Sales Engineer
Sales engineer is a position found most often in technical companies, such as engineering, medical and scientific. It may seem strange to think that a sales representative would be in danger of asbestos exposure, but sales engineers were in particular danger of exposure prior to government regulation of asbestos in the 1980s.
Job Description
A sales engineer is a combination of salesman and engineer, integrating the necessary technical expertise and product experience with the interpersonal skills necessary to network, pitch and sell products.
A highly complex system such as an electrical network or steam ducting for a building physical plant would require a salesperson who was also versed in the technicalities and engineering specifications of the product. The sales engineer would have to interact with the technical engineering team to explain the system specifics and with the managerial team to explain cost-effectiveness and illuminate sales points.
Asbestos Exposure
Because sales engineers interact with a variety of products that incorporated asbestos, they were at the same risk as stationary engineers, electrical engineers, steamfitters and a variety of other occupations.
As an example, boilers and other related equipment that incorporate extreme heat were covered in asbestos insulation and other asbestos-containing products. Sales engineers attempting to market these products would have to interact regularly with the contaminated systems.
Electrical systems prior to asbestos regulation would also contain extensive asbestos content. Wiring was insulated with asbestos to prevent electrical fires, and the advanced understanding of electrical systems by the sales engineer would have required close inspection and analysis of each of the systems or specific products offered by his or her company.
Workplace Dangers
It is widely understood that certain occupations are more likely to result in workplace injuries than other ones. Still, in America today, people expect that jobsite hazards will be minimized, risks will be clearly understood, and companies will attempt to maintain a safe workplace. Unfortunately, even in recent history, these expectations were not always met when it came to exposure to asbestos, and employees were placed in situations that jeopardized their health.
Asbestos and Its Health Effects
There are two major types of asbestos. Chrysotile, or "white" asbestos, is the sole mineral of the serpentine category and was the form most frequently used. This is a relatively soft form that is usually not associated with mesothelioma or asbestos cancer. Abrasions on the inner surfaces of the lungs do result when serpentine particles are breathed in, however. This in turn causes an accumulation of scar tissue, which is a major cause of asbestosis.
The other category is called amphibole asbestos; of the two types, it is much more deadly. Lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma, an unusual and often fatal cancer affecting the mesothelium (the tissue that lies between the lungs and the pleural cavity), are the most frequently occurring malignancies that are caused by being exposed to amphibole asbestos. Extensive contact with amphibole asbestos is also a cause of pericardial or peritoneal mesotheliomas, which damage the lining around the heart and digestive tract, respectively.
Why It Was Used
Asbestos was generally utilized in an effort to safeguard human life. The serpentine form of asbestos is one of the best insulators known when it comes to flames and heat. The amphiboles also had other traits that caused them to be useful for industry. Amosite, sometimes called "brown" asbestos, for instance, has a high iron content, making it impervious to chemical corrosion. "Blue" asbestos, or crocidolite, is a particularly good insulator against electric current and was frequently used whenever high voltage was a concern. By combining different kinds of fibers, many different ACMs (asbestos-containing materials) could be made that could protect people against combustion, extreme temperatures, electrical contact and caustic chemicals.
Asbestos did not present a health hazard while it stayed solid. A disadvantage of ACMs, however, is that with time they become friable, or able to be reduced to powder by hand pressure alone. Asbestos particles, when friable, can be readily released in the atmosphere; inhaling asbestos fibers can cause diseases such as cancer and asbestosis. Asbestos particles that fell on employees' skin, hair, or clothing could also place others at risk unless strict decontamination protocols, like the use of on-site showers, were enforced.
Asbestos Exposure - a Hidden Danger
Asbestos-related diseases, in contrast to most workplace injuries, which are readily observed and known about immediately following the incident, may take many, many years to manifest. It can also be hard to identify asbestos-related illnesses since their symptoms resemble those of other disorders. Especially with mesothelioma, the sooner it is caught, the higher the chances of survival or at least of enjoying an improved quality of life. All who worked as sales engineers, and anyone who spent much time with them, should therefore tell their health care professionals about the chance of exposure to asbestos. The mesothelioma survival rate traditionally has been grim, yet early diagnosis, mesothelioma radiation and other various treatments can improve the prognosis for this disease.
Sources
Bowker, Michael. Fatal Deception: The Untold Story of Asbestos (New York: Touchstone, 2003)
Bureau of Labor Statistics - Sales Engineer
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos123.htm
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
US Department of Labor - Stationary Engineers and Boiler Makers
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos228.htm
