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How Can a Millwright Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos?
Millwrights install, dismantle or move machinery and heavy equipment according to plans. They also maintain and repair heat-producing industrial equipment. Asbestos is strong, durable, inexpensive and a good insulator, so it was rampantly used in many industries, including in industrial settings like power generation, oil companies and wastewater treatment facilities. Industrial machinery and equipment in these facilities were often insulated with asbestos-containing materials. As these materials were ground down over time, millwrights and others nearby could breathe in asbestos fibers.
Additionally, millwrights often work with gaskets, valve packings and pipe coverings, which often contained asbestos. They also used hand and power tools that can create asbestos dust when working with these materials. When workers breathed in this dust, they could eventually develop asbestos-related diseases, such as mesothelioma or asbestosis.
The families of millwrights were also susceptible to developing these serious illnesses through possible secondhand exposure. Family members could be exposed to asbestos dust and fibers that were on the millwright’s clothing when he or she returned home from work.
Locations in the United States for the Highest Employment Rates for Millwrights
According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 43,810 millwright workers currently employed in the United States. States with the highest employment rates for millwrights include:
- Texas
- California
- Ohio
- Michigan
- Indiana
Similar Occupations as Millwrights
Similar occupations as millwrights include:
- Assemblers
- Boilermakers
- Construction equipment operators
- Electrical and electronic installers
- Electricians
- Factory workers
- Fabricators
- Grounds maintenance workers
- Hand laborers and material movers
- HVAC workers
- Machinery maintenance workers
- Metal and plastic machine operators
- Pipefitters
- Plumbers
- Production workers
- Water transportation workers
- Welders
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Millwrights and Mesothelioma
There have been several notable cases involving millwrights who have filed lawsuits against asbestos manufacturers who were responsible for their exposure. For example, a Seattle jury returned a $1.5 million verdict in favor of a millwright who developed colon cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that was caused by occupational exposure. The lawsuit was filed against the leading pipe and boiler insulation contractor ACandS, Inc.
In 2016, a Philadelphia jury awarded $1.085 million to the family of a millwright who died from mesothelioma. The millwright worked with industrial valves with asbestos-containing gaskets and packing manufactured by the defendant, Crane Co., whom the jury found was partially negligent for the man’s asbestos exposure. Other defendants were also named in the case.
The family of a 72-year-old former millwright received a settlement of more than $2.5 million right before the jury trial was scheduled in Buffalo, New York. He worked as a millwright at the West Valley Nuclear Plant from 1967 to 1969 and then later as a pipefitter. He was exposed to asbestos-containing products and equipment at both of these positions.
Studies Related to Asbestos and Millwrights
There are several studies and reports that discuss the prevalence of asbestos in various construction materials. The federal Environmental Protection Agency reports that the majority of the 733,000 public and commercial buildings include asbestos products. Asbestos-contaminated construction materials include and the percentage of asbestos contained in these products include:
A clinical survey of New York millwrights and machinery erectors by researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine at City University of New York showed a high prevalence of chest abnormalities, including thickening of the pleura or lining of the lung and pleural changes consistent with asbestos exposure.
Nearly half of the 111 workers examined had pleural abnormalities. Meanwhile, in another study, chest x-rays of millwrights and other workers at three nuclear power plants showed 32 percent of the millwrights had abnormal x-rays and nearly half had pulmonary function abnormalities.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Millwrights
Millwrights may have come in contact with a variety of asbestos-containing products, such as:
- Electrical and mechanical components
- Glues and sealants
- Heating and air conditioning equipment
- Insulation
- Joint compound
- Paints
- HVAC duct insulation
- Pipe insulation
- Boiler insulation
- Block insulation
- Corrugated air-cell insulation
- Blown-in insulation
- Sprayed-in insulation
- Electrical wiring insulation
- Gaskets and packing
- Protective clothing coverings
- Fireproofing materials
- Asbestos cement pipe
Manufacturers of Products Used by Millwrights
Millwrights may have been exposed to asbestos from products made by the following manufacturers:
- B.B. Lummus Global Inc.
- P. Green Industries
- Abex Corporation
- Amatex Corporation
- Armstrong World Industries
- Babcock and Wilcox
- Bestwall Gypsum
- Borg Warner Company
- Burnham Holdings
- Celotex
- Dana Corporation
- EJ Bartells Company
- Federal Mogul Corporation
- Ford Motor Company
- GAF Corporation
- Garlock Sealing Technologies
- General Electric
- General Motors
- Gold Bond
- Georgia Pacific
- K. Porter Inc.
- Honeywell Heating
- Imerys
- John Crane
- Johns-Manville
- T. Thorpe Inc.
- Kaiser Aluminum
- Kentile Floors
- Lincoln Electric
- Malleable Iron Range Company
- Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing
- National Gypsum
- North American Refractories
- Owens Corning Fiberglass
- Pacor Incorporated
- Pittsburgh Corning
- Republic Powdered Metals
- Rutland
- Synkoloid Company
- UNARCO
- Union Carbide
- R. Grace & Co.
