Pipe Coverers Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma - Our Asbestos Attorneys Will Help You
Pipe coverers fabricate and fit blankets of insulation including asbestos-containing material around boilers, tanks, pipes, refrigerators and boilers. The purpose of insulating pipes is to reduce loss of heat and prevent moisture condensation.
The job of cutting asbestos sheets, wrapping asbestos cloth around steam pipes and spreading cement onto asbestos cloth can release asbestos fibers into the air, creating a risk of inhaling asbestos dust.
Asbestos exposure remains an occupational health hazard even today with some jobs. Exposure to asbestos dust is associated with the development of serious respiratory diseases, including asbestosis, a scarring of the lung, and mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung or abdomen.
If you worked as a pipe coverer or even in other industries such as paper mills construction, utilities,pipe fitters, lathers, sheet metal, millwrights, machinists and oil refineries and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer from asbestos exposure, you may be eligible to file a legal claim against the companies responsible for your cancer.
While your first priority should be your health, it’s important to speak to an experienced mesothelioma claims attorney to understand your legal rights as well. Compensation from an asbestos claim can cover your medical bills and help secure your family’s financial future.
Occupational Risk of Pipe Coverers and Insulators
Asbestos exposure is a workplace health hazard for pipe coverers—an occupation also known as insulators, mechanical insulators and insulation mechanics, Pipe coverers measure and cut insulation for pipe and ductwork and industrial equipment, using handsaws, shears, sheet metal cutters and power saws. They may remove old insulation or replace torn insulation. Many pipe coverers work in shipyards and served in the U.S. Navy, where asbestos use was widespread for decades. The work of pipefitters almost invariably brings them into contact with residual asbestos dust.
Many laborers who had jobs as pipe coverers or insulators in the 1960s and 1970s, including Navy veterans, may just now be experiencing symptoms of asbestos-related disease.
Symptoms of mesothelioma, including shortness of breath, chest pain and fluid on the lungs, typically take 15 to 60 years to appear. A pipe coverer who handled asbestos insulation in the 1960s may just now be noticing health effects from past workplace exposure to asbestos.
If you need help with Asbestos-related cases? Our top rated asbestos attorneys at Belluck & Fox, LLP will be happy to help you. We have locations at Albany, Rochester, NYC and Woodstock.