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How Can an Engine Fitter Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
Engine fitters are responsible for properly fitting the engine and other electrical components in the engine room of a ship. This position is filled by members of the military, including the Marines.
Engine fitters perform restoration, repair and construction duties to the structure of a ship and the mechanics that support it. Many of them work with diesel engines that power ships. They are responsible for ensuring that the ship’s power and propulsion systems run at all times. They maintain the engines and corresponding ship parts like gears, air compressors and propellers.
Asbestos was once contained in thousands of components of ships because of their favorable characteristics. Asbestos was cheap, versatile, durable and readily available, so it was used in everything from flooring materials to insulation for boilers and engines.
Engine fitters may have breathed in asbestos fibers from components of engines that contained asbestos, gaskets or valves. They may have also worked in a confined location, such as an engine room, where these fibers would become airborne and remain in the air for quite some time until the engine fitter breathed in these toxic fibers
Locations in the United States for the Highest Employment Rates for Engine Fitters
Most engine fitters work aboard ships that are assigned according to the military’s interests.
Similar Occupations as Engine Fitters
Similar occupations as engine fitters include:
- Aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics technicians
- Automotive body and glass repairers
- Automotive service technicians and mechanics
- Diesel engine specialists
- Engine fitters
- Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians
- Locomotive engineers
- Small engine mechanics
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Engine Fitters and Mesothelioma
There are a relatively lower number of engine fitters compared to other professions, so there are not a lot of lawsuits filed by these former professionals. However, engine fitters who were exposed to asbestos during their work may be eligible to receive VA benefits and/or file a claim with an asbestos bankruptcy trust that was established by a company that made products containing asbestos that the engine fitter used during his or her time of service. Another option may be to file a lawsuit against the manufacturers who produced asbestos products to which the engine fitter was exposed.
Studies Related to Engine Fitters and Asbestos
Researchers have explored the connection between asbestos in engine rooms and the development of mesothelioma. For example, in “Cancer at sea: a case-control study among male Finnish seafarers,” researchers studied the possible occupational exposures for the increased incidence of a variety of cancers among seafarers. The researchers found that engine crew workers who had been employed in this industry for more than 20 years were nearly 10 times more likely to develop mesothelioma when compared to the general population.
Another study entitled “Asbestos-related cancers among 28,300 military servicemen in the Royal Norwegian Navy” that was published in 2009 focused on officers and enlisted servicemen who developed asbestos-related cancers. Researchers found an increased risk of mesothelioma and lung cancer among those who worked in the engine room.
In the 2007 study entitled “Lung cancer and mesothelioma among engine room crew–case reports with risk assessment of previous and ongoing exposure to carcinogens,” researchers made use of case reports to identify the occupational hazards of previous and ongoing carcinogenic exposure in the engine rooms of ships. Researchers concluded that asbestos exposure was a causal factor in the mesothelioma cases and a clear risk factor in the lung cancer cases.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Engine Fitters
Engine fitters may have been exposed to various components aboard ships and in engine rooms, such as:
- Gaskets
- Valves
- Sealants
- Packing materials
- Metal sheets
They also could have been exposed to asbestos products in other parts of the ship, including:
- Deck materials
- Boilers
- Boiler insulation
- Drywall
- Ceiling tiles
- Roofing materials
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Engine Fitters
Some of the companies that produced asbestos that engine fitters may have come into contact with include:
- 3M
- Allied Signal, Inc.
- American Biltrite, Inc.
- American Cyanamid Company
- American Standard, Inc.
- Armstrong International, Inc.
- Atlantic Richfield Company
- Aurora Pump Company
- Bath Iron Works
- Bechtel Corporation
- Bell & Gossett Company
- Bergen Tile & Linoleum Co.
- Bestobell Steam Traps
- Bird Corporation
- Boise Cascade Corporation
- Buffalo Pumps, Inc.
- Burnham Corporation
- CertainTeed Corporation
- Cleaver Brooks Company
- Crown, Cork & Seal Company
- DAP, Inc.
- Delaval Steam Turbine
- Duro Dyne Corporation
- Electric Boat Corporation
- Ericcson, Inc.
- Fisher Scientific Company
- FMC Corporation
- Foseco, Inc.
- Foster Wheeler Corporation
- Gardner Denver, Inc.
- Georgia Pacific Corporation
- Gould’s Pumps, Incorporation
- Hollingsworth & Vose Company
- Ingersoll-Rand Company
- H. France Refractories Co., Inc.
- John Crane Company
- Metalclad Insulation
- Milwaukee Valve Company
- Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corp.
- Owens-Illinois, Inc.
- Riley Stoker Corporation
- Sid Harvey Industries, Inc.
- Spriax Sarco, Inc.
- Syd Carpenter
- Uniroyal Holding, Inc.
- Viking Pump, Inc.
- Warren Pumps, Inc.
- Weil-McLain Co.
- Westinghouse Electric Corp
- Worthington Corp.
