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Power Plants - Overview

At the flip of a switch, most of us can produce electricity in our homes, businesses, and schools. We often take for granted the fact that it takes hundreds of people performing a variety of different jobs to make that happen. Many of these individuals work in America's power plants.

Power plants have been supplying power to U.S. homes for more than a century. The first hydro-electric power plant, for example, was established in Appleton, Wisconsin in 1882. Since then, many power plants have been built, especially nuclear power plants. All nuclear power plants are operated by employees who constantly work shifts to ensure there is no interruption in the supply of electricity.

Asbestos Risks in Power Plants

However, power plants can be dangerous places to work. Because electricity is involved, the constant risk of fire is always a potential hazard. To lessen the potential of on-the-job accidents involving heat and fire, a lot of equipment and machinery inside power plants are lined with asbestos. Yet this creates another health hazard, as asbestos is known to cause several forms of disease.

Giant generators and turbines within power plants are likely lined with the heat-resistant material asbestos. Anyone who comes in contact with this machinery, especially those who maintain it, may be exposed to asbestos fibers. The boilers and pipes found in most power plants are also insulated with asbestos. Gaskets used to seal pumps and valves were fashioned with asbestos and were often handmade on site. Even the floor, wall, and ceiling tiles are likely to contain asbestos.

During the last few decades, particularly after the U.S. government issued warnings about the dangers of asbestos, most power plants have endeavored to either remove or encapsulate dangerous asbestos materials. Encapsulation involves covering surfaces of particular concern with a resin-type material, which will keep them from crumbling and releasing dust. For many, however, the move to eliminate or encapsulate asbestos from power plants came too late. Asbestos was so rampant in power plants that employees, including those who did not directly work with the material, would breathe in toxic fibers and bring it home on their clothes to family members.

The symptoms of asbestos-related diseases can take up to 50 years to develop, and power plant workers are still being diagnosed with debilitating illnesses more than 30 years after the warnings were issued. Nearly every power plant in the U.S. built before 1980 probably contained equipment insulated with hazardous asbestos. If you worked at a power plant during or before the 1980s, you may have been exposed to this dangerous substance and should seek a pulmonary checkup from your doctor.

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