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The latest statistics show that between 1980 and 2000, over 8,000 men and over 1,000 women died from Mesothelioma. If someone in your family has been affected by this grave disease, you may be legally entitled to financial compensation to help cover your losses.
Auto mechanics have been working around asbestos contaminated products for many years. Mechanics in the automobile industry service vehicles that need maintenance or repair. While many of the vehicles are maintained by computers today, there is still a major importance for mechanics to understand the full working aspects of each part and component that makes up the engine and body of the vehicle. Before computer managed vehicles, mechanics needed to self-diagnose the problem by handling each part and working through the issues manually.
Auto mechanics have had to deal with products containing asbestos for many years. Many have become exposed to the contaminant unknowingly while handling these asbestos products. Asbestos was used for many years in various auto parts such as brakes, drums, clutches, gaskets, and more. These parts are widely used within a vehicle and normal wear of these parts will create asbestos dust, especially within the brakes. Asbestos woven friction materials used in brakes were first in the United States in the early 1900s and were first marketed by Keasbey and Mattison Company of Ambler, Pennsylvania. Woven asbestos brakes were manufactured and used for its superior heat resistance and durability. These brakes soon dominated the market in the 1930s and typically contained 70 percent or more wire-cored asbestos yarn impregnated with drying oils and bituminous material.
As brakes are used, break dust is created which in-turn also releases asbestos fibers into the air. Auto mechanics that will work on these parts after normal use will be in danger of being exposed to asbestos fibers released from these products. As has been seen in previously noted cases, asbestos can also be transported to others via clothing or skin. This means that when an auto mechanic has worked with these products, it is possible to transport the asbestos fibers to family members and friends unknowingly and potentially putting them at risk as well.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), earlier studies of airborne asbestos exposures to mechanics while servicing brakes showed an overexposure to asbestos fibers especially during brake assembly cleaning. Also, an estimated 150,000 brake mechanics and garage workers in the United States are potentially exposed to asbestos. The NIOSH did a study examining 90 union motor vehicle maintenance workers with 10 or more years of shop work in New York City. The study found that 29 percent of these workers had decreased vital capacity and showed signs consistent with asbestosis. The percentage was significantly higher 20 years from the onset of auto work.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) became aware of the problems facing auto mechanics and asbestos related products decades ago and many companies did little to put safety measures in place to protect their employees from asbestos fibers. As more companies and employees became aware of the potential threat of asbestos and the health effects, more safety measures began to be put in place. However, there were many years where a lot of auto mechanics could have potentially been directly exposed to the contaminant repeatedly as well as unknowingly transferring the contaminant to family and friends. While new vehicle parts are less manufactured with asbestos, there is still a good amount of vehicles on the road today with legacy parts that can potentially contain asbestos, the contaminant that causes Mesothelioma. Therefore, all auto mechanics must be aware of this potential risk and use the correct safety measures while handling these parts.