Blue-collar jobs at high risk of asbestos exposure and lung diseases

Blue-collar is the class of skilled workers who engage in hard manual labor, typically in manufacturing, construction, mining, or maintenance.

Manufacturing - In factories, blue-collar workers can be exposed to everything from inhaled metals in foundries to silica which can lead to silicosis, a condition that scars the lungs.

Construction - Occupational exposures encountered by construction workers can cause many kinds of lung diseases. For example, exposure to respirable crystalline silica and asbestos can lead to:

• pulmonary fibrosis
• COPD
• lung cancer
• asthma

Mining - Studies of coal miners have shown an increased risk for everything from bronchitis to pneumoconiosis - a chronic condition caused by inhaling coal dust that becomes embedded in the lungs, causing an abnormality of the lung tissue. About 2.8 percent of coal miners have evidence of coal worker's pneumoconiosis - also known as black lung disease.

Why blue-collar workers might be at higher risk for pulmonary issues

Certain types of jobs can expose workers to unsafe substances that can irritate the lining of the lungs. Toxins associated with blue-collar workers' risk perceptions of lung condition:

Fumes - Fumes from metals that are heated and cooled quickly, resulting in fine, solid particles being carried through the air.

Products like insulation, paint, polyurethane, blown foam, and solvents can also release chemical fumes into the air, causing asthma or chronic bronchitis. Examples of blue-collar jobs include welding, smelting, furnace work, pottery making, and plastics manufacturing.

Dust - Dust particles are generated by the disturbance of rocks or fibers material and include those that arise from handling grain and cotton, as well as from mining, quarrying, tunneling, stone masonry, construction, and any process which breaks or separates solid material.

Fibers - Unlike most minerals that turn into dust particles when crushed, asbestos breaks up into tiny microscopic fibers that can float in the air for long periods of time. The inhalation of asbestos fibers may lead to a number of respiratory diseases, including:

• malignant mesothelioma
• asbestosis
• lung cancer
• pleural plaques
• pleural thickening
• pleural effusion

Gases - Many types of gases may suddenly be released during industrial accidents that may severely irritate the lungs. Chlorine, ammonia, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides are found in blue-collar jobs with high-heat operations, such as welding, brazing, smelting, oven drying, and furnace work.

Blue-collar occupations at risk for asbestos exposure

Investigations have shown that smoking is more prevalent among blue-collar workers than among persons in other sectors of the population. The interaction between cigarette smoke and occupational toxins can increase the risk of lung conditions for blue-collar workers by up to 50 times compared to individuals who do not smoke and are not exposed to occupational toxins.

Most work-related lung diseases are caused by repeated and prolonged exposure, but even a significant, single exposure to an unsafe agent can damage the lungs. Blue-collar occupations that put workers at risk for lung function loss due to asbestos exposure on the job include:

• Mechanics
• Plumbers
• Electricians
• Carpenters
• Miners
• Boilermakers
• Insulators
• Firefighters
• Automotive workers

Legal help for blue-collar workers with lung cancer

With over 30 years of experience in asbestos litigation, the attorneys at Environmental Litigation Group, P.C. have been assisting and representing over 25,000 asbestos victims. If you suffer from lung cancer as a consequence of occupational asbestos exposure, we highly encourage you to file a claim immediately, as time is unfortunately limited. It is important to know that non-malignant diseases do not make you eligible for compensation.

Our standard fee is a 40% contingency fee, meaning that we only collect that fee when our claim is successful and we recover compensation for you.