Engineer is a catch all term used for many professions. It can be used to describe a highly trained ship or train engineer, or the equally talented, but educated in a totally different way, electrical or civil engineer. The many types of engineers have one thing in common. All may have been exposed to asbestos in their occupations. Asbestos was used widely in the industrial world until the end of the 1970s. It was used as an insulator and to manufacture protective clothing. At the time of it's most widespread use, asbestos was contained in over 3,000 products.

Depending on the type of work an engineer was involved in, his exposure risk could be relatively low to very high. Asbestos was used in many items, and the more hands on work the engineer had with these products, the greater the risk of exposure. Electrical engineers, for example, were exposed to asbestos through the insulation used to line electrical lines and boxes. Asbestos was used in insulating these materials because of its ability to not only protect against heat and flame, but electrical currents as well.

Civil or structural engineers that were responsible for the planning and development of industrial spaces were exposed to asbestos because of the many building components that contained asbestos. Shingles, floor and ceiling tiles and wall board all often contained asbestos. It was also often used as an insulator for cement pipes. Train and ship engineers were exposed to asbestos in the insulation of their vehicles and the lining that was used on machinery to keep them cool.

Once the health concerns of asbestos exposure became widely known in the late 1970s, its use quickly stopped. Still, by this time there were countless projects across the United States that contained asbestos, and they remain in place today. Because many of the buildings and homes that contained asbestos were practically new when the dangers of asbestos was made public, the thought of removing all of the asbestos-containing products was not realistic. Asbestos only causes health concerns when it is damaged or worn, so the conventional wisdom was that the asbestos containing materials should remain in place. As these products began to age, they would be replaced with other materials.

When remodeling projects are underway today, there is a good chance that the building will contain at least some asbestos. Because of this, electrical, civil and structural engineers are still at risk of exposure to asbestos. The time that they spend on the site, supervising demolition and construction is time when asbestos levels are at their highest levels. Although professional contractors typically do a good job of keeping the asbestos dust to a minimum, the risk of exposure is still high.

The level of asbestos exposure that an engineer experienced would of course depend on his job description, but in general the more time spend around insulated materials or in dusty industrial environments prior to 1978, the higher his risk of exposure. Even if the engineer received a relatively low level of exposure, he is not immune to developing health problems. Studies have not answered the question of whether the amount of exposure affects the development of disease. Some studies show a direct correlation between the amount of exposure and the likelihood of developing an asbestos related illness, while others show that even minor exposure can be enough to trigger the development of asbestosis or mesothelioma.

Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos is harmful in a variety of ways. There are specific diseases that are a direct result of asbestos exposure, and there is also an increased risk of cancers among those exposed to asbestos. While this is not fully understood, researchers feel that a gene that normally slows or stops the growth of tumors may be turned off by asbestos exposure.

Asbestosis is a chronic lung disease. It causes a decrease in lung function, and slows the lung's ability to move oxygen and carbon dioxide properly. The low oxygen level results in fatigue and shortness of breath. Asbestosis is a progressive disease with no cure. Doctors treat the symptoms somewhat, to minimize the patient's discomfort, but the end result of the disease is respiratory failure.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive and often fatal form of cancer. Because mesothelioma attacks the thin protective covering of the body's organs, most often the one surrounding the lungs, the tumors it forms are oddly shaped and are difficult to see on a chest x-ray. The symptoms of mesothelioma are similar to many other diseases. Coughing, fatigue and night sweats are early symptoms of mesothelioma. Buildup of excessive fluid in the affected mesothelium, which is called a pleural effusion, is a definitive indicator of the disease, but by the time they develop, the disease has often progressed to the point that treatment options are limited.