Chemical Technicians

Working closely with chemical engineers, chemical technicians are typically tasked with working on a range of materials to determine various qualities. These include chemical composition, concentration, stability and purity. Depending on their field of work, chemical technicians may work with ores, minerals, pollutants, food, paints, petroleum products and a variety of chemicals.

A chemical technician often assists the engineer in developing a test procedure and with organizing laboratory equipment. Once the equipment is set up, it must be monitored, and then the technician must accurately record data as the test is run. For design and production, a chemical technician sometimes works with pipelines, valves and pumps, as well as metal and glass tanks.

Chemical technicians in the fuel industry may work to determine oil and fuel viscosity, while those working for plants may test construction materials and prepare chemicals that assist in field testing.

Education

The training process begins with taking science and mathematics classes in high school. The same is for college, where computer and other technical courses put prospects at an advantage. There are many colleges in the United States that offer chemical technology programs. Aside from the degree of education, other characteristics, such as capability to use mental and manual skills, being detailed and being good at organization and communication, are essential to being in the technical chemical field.

Safety

Working in the chemical industry is now considered to be safe, but in the past has led to a higher incidence of asbestos-related diseases. Companies such as DuPont have been cited as recently as 1999 for not releasing records of injuries or illnesses related to asbestos.

On-the-job Risks

It is generally understood that some jobs are more dangerous than others. Still, in modern America, people have come to expect that jobsite hazards will be minimized, risks will be clearly understood, and employers will make every effort to maintain a safe workplace. When it comes to asbestos exposure, however, these expectations, have not always been met, and even in recent history, workers were placed in situations that had serious, sometimes deadly, consequences.

Varieties of Asbestos and Their Health Effects

Asbestos is broken into two classifications. The most commonly used was "white" asbestos, or serpentine asbestos. This is a relatively soft variety that is not normally associated with asbestos cancer or mesothelioma. Irritation to the interior surfaces of the lungs do result when serpentine fibers are inhaled, however. Asbestosis can be the result when the abrasions lead to a build-up of scar tissue in the lungs.

The other category is called the amphibole group and is much more deadly. Mesothelioma, an unusual and often lethal disease affecting the mesothelium (the lining between the lungs and the pleural cavity), is strongly linked with inhaling asbestos, particularly the amphibole varieties. Less common forms of mesothelioma include pericardial and peritoneal mesothelioma; these diseases are also linked with exposure to amphibole asbestos.

Why Asbestos Was Used

Ironically, asbestos was used in building construction and in many other products because of its ability to save lives. When it comes to withstanding fire and heat, very few substances can equal asbestos, especially the serpentine form. In addition, the amphibole varieties had other useful characteristics. "Brown" asbestos, or amosite, for instance, is high in iron content, making it resistant to caustic chemicals. "Blue" asbestos, or crocidolite, is a particularly good insulator against electric current and was frequently used whenever high voltage was a concern. Materials that protected people and property against fire, heat, electrocution and chemical burns could be made by combining different types of asbestos fibers, many different

Asbestos did not pose a health hazard as long as it was solid. As asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) aged, however, they became friable (i.e., easily reduced to powder by hand pressure alone). When they are friable, asbestos fibers are easily dispersed in the air, where they can be easily inhaled or ingested and thereby cause health problems. Asbestos fibers that landed on employees' skin, hair or clothing could also place others at risk unless strict decontamination protocols, including workplace-only clothing and on-site showers, were followed.

A Time Bomb

In contrast to many job-related injuries, which are readily observed and known about immediately following the incident, asbestos-related illnesses can take ten, twenty or even thirty years to manifest. It can also be difficult to diagnose asbestos-related diseases since the symptoms resemble the symptoms of other, less serious disorders. Experimental and remedies like mesothelioma radiation are being discovered, and early detection provides the patient and his or her doctor the best chance to beat the once always-fatal form of cancer. Hence, it is vital for people that worked as chemical technicians, and anyone who lived with them, to tell their physicians about the possibility of exposure to asbestos as mesothelioma survival rate is low.

Sources

Bowker, Michael. Fatal Deception: The Untold Story of Asbestos (New York: Touchstone, 2003)

Career Guide for Technicians - Chemical Technicians
http://www.crbasics.com/Chemical-Technicians.html

The Center for Public Integrity - Dow Chemical Company
http://www.publicintegrity.org/superfund/Company.aspx?act=10312

CorporateWatch.org - DuPont
http://www.corporatewatch.org.uk/?lid=173

Lilis R., et. al - Asbestos Disease in Maintenance Workers of the Chemical Industry (Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol 330, Issue 1 127-135)

Political Economy Research Institute - THE TOXIC 100: Top Corporate Air Polluters in the United States
http://www.peri.umass.edu/Toxic-100-Table.265.0.html

University of Wisconsin - Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) - Laboratories and Shops
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/ASB/acmimages3.html

University of Wisconsin - Asbestos Disposal
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/HAZEXCEPTIONS/a.html