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How a Plumber Can Get Mesothelioma by Occupational Exposure to Asbestos
Plumbers install and repair water, drainage, gas and other piping systems in residences, factories and businesses. They also install plumbing fixtures like toilets and bathtubs.
Before the 1980s, many pipes were insulated with asbestos-containing materials because asbestos is resistant to damage caused by heat, fire or water. When plumbers worked on pipes or appliances insulated with asbestos, they could breathe in toxic asbestos fibers. Plumbers also worked around many other professions who handled asbestos, so they were subject to secondhand exposure.
Locations in the United States with the Highest Employment Rates for Plumbers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 500,300 workers employed in the category of “plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters.” States with the highest employment rates for plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters are California, Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois, which collectively account for more than 155,000 pipefitters.
Similar Occupations as Plumbers
Some occupations that are similar to plumbers but may have some different job duties and different potential risks of asbestos exposure include:
- Boilermakers
- Construction and building inspectors
- Construction laborers and helpers
- Construction managers
- Electricians
- Gasfitters
- General maintenance and repair workers
- Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers
- Industrial machinery mechanics
- Machinery maintenance workers
- Millwrights
- Pipefitters
- Sprinkler-fitters
- Steamfitters
- Water transportation workers
- Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers
Lawsuits and Settlements Involving Plumbers and Mesothelioma
Because plumbers are at an elevated risk of asbestos exposure, there have been several lawsuits filed by plumbers alleging asbestos exposure. In 2018, a Philadelphia jury returned a $2.15 million verdict against John Crane in favor of a former plumber and pipefitter who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The former plumber alleged that he was exposed to asbestos-containing packing material supplied by John Crane and other manufacturers during the 1970s and 1980s. John Crane was the sole remaining defendant at trial. The jury found the company negligent in failing to warn about the dangers of its products.
A San Francisco jury awarded a career plumber $1.7 million who was diagnosed with asbestosis and asbestos-related pleural disease due to exposure to asbestos products. A Fresno County, California jury returned a verdict of $10.9 in favor of the estate of a deceased plumber against Honeywell/Bendix. The plumber was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma in 2012 after being exposed to asbestos products. The verdict included $3.5 million in punitive damages because the jury found the defendant acted with reckless indifference.
A former plumber and pipefitter received a $10 million mesothelioma verdict against certainTeed Corporation. The jury found the defendant had failed to warn and intentionally conceal the known dangers of its asbestos cement pipe product that the man was exposed to. The verdict was affirmed upon appeal.
A 68-year-old California plumber and pipefitter and his wife received a $14.6 million settlement before trial against asbestos manufacturers in Los Angeles. The plumber was exposed to asbestos-insulated equipment in the 1960s when he worked on boilers, pumps and valves. In another job as a plumber, he was exposed to asbestos gaskets, insulation and packing.
Studies Related to Plumbers and Asbestos
There have been numerous studies completed on plumbers and their risk of being exposed to asbestos, including the following:
- Asbestos-related disease in plumbers and pipefitters employed in building construction – This study discusses the potential negative health consequences of plumbers in the construction trade. It studied 153 plumbers and pipefitters.
- Patterns of mortality among plumbers and pipefitters – This study reviewed medical records of 7,121 members and retirees of the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters in California and found 16 of them were killed from mesothelioma between 1960 and 1979.
- A case-control study identified plumbers and other professionals as being at an increased rate of asbestos-related lung cancer.
- Domestic Asbestos Exposure: A Review of Epidemiologic and Exposure Data – This publication reviewed cases involving secondary exposure of asbestos through family members, including those of plumbers and pipefitters who later developed mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases. It found a significant risk of asbestos exposure to plumbers and maintenance workers and found that plumbers were particularly vulnerable after asbestos removal activities because remnants were left in these areas they worked on.
Types of Asbestos Products Used by Plumbers
Plumbers likely came in contact with a variety of materials that contained asbestos, including repairing materials and thermal insulation. Some of the likely items that contained asbestos include:
- Pipes
- Boilers
- Ducts
- Tanks
- Cement
- Welding rods
- Pipe block insulation
- Joint compounds
- Valves
- Gaskets
- Pipe coating
- Packing
Manufacturers of Asbestos Products Used by Plumbers
Some of the manufacturers who made asbestos products commonly used by plumbers include:
- Celotex Corp.
- CertainTeed Products Corp.
- Eagle-Picher Industries, Inc.
- Fibreboard Corp.
- GAF Corp.
- Carlock Inc.
- John Crane
- Johns Manville
- Kaiser Gypsum Co. Keene Corp.
- Kentile Floors
- Owens-Illinois Co.
- Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corp.
- Pacor, Inc.
- Pittsburgh Corning Corp.
- The Flintkote Company
- Union Carbide
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