Asbestos Exposure for Construction Workers

Asbestos: Mainstay for 20th Century Buildings

Every day, if you leave the house, you’ll probably see people working in construction. They could be building a house, office building, plant, government building, refinery, school, skyscraper, or even a road or a highway. Construction work is an important part of American life – either working in this industry or witnessing it as a bystander.

Asbestos was a major part of the construction industry during the 20th century. Think of nearly any component of constructing a building, and there’s a good chance asbestos was used – at least until the 1980s. During the end of the 20th century, the general public learned asbestos was dangerous and most industries were forced to find alternatives.

As an example, prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the North Tower of the World Trade Center buildings consisted of an estimated 300-400 tons of asbestos, according to The National Resources Defense Council.

Where in Buildings Was Asbestos Used?

The mineral’s durability and strength made it an ideal component of roof shingles, wallboards, siding, sheetrock, ceiling and floor tiles, acoustical plasters, drywall joint compounds and more. As a fire-resistant substance, asbestos was used for steel beams and columns in multistory buildings, plus cement in pipes and fireplaces. Household appliances, such as toasters and baking ovens and even hairdryers, also included asbestos to protect from fires.

All of these uses protected buildings, both commercial and residential, from fire damage and quick degradation. However, the construction workers who handled or worked around asbestos were not protected from the mineral’s ability to cause cancer.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are currently 1.3 million construction and industry workers in the United States that are being exposed to asbestos during renovation or demolition of old buildings.

Types of Construction Workers Exposed to Asbestos

There are at least a dozen construction jobs. These involve different responsibilities in building a home, office or other structure. Anyone on a construction site, even someone just managing a job, could be exposed to asbestos. This most often happened during the 20th century, as asbestos is no longer used today on new construction jobs.

The different construction workers who were exposed to asbestos are:

• Building systems technicians
• Carpenters
• Drywall installers
• Floor and ceiling installers
• Electricians
• HVAC technicians
• Painters
• Plumbers and pipefitters
• Welders
• Managers
• Roofers
• Clean-up crews

Construction Parts Containing Asbestos

Any part of a building that’s subject to heat could contain asbestos for insulation or protection from fire damage. Nearly every room in a home built during the 1970s, for example, contained one part likely with asbestos materials.

Examples are:

• Pipes for plumbing
• HVAC duct insulation
• Popcorn ceiling
• Roof shingles
• Vinyl floor tiles
• Electrical wiring and panels
• Drywall
• Paint
• Household appliances (toaster ovens, wood-burning stoves and wall sockets)
• Furnaces or chimneys
• Boilers and water heaters

What in Construction Work Causes Asbestos Exposure?

Asbestos is safe when compact and contained. However, the tiny fibers can fracture and fill the air around the work site.

Any action that disturbs asbestos materials can release sharp fibers into the air. This includes cutting, grinding, sawing, pulling, drilling, waxing, laying, hammering, or dropping any materials during work. Construction workers may cut drywall panels made with asbestos or drop roof tiles containing asbestos.

Even sweeping during clean-up can send asbestos into the air. Workers may sweep asbestos dust collected on the ground from sawing earlier in the job.

Asbestos Identification, Abatement, and Safety in Construction

Part of construction work may involve repairing or renovating existing buildings. Construction workers most likely cannot identify asbestos on their own. The only way to definitively identify asbestos is by sending the sample to a lab for testing. They should know what to look for, though, out of caution.

Asbestos can look white, brown, blue, green or gray in color. It often feels soft, flaky and fluffy. It may feel rough and fibrous. It can be straight or curly and look like attic insulation, sheep wool or spider web material.

What to Do When Identifying Asbestos

If construction workers believe asbestos is present, they should call an asbestos abatement professional to further investigate and potentially remove the material. Asbestos abatement is the removal or repair of deteriorating asbestos from a site, usually an old building that contains the mineral.

When asbestos abatement workers arrive at a construction site where asbestos is present, they will first inspect the area.

The following are some of the steps involved in asbestos abatement after a work plan is created by a professional:

• Mark hazardous areas and tell building occupants to leave the building.
• Identify asbestos-containing building parts through testing
• Seal air ducts, disable the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and secure any areas not being treated with thick plastic sheets.
• Ventilate the building, if possible, by opening windows and doors.
• Utilize hand tools and wet methods to remove or repair the asbestos-containing materials.
• Use low-pressure equipment instead of water sprays, jets, saws, drills or other tools that may spread loose asbestos fibers.
• Use special vacuums to minimize the dispersing of asbestos fibers during the work.
• Place and remove the asbestos-containing materials in sealed waste disposal bags, which are removed through a decontamination unit and decontamination chamber.
• Remove containment barriers and perform final cleaning tasks, such as vacuuming.
• Conduct air quality testing based on state and federal requirements to ensure the air in the building is safe for occupants.

Health Risks of Asbestos Exposure for Construction Workers

Asbestos has a flaky texture. Tiny, unseen-to-the-naked-eye fibers can break off and enter the air, contaminating the oxygen that enters your body. These fragments are sharp, and their pointed edges are like razor blades for your body’s tissue cells.

Once inhaled or swallowed, these asbestos fibers can cause health issues. They include lung cancer, ovarian cancer, and a rare type of cancer called mesothelioma.

How Asbestos Causes Mesothelioma for Construction Workers

Asbestos fibers that enter the body can travel to the lining of the lungs or abdominal cavity. These linings include layers of tissue that can turn into mesothelioma when irritated by asbestos fibers.

Rates of Mesothelioma Among Construction Workers

Construction workers rank high on the list of occupations leading to mesothelioma. In fact, it’s considered the top occupation excluding work in the military or building ships.

Researchers at Georgetown University and Duke University compiled a list of the top occupations linked to mesothelioma cases. They found 1,445 total cases linked to occupational asbestos exposure, and construction workers were third on the list behind shipbuilders and U.S. Navy veterans. There were 134 documented cases of mesothelioma where the patient was a construction worker many years before their diagnosis.

Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, listed this occupation as one of the most at risk for mesothelioma. In one study conducted among workers in Italy, more than 25% of the 952 analyzed mesothelioma cases involved construction workers.

Use of Asbestos Today in Construction Work

Toward the end of the 20th century, the general public learned that asbestos was dangerous. This knowledge led to reduced use of asbestos in construction jobs, which one would think meant that the risk was eliminated. However, that is a common misconception.

Most, if not all, construction workers knew nothing about these dangers. The scientific connection between asbestos and cancer was hidden from them by the manufacturing companies that wished to continue making millions of dollars from selling the product.

The use of chrysotile asbestos is now banned in the United States. New construction jobs do not involve asbestos. The main way construction workers today are exposed to asbestos is from renovating old buildings that have asbestos present.

Legacy Asbestos Exposure for Construction Workers

Despite the drop in asbestos’ use during the 1980s and the Environmental Protection Agency’s ban of chrysotile asbestos in 2024, construction workers in the 1990s, 2000s and even in this decade are at risk of mesothelioma. The reason is “legacy asbestos.”

Legacy asbestos refers to uses of asbestos from the 20th century that have not been removed or replaced. Old homes and office buildings likely have asbestos mixtures hiding in walls, floorboards, ceiling tiles, roof shingles, appliances, electrical sockets, insulation and more. Any renovations or construction work may reveal these asbestos mixtures and disturb the frail fragments, which can contaminate the air and put workers at risk.

Any renovation or demolition projects could expose construction workers to the deadly mineral. For instance, remodeling an old home often could involve replacing roof shingles, drywall, sheetrock and other construction aspects that likely used asbestos. Knocking down a wall will certainly disturb any asbestos present and send many loose fibers into the air. Demolishing an old building will do the same.

Legal Options for Construction Workers With Mesothelioma

Asbestos exposure for construction workers can lead to severe health issues, including deadly types of cancer. Manufacturing companies created asbestos materials during the 20th century to use in construction work. This led to regular exposure for thousands of workers.

There are high rates of mesothelioma among construction workers. They can seek compensation by filing mesothelioma claims against the companies that manufactured and created asbestos materials for construction use.

Mesothelioma Lawsuits and Asbestos Trust Funds for Construction Workers

The two types of legal claims for asbestos exposure are lawsuits and asbestos trust funds. Lawsuits are filed when the companies to blame are still operating. Filing a mesothelioma lawsuit can lead to a settlement with the at-fault company or a verdict from a court trial. Some mesothelioma lawsuits give victims millions of dollars in compensation. This can help pay for medical care such as chemotherapy to fight the cancer.

Asbestos trust funds are bank accounts created by asbestos companies that are now bankrupt. Companies that go bankrupt, even in reorganization bankruptcy filings, cannot be sued. The U.S. court system ordered companies that go bankrupt to create a trust fund to cover legal claim filings by victims. Any company that is bankrupt would pay construction workers from an asbestos trust fund for their mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer, and thousands of people in the U.S. die each year from the disease. Surviving loved ones, such as spouses or children, can file wrongful death mesothelioma lawsuits if a former construction worker dies of the cancer.

Getting Help for Construction Workers Exposed to Asbestos

Mesothelioma Guide can help you understand your legal options and connect you with the best treatment specialists for your mesothelioma diagnosis. Construction workers deserve compensation for their asbestos diseases, particularly because asbestos manufacturing companies knew asbestos was dangerous yet continued to promote the use of the mineral.

Contact our patient advocates for help. Email either of our patient advocates — Karen Ritter, RN (karen@mesotheliomaguide.com) or Carl Jewett (cjewett@mesotheliomaguide.com) — to get more information.

Sources & Author

1. Malignant Mesothelioma and Occupational Exposure to Asbestos: a clinicopathological correlation of 1445 Cases. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12036093/. Accessed: 02/13/2023.
2. Asbestos Exposure and Cancer Risk. National Cancer Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/asbestos/asbestos-fact-sheet. Accessed: 11/15/2024.
3. Study Reveals Asbestos Exposure in Construction. ForConstructionPros. Retrieved from: https://www.forconstructionpros.com/business/article/22884270/occupational-knowledge-international-ok-international-study-reveals-asbestos-exposure-in-construction. Accessed: 01/23/2024.

About the Writer, Devin Golden

Devin Golden is the senior content writer for Mesothelioma Guide. He produces mesothelioma-related content on various mediums, including the Mesothelioma Guide website and social media channels. Devin's objective is to translate complex information regarding mesothelioma into informative, easily absorbable content to help patients and their loved ones.