An insurance report prepared in the United Kingdom by Claims National recently found that pipe fitters and plumbers are among those most at risk for developing mesothelioma, a terminal cancer of a soft tissue known as the mesothelium. The increased risk of the disease in these professions is due to their working conditions. Plumbers and pipe fitters, as well as builders, mechanics, and electricians to a lesser degree, face an increased risk of exposure to asbestos, the deadly fiber which causes the disease.
The study’s findings are supported by research conducted by the CDC in the United States, which concluded that mesothelioma fatalities among plumbers were ‘proportionally significant.’ The United States study predicts that the number of mesothelioma incidents will continue to rise for several decades, due to what’s referred to as the disease’s long latency period. A long latency period means that the disease can take decades to develop from initial exposure to asbestos, so that its prevalence can continue to rise even after asbestos regulations have become more strict.
Asbestos was used frequently as an insulating material throughout the latter half of the twentieth century due to its cost effectiveness and its resistance to intense temperatures and corrosion. More than forty countries have completely banned asbestos due to its disease causing properties. While the United States is not among those which have enforced a ban, it has put several restrictions and regulations in place aiming to drastically reduce exposure to the dangerous material.
While new construction in the United States and in most developed nations rarely makes use of asbestos products, plumbers and pipe fitters working on older homes and buildings are likely to be exposed to asbestos containing sealants. Cutting, fitting, repairing and replacing old plumbing pipes in aging homes and buildings could expose plumbers to dangerous asbestos fibers for decades to come.
Mesothelioma prevention can be incredibly difficult to advocate, because asbestos fibers do not immediately cause pain or other adverse reactions which normally prompt workers to don protective gear. The disease develops slowly, and often presents with vague symptoms like shortness of breath and mild chest pain. By the time a positive diagnosis has been completed, many victims are expected to survive the cancer just six to twelve more months.
Alan Ward, a sixty-one year old plumber-turned-mesothelioma-patient living in the UK says that he and others like him never knew about the dangers of asbestos.
“We just smashed off the asbestos and carried on working,” says Ward, who was recently awarded £175,000 by those responsible for his disease.
