Painters and Asbestos Exposure

Painters play an important role in the construction and renovation of industrial, commercial, and residential buildings - applying paints, sealants, and papers where necessary to beautify a building and protect its parts - such as walls and ceilings - from the ravages of time, traffic, and general wear. A good painter knows not only how to paint a wall, but how to strip and remove old paint and materials, which paints are ideal for a particular application, how to mix colors, and other skills of the trade.

Painters fulfill a variety of niches, working for a municipality or state government, residential and commercial building construction companies, for renovation contractors, or running their own small business. In fact, nearly one half of painters in the United States are self-employed, highly skilled workers who have been in the business for many years.

Of the many workers exposed to asbestos over the years, painters are at a particular risk of developing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses, because they have traditionally come in contact with many different sources of asbestos, from materials of their trade to the environments in which they worked.

Although paints themselves did not typically contain asbestos, painters frequently used other products containing asbestos. Sealants and putties used to patch up holes before painting were a common source of asbestos, as were the materials used to create texture on a wall or ceiling. Also, painters would sometimes mix asbestos with paint to give the paint fire-resistant properties. Since the 1970s, old joint compounds have become known as a notorious source of asbestos, and silver paints have also been known to contain the deadly ingredient.

Painters are also put at risk for asbestos exposure when they enter an environment in which the material was used during construction or renovation. Only a few decades ago, asbestos was regularly used in homes and businesses as insulation. Even today, many thousands of buildings across the country contain asbestos ceiling tiles, floor tiles, wall insulation, shutters, and more. During the course of painting these surfaces, slight damage to the asbestos material can result in the release of millions of asbestos particles into the atmosphere. When these particles are released, the painter and his or her colleagues are at risk of exposure.

As a result of negligence on the part of asbestos manufacturers, many thousands of painters who worked in their field prior to the 1980s have been exposed to asbestos. Although some of these workers have already developed deadly diseases like mesothelioma and asbestosis, many have yet to show symptoms of illness. As time goes on, painters in greater and greater numbers may continue develop these life-threatening diseases.

Although the use of asbestos is not so common today as it was a few decades ago, painters must still exercise extreme caution, especially when working in an environment that might contain asbestos. Protective masks or respirators should always be worn if the potential of exposure is present.

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