Aircraft Mechanics & Repairmen - Mesothelioma Risks

Aircraft mechanics and repairman may encounter asbestos during the course of their work because asbestos is used in many different ways in airplanes. While many people are under the impression that asbestos is no longer used in any way, the truth is that asbestos may legally be used in many products, particularly if it has been determined that "no suitable alternative exists." Asbestos, with its light weight, high tensile strength and remarkable heat resistance, is often the best choice for airplane parts that withstand high heat and high friction.

Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos may have properties that are sought after in aeronautical engineering and aircraft manufacture, but it is a known carcinogen and serious health hazard. When the materials that contain asbestos are damaged, as they are when cut, ground or sanded, very fine fibers of asbestos break off and float in the air. Those fibers are microscopic and are easily inhaled or swallowed.

Once they are in the body, the asbestos fibers often become lodged in the lining of the lungs where they can remain for several decades because the body is unable to break them down or excrete them. The fibers can then cause changes in bodily tissues that may result in lung cancer, asbestosis, mesothelioma and other lung diseases and cancers.

Mesothelioma is a rare asbestos cancer that is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. It affects the thin layer of tissue between the lungs and the chest wall and provides lubrication that allows the lungs to move easily when inhaling and exhaling. The changes caused by asbestos fibers thicken the mesothelium and cause the cells to create too much lubrication. It is an extremely painful, aggressive and incurable cancer.

Asbestosis is severe scarring of the lungs caused by exposure to asbestos. It is a progressive condition where the scarring spreads throughout the lungs, thickening the tissue and making it impossible to breathe adequately. Asbestosis and mesothelioma are only two of the conditions that are caused by asbestos exposure. In addition, asbestos increases the chance of developing lung cancer and a number of other cancers, including cancer of the colon, the esophagus and the stomach.

What Aircraft Mechanics and Repairmen Should Know

Many airplane parts were historically made with asbestos because of its light weight and tensile strength. In 1981, the Navy began to replace asbestos-containing parts on Naval aircraft with parts that did not contain asbestos, but many aircraft mechanics and repairman had already been exposed to asbestos. Because of the nature of asbestos, renovations and retrofitting aircraft with non-asbestos-containing materials also carries a high risk of asbestos exposure.

There are still many parts of aircraft that are made with materials that contain low concentrations of asbestos, including brake linings. When the plane brakes, friction grinds the brake linings, releasing asbestos dust and fibers into the wheel wells. When the brakes are serviced, the dust is released into the air where it can be inhaled by the aircraft mechanics or repairmen servicing the brakes.

The risk of asbestos exposure was greater before the 1970s when few people knew or understood the dangers of asbestos fibers. Anyone who worked with and around airplanes between World War II and 1980 may have been exposed to asbestos while servicing brakes on aircrafts or while working around aircraft engines, which were often insulated with asbestos-containing materials. Asbestos was also used in the plastic insulation around electrical wires and in packing around bearings, fans and other equipment.

Asbestos was added to the epoxies and glues used on airplanes and other aircraft. Any work that involved removing parts covered in asbestos epoxy would have released asbestos fibers into the air. Likewise, any work that involved sanding, grinding or buffing parts made with asbestos-containing resins or covered with asbestos epoxy would also have released asbestos into the air. Anyone working in the area may have been exposed to those asbestos fibers.

If you have worked as an aircraft mechanic, particularly in retrofitting aircraft, you may have been exposed to asbestos and are at risk of developing lung cancer, asbestosis or mesothelioma. Your doctor should be aware of your history of working with asbestos. Many of the symptoms of those diseases are similar to the symptoms of milder illnesses, which can delay a proper diagnosis and reduce your options for treatment. Making your doctor aware of your possible asbestos exposure may enable an earlier diagnosis and open avenues of treatment that are not effective once the disease has progressed.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis or another asbestos-related disease and worked with aircraft as a mechanic or repairman, you may also want to discuss your options with an mesothelioma attorney who specializes in asbestos-related lawsuits. You may have a right to compensation for your injuries.