Loom Fixers - Mesothelioma Risks

Everyone is this field understands that the title of loom fixer is a bit misleading. Such a career does not just involve fixing looms; a great deal more is required of this career. True, a fixer will adjust textile weaving looms, but he or she will also follow up after the manufacturing process to inspect the finished textiles, and establish whether settings need changed to achieve the end result. Through familiarity of the equipment and textile knowledge, a loom fixer is also responsible for part replacement or smoothing rough or abrading areas. All job requirements necessitated loom fixers involved in the production of asbestos-based cloth to come into immediate contact with the toxic material itself. In the direct handling of asbestos textile before or after processing, from loose asbestos fibers that separate during weaving and become airborne, or by indirect exposure of asbestos dust embedded in looms, fixers may have put their lives at risk on a daily basis.

Asbestos Exposure

Prior to the last quarter of the twentieth century, in both the United States and England, many mills created textiles that contained asbestos. Some textiles had just a small percentage, while others were entirely comprised of asbestos. Asbestos is a naturally mined mineral, and the only one that can be woven into cloth. Throughout the centuries, mankind discovered the properties of asbestos, and found that its flexibility and weight lent itself to many cloth-type applications, plus its industrial use as an insulator. Therefore, in addition to workers stuffing wads of asbestos into crevices of buildings as protection from the cold or sound, and wrapping it around wiring and boilers as a safeguard against electrical fires or flames, they also made countless protective items from asbestos cloth. This included laborers' protective wear, such as bibs, aprons, hoods and gloves, and even homeowners' oven mitts and ironing board covers. Since these inventions depended on several steps from the natural state of the asbestos when it was dug out of the ground, an entire industry was built around asbestos production. An important part of this commerce fell onto the shoulders of the men and women who had to perform the actual function of producing the textile via looms. Their tasks involved much asbestos handling, and, as such, they unknowingly were placed in great danger, since they were constantly in the position of inhaling or swallowing asbestos. One study from the United Kingdom compared asbestos textile workers to the general population and found workers to have 300 times more asbestos in their lungs. Other research put the statistics at 1 out of every 12 workers with an asbestos disease (some fatal) caused by exposure to fibers often too small to be seen with the naked eye.

Loom Fixing Asbestos Uses

The very nature of loom fixing employment depended on workers handling asbestos, and the process to weave it into cloth created a two-fold danger: First, not only did loom fixers breath in random floating asbestos dust, they worked on it with their hands for unbelievably long durations. They needed to separate, card, spin and then weave those fibers. These actions obviously forced a good deal of fibers and dust to become airborne, right underneath the loom fixers' noses and mouths. Second, for the manufacturing of asbestos textiles, a specific form of asbestos was used called chrysotile; this has the longest fibers of all asbestos, and poses the most life-threatening risk when trapped inside internal organs and tissues.

Back in the mid-1950's, it was not uncommon for mill workers to work 6 twelve hour days a week, thus increasing their asbestos exposure. In addition, around the turn of the century, 25% of all workers were under the age of 16, and most child workers were employed full time by the age of 12. This means that countless children may have been exposed and killed from the toxicity of asbestos, although it can never be proven since it's only been since the late twentieth century that asbestos hazards have been identified and regulated, and cases of resulting diseases tracked.

What Loom Fixers Should Know About Asbestos Exposure

Anyone around asbestos is in danger of inhaling fibers that can remain in their lungs and stomach for decades. These irritations have caused physical problems for millions of people worldwide, and hundreds of thousands have died from asbestos diseases. Lung, colon, liver, gastrointestinal and esophageal cancers may occur from asbestos, and another killer is a malignancy called mesothelioma. That malignancy occurs only from asbestos exposure, causing thousands of preventable fatalities, and a study reflected a 2% risk of textile workers developing it. Furthermore, since asbestos can remain in the body for up to 40 years, many workers who have since retired are only now at the point of recognizing the repercussions of exposure. After years of apparently good health, an asbestos victim can suddenly discover that something is wrong, because it takes years for asbestos disease to be reflected in obvious symptoms.

Since mesothelioma carries a prognosis of between 6-24 months after diagnosis, and quite often cannot be stopped in time with surgery, a victim will probably require chemotherapy and radiation to slow the spreading and prolong their life. The data involved with all asbestos-related cancers emphasize the importance of seeking expert help immediately if a working or retired loom fixer (or any member of their family who may have been exposed to asbestos fibers carried home on the worker's clothing) experiences unusual physical symptoms such as unexplained loss of breath, or stomach or chest pains. If the diagnosis can be pointed to asbestos exposure, the victim will need help with medical, legal and administrative assistance in handling their treatment.