From the time of this industry's inception, man has attempted to handle jobs involving heat and flame with as much protection as possible. The modern day industries have insisted upon reliable insulation in all aspects of smelting, welding, metalwork and other manufacturing processes involving extreme temperatures of heat and fire. All furnace applications in these venues face the same challenges of protecting employees who work around them as well as protecting the environment. The properties of asbestos-versatility, strength, and its lightweight texture-have allowed it to be molded, shaped, wadded and squeezed in any shape required. Since asbestos was also found to be excellent insulation, and it was widely available at a low cost, it became the mainstay of construction and industries built around the operations involved with furnaces.

Asbestos Exposure

The very nature of jobs associated with furnace or smelting work means that the employee will be close to high temperatures and flames. Around the mid 1900's, asbestos was used in almost all protection gear for industrial workers; aprons, mitts, gloves, cover-ups, pants, leggings, hats, and hoods. All had some amount of asbestos to protect workers from the hazards of their occupations. Unfortunately, even a tiny rip, tear or snag in any of the protective equipment would allow the microscopic asbestos fibers to escape and become airborne. Furthermore, furnace areas were high-targeted areas for asbestos use. Asbestos was utilized to prevent heat loss in conjunction with ducts, gaskets, furnace doors, and around the areas of furnace related equipment such as. Therefore, anyone whose livelihoods depended upon working around furnaces, or wearing protective gear, faced much risk from asbestos poisoning, and furnace men, smelter-men and pourers were even greater danger from the doubled risk. Further endangering is the fact that asbestos fibers tend to remain in warm air longer than in cool air. Since furnace and smelting rooms were not normally well ventilated, asbestos concentrations continued to build. With so many risks added together, the environment could not have been any more dangerous with regard to asbestos exposure.

As furnace men, smelters and pourers carried out their daily obligations, they were placed in the position of potentially inhaling or swallowing microscopic fibers that had been released from asbestos surrounding furnaces, and from inside their protective gear. Such fibers may have been loose because the protective gear became snagged, torn or suffered slight seam separations, or they had crumbled away from the bulk of the asbestos board or padding. (This happens when asbestos is abraded, drilled, sanded or otherwise disturbed.) In the case of furnace workers, the high heat necessary for smelting also caused the regular asbestos binding agents to fail. It follows that constant rubbing against asbestos insulation not sealed thoroughly by binding agents would, at some point, result in particles breaking away, becoming airborne, and becoming inhaled or swallowed.

Furnace Asbestos Uses

Asbestos was used in many of the above applications in spray-coating form. As it could be imagined, such processing would have been extremely dangerous for anyone in the vicinity. Other times, boards of asbestos were used to enclose furnaces. Also, asbestos cloth was often relied upon for the regulation of metal casting cooling. Studies show that there is no minimum safe amount of asbestos; toxicity increases with length, frequency and amount of exposure. Therefore, as insulation around furnace room air ducts, gaskets, furnace doors, and boiler room equipment, asbestos use was staggering-not including the amount used in furnace men's protective gear. All of that asbestos has the potential of allowing minute fibers to separate into the air, and endanger those who worked in the environment.

What Furnace Men Should Know

Once inhaled or swallowed, the microscopic asbestos fibers enter an individual's lungs or stomach and may remain there for decades. (Occasionally they leave through the gastrointestinal tract.) But, more often, the body responds by attempting to rid itself of the foreign body; in the process, scarring and tumors are possible. The tumors may turn out to be non-malignant, such as the condition of asbestosis, which is still often fatal. Sadly, they may also be malignant, in the form of lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, liver or colon cancer, esophageal cancer, or mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lung lining. The National Center for Health Statistics studied documented the causes of death for years 1985-1999, and found that smelter workers have 3-8 times the risk of developing lung cancer as the average person. During that 15 year period, there were at least 40 blast furnace employees who succumbed to mesothelioma-which is totally preventable, and is caused only by asbestos. Once such a diagnosis is received, the patient frequently is past the point of surgery halting the spread of the disease, and must rely on radiation and cancer to slow it. Even with specialty drugs for mesothelioma, the prognosis is usually not good, and the patient's life is often considerably shortened. All current or retired furnace workers should have any unusual physical problems checked as soon as possible, and employ legal help if the mesothelioma diagnosis is connected to asbestos.