Tool makers

Tool makers are highly skilled craftsmen who process metal into tools that are then used in the manufacturing process. Tool makers may be required to make small but vital accessories like shingles and clamps that fasten metal while it's being processed. They may also be called upon to construct an entire machine and make modifications to ensure its smooth operation.

Exposure to Asbestos

Tool makers were subject to asbestos exposure on numerous levels. The nature of the job required tool makers to work in an environment of heat and flames. Asbestos was a popular choice for use in the protective gear worn by tool makers. Besides being a good insulator, asbestos is also the only natural mineral with fibers that can be woven into cloth. A slight tear in this protective gear was enough to release asbestos particles into the environment.

To maximize efficiency, it was important to ensure that minimal heat was allowed escape from the forge where metal was smelted during processing. Asbestos was again the popular choice for insulating the forge and thereby preventing the heat from escaping into the environment. This not only increased efficiency, but also kept the environment relatively, cool making it more comfortable for the tool makers. In reality, however, this comfort was at the cost of inhaling toxic fibers from the heavily asbestos-insulated forge.

Tool makers needed a workstation that would withstand hard metal pounding and accept the corresponding sparks without catching fire. This concern was usually addressed by covering the workstation with a cloth woven from asbestos. This was an extremely dangerous arrangement as the metal pounding was likely to diffuse vast amounts of asbestos fibers into direct contact with the tool makers.

Dangers on the Job

It is a given that almost all jobs come with some risk of job-related injuries. Even so, most people in America today have come to expect worker safety to be an important priority of companies, overseen by government agencies. Sadly, even in recent history, these expectations were not always met in terms of asbestos exposure, and people were subjected to conditions that placed their lives at risk.

Forms of Asbestos and How They Affect Health

Asbestos is divided into two types. The most highly used was chrysotile (sometimes called "white" asbestos), or serpentine asbestos. Usually not linked to mesothelioma or asbestos cancer, it is a relatively pliable form of the mineral. However, if inhaled, serpentine asbestos can cause abrasions on the inner surfaces of the lungs. Asbestosis may then be the outcome when scar tissues build up in the lungs.

The other category is called the amphibole group; it is much more dangerous. Lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma, an unusual but all too often deadly disease affecting the mesothelium (the tissue that lies between the lungs and the pleural cavity), are the most frequently occurring cancers that are caused by being exposed to amphibole asbestos. Pericardial and peritoneal mesotheliomas, diseases that damage the lining around the heart and digestive tract, respectively, are more unusual but also caused by exposure to amphibole asbestos.

The Strengths of Asbestos

Given what we know today, it is ironic that asbestos was used when erecting plants and factories and in manufacturing many products because of its ability to save lives. The serpentine form of asbestos is one of the most effective insulators known when it comes to combustion and heat and has been used for the purpose since ancient times. The amphiboles had additional qualities that caused them to be useful in industry. For instance, "brown" asbestos, or amosite, is high in iron content, making it resistant to chemical corrosion. "Blue" asbestos, or crocidolite, was generally used on electrical equipment because of its resistance to electricity. Depending on the application, various types of fibers were combined to form asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) that could protect people against fire, high temperatures, electrocution and chemical burns.

As long as it remained solid, asbestos offered no immediate danger. A drawback of ACMs, however, is that as they age they become friable (i.e., easily reduced to powder by hand pressure alone). Friable asbestos is a problem since in this state the fibers are easily released into the environment; ingesting asbestos fibers may result in diseases like cancer. Unless effective decontamination protocols, including the use of workplace-only clothing and on-site showers, were followed, it was common for personnel to bring home asbestos on their persons or their clothing and in doing so exposing even more people to danger.

The Hidden Danger of Asbestos

Unlike many on-the-job injuries, which are readily observed and known about immediately following the causing incident, asbestos-related illnesses can take ten, twenty, or even thirty years to appear. It can also be difficult to identify asbestos-related illnesses because their symptoms can be mistaken for those of other, less serious conditions. Especially with mesothelioma, the sooner it is diagnosed, the better the odds of survival or at the least of improved quality of life. Accordingly, it is very important for all who worked as tool makers, as well as anyone who spent much time with them, to notify their doctors about the chance of asbestos exposure. Despite that the mesothelioma survival rate is commonly thought of as grim, early diagnosis and treatments like mesothelioma radiation 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 - Tool and Die Makers
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos225.htm

Kelly Holleran - New asbestos suits filed in Madison County
http://www.madisonrecord.com/news/217914-new-asbestos-suits-filed-in-madison-county

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