Gaston Power Plant
The Gaston Power Plant is a coal fired facility located outside Wilsonville, Alabama.
Five units put out a total of 1880 megawatts. The plant's first and second units began operations in 1960.
Units 1-4 all employ similar technology, which has resulted in substantial cost savings in terms of maintenance and spare parts as well as employee training and operations; operators, engineers and technicians can move from one unit without having to deal with differences in operating techniques or learning to use new hardware or software. applications.
Although power companies must follow state and federal worker safety rules, asbestos exposure and disease has remained an issue, although the use of asbestos building materials and insulation materials has largely been phased out over the past three decades. The reason is that most asbestos diseases, such as mesothelioma, have very lengthy latency periods. In some cases, it can be as much as sixty years between the time a person is exposed to asbestos and the development of noticeable symptoms.
The risk of disease also increases with time and intensity of asbestos exposure. Power generation facilities such as Gaston were jobsites in which friable (crumbling) asbestos was to be found in numerous areas of the structure, and even within the machinery itself. These loose fibers were not only inhaled by workers, they became lodged in hair and clothing, entering the home and exposing family members to secondary asbestos hazards. Those who have been exposed to asbestos should seek medical attention at any of the mesothelioma clinics in their area.
In 2003, doctors in Puerto Rico examined the x-rays of 1100 power plant workers. After accounting for tobacco use, over 130 of the x-rays showed signs indicative of asbestos disease.
This location was one of a multitude of factories, mills, power plants and worksites that, during the first 70 years of the 20th century, used the fibrous mineral for its ability to withstand fire. Although the use of asbestos was usually intended to save lives, it sadly all too often had the opposite effect. Exposure to asbestos while on the job has resulted in illness and death for far too many employees. The reason for this is that strands of asbestos, when inhaled or ingested, embed themselves into respiratory passages, leading to debilitating illnesses including asbestosis and cancer of the lungs. Also, job-related asbestos exposure is a known cause of the deadly form of cancer called mesothelioma, which develops as a tumor of the mesothelium, the tissue that lines the pleural cavity (pleural mesothelioma) or the stomach
peritoneal mesothelioma.
Because medical science has shown the relationship between inhaling asbestos and illnesses like pleural plaques, today's laborers are protected by state and federal guidelines that control how asbestos is to be handled. Those who labored near job sites constructed with asbestos prior to the passage of such laws, however, commonly spent their work days in sites where asbestos microfibers were prevalent, and they as a rule received very little guidance about how to minimize risks when dealing with the mineral. Spouses were also exposed to asbestos when companies didn't provide workplace-only uniforms, as employees inadvertently transported asbestos home in their clothes and hair. Workers who have been negligently exposed should seek legal counsel from a mesothelioma lawyer.
Diseases such as mesothelioma frequently take decades to appear, and their symptoms can be difficult to distinguish from those of other conditions; therefore, those who were employed at these jobsites during their careers, as well as their family members, should chat with their doctors about their history of exposure to asbestos.
Sources
Cabrera-Santiago, Manuel et al. “Prevalence of Asbestos-Related Disease Among Electrical Power Generation Workers in Puerto Rico.” Presentation at American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, 2007.
Metso. “E.C. Gaston Steam Plants Units 1 and 2.”
http://www.metso.com/automation/ep_prod.nsf/WebWID/WTB-041110-2256F-59DA1
