this product were well known. Workers who operated, repaired or maintained agricultural equipment were at risk of being exposed to asbestos that was integrated into this equipment. Many farm vehicles included brake linings, clutches and other parts were lined with asbestos. When these workers performed maintenance work on these vehicles, they could have dislodged asbestos and breathed in these deadly fibers.
Additionally, these workers usually worked in older buildings that could have been constructed with materials that contained asbestos. Because asbestos is resistant to heat, water and fire, it was often used as an insulation material. It was also used in many other construction materials, including floor tiles, roofing, siding, piping, asbestos cement and paint. As these structures deteriorate over time or are renovated, asbestos fibers from these materials may become airborne and be ingested.
Locations in the United States for the Highest Employment Rates for Agricultural Equipment Mechanics and Operators
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the states with the highest employment levels of agricultural equipment operators are:
Similar Occupations as Agricultural Equipment Mechanics and Operators
Similar occupations as agricultural equipment mechanics and operators include:
- Agricultural workers
- Farmers
- Ranchers
- Farmhands
- Agricultural managers
- Material moving machine operators
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Agricultural Equipment Mechanics and Operators and Mesothelioma
There are not many reported lawsuits stemming from claims against agricultural equipment mechanics and operators regarding asbestos exposure. Settlements are often kept confidential as a condition of receiving settlement funds.
Studies Related to Agricultural Equipment Mechanics and Operators and Asbestos
Some studies have connected the risk of asbestos and the agricultural industry, including the following:
- Asbestos and agriculture: new perspectives of risk discusses and evaluates the elevated risk exposure of asbestos when completing agricultural activities.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23405722
- Respiratory Health Hazards in Agriculture is a 1998 study that shows asbestos has long been documented as a respiratory hazard to agricultural workers.
- https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/ajrccm.158.supplement_1.rccm1585s1
- Residential proximity to naturally occurring asbestos and mesothelioma risk in California is a 2005 study that shows that the closer a farm or residence is to naturally-occurring asbestos, the higher the community’s risk of developing mesothelioma.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15976368
- Pleural asbestosis in agricultural workers analyzed 3,325 people in a rural region located near an asbestos mine, of which 155 cases of pleural asbestosis existed.
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0013935167900199?via%3Dihub
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Agricultural Equipment Mechanics and Operators
Some of the products that agricultural mechanics and operators worked on that may have contained asbestos include:
- Brakes
- Brake pads
- Brake linings
- Gaskets
- Valves
- Seals
- Clutches
- insulation
- Engine parts
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Agricultural Equipment Mechanics and Operators
Many of the products that adversely affected agricultural equipment mechanics and operators produced construction materials and automotive materials used by other consumers. Some of these manufacturers include Johns Manville, Pittsburgh Corning and Union Carbide. T.H. Agriculture & Nutrition, LLC is another company that may manufactured and distributed agricultural products that contained asbestos.
