The word carpenter is derived from the Latin word carpentrius, meaning 'carriage maker,' a highly-regarded occupation in ancient times. Today, carpenters are still perceived as highly skilled craftsmen who use their talents to build furniture, buildings and even ships. Carpenters may be separated into two broad groups: rough carpenters and finishing carpenters.

The first category is comprised of carpenters who carry out large construction tasks such as framing for residential or commercial buildings. Roofers are also in this category, as are some shipwrights. Finishing carpenters are those who design and build furniture and complete more detailed carpentry tasks for buildings.

Asbestos Exposure

Throughout most of the 20th century, carpenters worked with an array of construction materials that often contained asbestos. Due to the mineral's durability, fire/heat resistance, and insulating properties, it was commonly used in these products as a safety precaution. Anyone employed in construction may have been at risk of asbestos exposure.

For carpenters, the greatest risk was in rough carpentry and shipbuilding, which includes any carpenter working as a framer, roofer or shipbuilder. Finishing carpenters who worked in construction were also at risk, however, finishing carpenters who worked primarily at furniture-making faced little chance of exposure. Carpenters may have been exposed to asbestos through working with asbestos-containing products such as:

Finishing cement, flatboard, micarta, millboard, rollboard
Acoustical plaster or acoustic finishers
Patching plaster or patching fiber
Asbestos cord, felt, packing or agricultural filler
Roofing materials such as felt, shingles and adhesives

In short, almost every construction product that carpenters used prior to the mid 1970s or early 1980s may have contained asbestos. In addition, because many other construction products contained asbestos, it is likely that carpenters working on residential and commercial building sites worked in asbestos-laden environments on a daily basis.

It was not until 1977 that the Consumer Product Safety Commission began to regulate the use of asbestos in construction products. Even so, while the use of asbestos in most construction products was banned at that time, the ban did not extend to existing stocks of such supplies - only to the manufacture of new products. For that reason, carpenters may have continued to be exposed to asbestos on the job as late as the mid-1980s.

Until the late 1970s, there were virtually no restrictions on the use of asbestos and very few companies provided their workers with protective equipment to prevent asbestos exposure, resulting in thousands of workers across America being exposed to asbestos on a regular basis. In the late 20th century, the true dangers of asbestos were highlighted in tragic fashion as carpenters and other workers began developing debilitating and fatal diseases related to exposure, including asbestosis and mesothelioma.

While construction products no longer contain asbestos, there is still significant risk of asbestos exposure to carpenters who work on old buildings or ships. Individuals who work at such sites must wear protective clothing in any situation where they may be at risk of asbestos exposure. Older asbestos construction materials are particularly hazardous. As asbestos ages it becomes dry and friable, the materials crumble and break more easily, potentially releasing large quantities of asbestos fibers into the air. In any location where the presence of asbestos is suspected, protective clothing should always be worn.

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with an illness related to asbestos, you may have legal options for compensation. Many have received financial assistance to help pay for medical bills and lost wages. For more information, please fill out the request form on this page to receive a free informational packet.

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