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Steelworkers and Pleural Mesothelioma

Former steelworkers face a higher risk of developing pleural mesothelioma due to the increased use of asbestos in steel mills. The extremely high temperatures that revolve around the steel manufacturing industry is what made asbestos so valuable. Between the 1940s and 1980s, steel mills provided a place of employment where the risk of being exposed to asbestos was much greater in comparison to other industrial settings.

Steelworkers and Asbestos Exposure

The prevention of fires within steel mills was a definite concern for those designing the actual structure. For this reason, many materials used to build steel mills contained asbestos. Such materials may have included insulation, pipe insulation, floor and ceiling tiles, walls and other products that may have reached very hot temperatures. Gaskets and valves used to connect machinery may have also been made with asbestos.

Perhaps the greatest hazard for asbestos exposure among steelworkers came in the protective clothing they wore during their daily activities. Asbestos was often woven into gloves, aprons, face masks and coveralls used by steelworkers. Simply wearing these materials could have presented a risk for asbestos exposure. If any of these fabrics were ripped or torn, asbestos fibers were especially likely to disperse into the air where they could be inhaled.

Even steelworkers who may have been exposed to asbestos during the 1940s through the 1980s are still at risk of developing pleural mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease. Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma can take as long as 50 years to arise, giving the cancer an extreme latency period. All former steelworkers who were employed when the use of asbestos was high should be weary of pleural mesothelioma symptoms, which include coughing, chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath and the appearance of lumps under the skin of the chest.