Steam Fitters & Asbestos Exposure / Mesothelioma

According to its occupational definition, a steam fitter (also known as a pipe fitter) is one who “Installs, inspects, maintains and repairs steam and heating systems and such equipment as boilers, radiators, oil burners, pumps, traps, valves, and laundry and kitchen equipment; repairs and replaces pipe and pipe coverings; welds and threads pipe; performs shop work such as disassembling valves and equipment, replacing worn parts, and reassembling and testing equipment [and] cleans, maintains and repairs tools and equipment” (1).

These varied tasks all have one element in common; they all carry a danger of asbestos exposure. In industry as well as construction, asbestos insulation was likely to be used wherever heat or flame was a concern. In addition to fire-proofing, certain types of asbestos is particularly resistant to chemical corrosion and acid, and was therefore used extensively in chemical plants and laboratories.

Asbestos Products

The forms of asbestos most likely to be encountered by steam and pipe fitters depended largely on the nature and location of the particular job. Sea-going vessels had asbestos insulation throughout the hull on every deck, especially in the engine room. Depending on the country of registry, a ship may still contain substantial amounts of friable, or crumbling asbestos, particularly in the engine room (2).

When it came to lagging, or heat-shielding, steam pipes in many ships and commercial and residential buildings were frequently sprayed with a commercial product manufactured by the W.R. Grace Corporation. This product, known as Monokote, was touted by the Grace company as being “asbestos-free,” but in reality contained up to 12% asbestos (3).

W.R. Grace was the manufacturer of another product commonly used in all types of construction products was marketed as Zonolite. Again, the Grace corporation assured consumers that the product was “asbestos-free.” In fact, the substance used in Zonolite – a type of clay known as vermiculite – was invariably contaminated with asbestos fibers (4). This product was manufactured and continued to be used in construction through the early 1990s (5).

Yet another product steam and pipe-fitters are likely to come in contact with is “asbestos cement.” This is paneling made from thin sheets of cement that has been reinforced with asbestos in amounts ranging from 5 – 10% (6).

Corporate Murderers

If corporations – which have claimed “human rights” under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution – were made to accept human responsibilities, many of them would surely be tried and found guilty at the very least of voluntary manslaughter. Records dating back as far as 1895 clearly show that medical science had made the connection between asbestos and respiratory disease. This fact was acknowledged by the British government by 1931, when strict regulations regarding the were put in place for industries in the U.K. (7)

Knowledge of the health dangers of asbestos had been firmly established in the U.S. by the late 1930s. Ironically, much of this knowledge was based on studies financed by the asbestos industry itself. In 1977, documents came to light conclusively proving that the two largest asbestos producers of the time – Raysbestos and Johns-Manville – had engaged in a conspiracy to keep this information away from the public (8).

Likewise, W.R. Grace, Inc. continues to deny that its products were harmful. In 2005, a federal grand jury indicted seven high-level corporate officers of the company, seeking a fine in the amount of $280 million. In addition, the corporate officers named in the indictment were facing prison sentences of up to seventy years – the first time any corporate officer had faced a criminal penalty in such a legal action (9).

Recently however, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was seeking panelists for a board that would draft a risk assessment for asbestos exposure that state and federal authorities could use in order to define such risks. The potential nominees for this panel included 12 “scientists” and others who have in the past represented the interests of W.R. Grace, Inc. as well as a number of defense contractors. Needless to say, the potential for conflict of interest is great (10).

'Steam Fitters & Asbestos Exposure / Mesothelioma' Resources:

Notes

  1. Washington State Department of Personnel. “Specification for Class of Steam Fitter.”
  2. Hayes, C. Ron. Telephone Interview, 6 August 2007.
  3. Bowker, Michael. Fatal Deception, p. 71.
  4. Fayhs, Judy. “Asbestos Dangers Remained Hidden For Decades.”
  5. Wikipedia. “Vermiculite.”
  6. US Inspect. “Cement Asbestos Siding.”
  7. Bowker, pp. 48 – 49.
  8. Bowker, pp. 164 – 167.
  9. “Message on the Environment: Indictment Sends a Warning to Corporate Executives.”
  10. Rust, Suzanne. “Asbestos Board In Question.” 

Sources

  1. Bowker, Michael. Fatal Deception. (New York: Touchstone, 2003)
  2. Fayhs, Judy., Salt Lake Tribune, 3 December 2006.,“Asbestos Dangers Remained Hidden For Decades.”
  3. Hayes, C. Ron. Telephone Interview, 6 August 2007. CEO, Pacific Marine and Energy Resources, Milwaukee, Oregon.
  4. Sarasota Herald Tribune, 15 February 2005.“Message on the Environment: Indictment Sends a Warning to Corporate Executives.”
  5. Rust, Suzanne, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 23 May 2007., “Asbestos Board In Question; Concerns Raised About Candidates.”
  6. US Inspect. (Web Article). “Cement Asbestos Siding” . Retrieved 28 August 2007.
  7. Washington State Department of Personnel. “Specification for Class of Steam Fitter,” revised September 1982.
  8. Wikipedia. (Online Article). “Vermiculite” . Updated 13 August 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2007.