Drywall Tapers

Before the late 1800s, interior walls were made of plaster. The process of building these walls was time consuming and difficult, as it involved building up layers of plaster over a framework of laths, with each layer required to dry completely before the next could be applied.

In 1916, US Gypsum invented Gypsum board, also called drywall or sheetrock. Drywall came in standard size sheets of 4 feet by 8 feet. It sandwiched a layer of gypsum and other materials, including asbestos, between two sheets of heavy paper. It could be nailed onto wall studs to offer a smooth surface for finishing in a fraction of the time required to plaster a wall.

Drywall did have some disadvantages, however. For example, walls would show seams where the sheets of drywall met, as well as marks where the nails were driven into the studs. For that reason, the job of "drywall taper" was soon invented. This individual would follow behind the sheetrock workers, applying drywall tape and taping compound over the seams and nail heads, then sanding the surface to a smooth finish.

Asbestos Exposure

Like the vast majority of products used in construction, drywall contained asbestos. From the time that gypsum board was invented in 1916 to the late 1970s and early 1980s, drywall tapers were exposed to high levels of asbestos in the workplace from a number of different sources. Among the duties that might have exposed drywall tapers to asbestos dust were:

• sanding taping compound, which contained asbestos
• cutting and applying asbestos treated tape to drywall seams
• mixing drywall compound and taping compound, which contained powdered asbestos

In addition, drywall tapers work side by side with other contract workers. They may have been in the vicinity while sheetrock was being cut, sanded and fit to the walls, increasing the possibility of their exposure to asbestos dust.

Any activity that involves sanding and cutting products that contain asbestos can result in the release of asbestos dust into the air, where it can be inhaled or swallowed. Asbestos exposure has been linked to mesothelioma, a deadly cancer of the thin membrane that covers the lungs, along with lung cancer, asbestosis and a number of other illnesses and diseases.

Among the asbestos products that might have posed an asbestos exposure risk to drywall tapers are:

• sheetrock
• gypsum board
• drywall
• asbestos plaster
• taping compound
• drywall tape

Since the late 1970s, most of the products now used in construction, including drywall tape, sheetrock compound, plaster and taping compound, are asbestos-free. However, if you worked as a drywall taper at any time in the past, there is a very high chance that you were exposed to asbestos in the workplace. Furthermore, if you participate in remodeling or renovations at old homes or commercial buildings, you may encounter asbestos throughout these buildings. Be sure to wear a mask or respirator when performing drywall duties in these structures.

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