Electricians and Asbestos Exposure

How Are Electricians Exposed to Asbestos?

Electricians and electrical engineers often are exposed to asbestos while repairing, installing or working on older buildings. It also applied to electricians wiring HVAC units or power systems. It also applies electricians installing elevators in older buildings. U.S. veterans who were Navy electricians faced a high risk. They likely contacted chrysotile asbestos wire insulation in the power systems of older vessels.

According to a 2018 International Journal of Epidemiology study, former electricians are among the groups at highest risk of asbestos-related diseases. Electricians are about 16 times more likely to get mesothelioma than others.

Asbestos Products Associated with Electricians

Electricians perform maintenance and repairs on older equipment that may contain asbestos. Often, chrysotile asbestos is an insulator for the wiring in these structures. Without first removing asbestos, any electrical work poses a significant health risk.

Electrician asbestos exposure can occur when removing old, insulated wiring or breaker boxes. The insulation is made of felted asbestos, and this felt often becomes brittle with age. A 2021 study reported that older arc chutes had about 36% chrysotile asbestos in the plastic molding before the mid-1980s.

Asbestos electrical wire exposure can happen in one of two ways. Like construction workers, electricians may release asbestos fibers as dust into the air while working. Cutting, drilling or removing existing asbestos construction materials releases fibers. Repairing electrical products that contain asbestos wire creates another opportunity for risk.

Several electrical products and machinery, such as turbines, generators and heating units, may contain asbestos. It’s best to exercise caution when working with these older products. If you are unsure they contain asbestos, consult with a professional before removing them.

Electrical products and machinery that may contain asbestos include:

Manufacturers That Made Products Electricians Use

The list of manufacturers using asbestos in products includes many popular name brands. These companies are defendants in claims filed by electricians and electrical engineers.

• General Electric: GE manufactured asbestos wiring and cables. They have battled over 400,000 asbestos claims through court cases and settlements.
• Union Carbide: Between 1963 and 1985, Union Carbide operated an asbestos mine in California. They manufactured asbestos electrical components such as arc chutes and phase barriers.
• Lincoln Electric: During World War II, Lincoln Electric was the largest producer of arc welding equipment globally. The company used asbestos in its products and was also responsible for several U.S. Navy ship repairs.
• Westinghouse Electric: Westinghouse Electric manufactured several asbestos electrical components. They included cables, wire, welding rods, paper and panels.
• Burnham Holdings: Burnham made HVAC products and electrical accessories with asbestos until the 1980s.

Electricians and Mesothelioma

Electricians using chrysotile insulation and asbestos parts are at risk for mesothelioma. A 2022 European Commission report noted over 70,000 asbestos-related deaths in 2019.

A 2018 study found asbestos wire contained 75% to 85% chrysotile. Heating the wire can release dangerous fibers into the air.

In 2018, an Italian electrician died from pleural mesothelioma at age 66. Researchers then estimated about 9,000 mesothelioma deaths in Western Europe that year. Early consultation with a mesothelioma specialist could improve survival for electricians.

A 2008 study analyzed 119 workers occupationally exposed to asbestos. Researchers were looking for mesothelioma biomarkers that could predict the risk of disease. The study included a group of electricians.

Researchers use biomarkers, which are proteins in blood, to detect diseases. Higher levels indicate more severe conditions. The study found that heavy asbestos exposure raised mesothelioma biomarker levels in electricians.

Legal Options for Electricians Exposed to Asbestos

Mesothelioma patients may file lawsuits and trust fund claims to seek compensation. The following cases exemplify claims filed by electricians and their loved ones.

Peter Allen served as an electrician’s mate aboard two different Navy vessels and worked in close proximity to crumbling asbestos insulation. He died of malignant pleural mesothelioma in October 2017. His wife, Lorraine, then filed a wrongful death claim with an experienced mesothelioma attorney against Armstrong Pumps Company. The case will proceed with a jury trial in 2021.

On March 23, 2019, electrician George C. Proctor died of malignant mesothelioma just one year after his diagnosis. Before his death, Proctor filed an asbestos lawsuit against the companies responsible for his occupational exposure, including Burnham. In 2020, the New York County Supreme Court agreed the evidence was sufficient to proceed to trial.

Eusebio Jacob was a journeyman electrician at the U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility in Guam from 1962 to 1985. In 2019, he and his wife, Marta, sued Plastics Engineering Company and Rockwell Automation Inc. for their roles in supplying asbestos products to the U.S. Navy. Doctors diagnosed Jacob in 2018 with malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses.

In 2010, Julie Gundlach filed an asbestos injury lawsuit after developing mesothelioma. She alleged that when her electrician father came home from work, he left his asbestos-covered clothes in the laundry room where Gundlach and her sister played, resulting in a secondary exposure known as “take-home exposure.”

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