Oil Refineries Overview
Oil refineries, essential to a country dependent on petroleum, can be found in about two-thirds of all U.S. states. These factories refine and process heavy crude oil into a variety of petroleum products that are used daily by a large number of U.S. residents, including gasoline, heating oil, diesel fuel and kerosene.
Oil refineries are easy to spot. They are generally large complexes that include not just one but several buildings, often connected by vast highways of pipeline, carrying hot liquid materials from one structure to another. Smoke stacks are common and refineries can often be spotted by the streams of smoke billowing high into the sky, often producing a nasty odor. They are usually found in highly industrial areas, often near airports and close to rivers.
Oil Refinery Workers
Employees at oil refineries around the world have always faced myriad hazards. Because petroleum and other materials used at oil refineries are highly flammable, fires and explosions are a regular possibility. Such incidents can cause serious injury or even result in loss of lives, in some cases. Though Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) laws have indeed cut down on the number of accidents at oil refineries in the U.S. over the last several decades, dangers are still present and working at a refinery still remains one of the most hazardous occupations available.
Asbestos in Oil Refineries
In the decades prior to the late 1970s, refinery workers also faced the hazards of asbestos. The mineral asbestos was widely used to insulate many pieces of equipment that operated at high temperatures inside oil refineries – equipment that could have caused severe injuries to workers. These may have included:
- Tanks
- Boilers
- Pipes
- Ovens
- Roasters
- Dryers
- Furnaces
- Heat exchangers
- Pumps
- Reactors
Some workers also wore protective clothing that was woven from asbestos fibers. This may have included pants, aprons, gloves, shoe covers, and face masks. This clothing, intended to shield workers from harm, instead put them into direct contact with dangerous asbestos fibers.
Asbestos did certainly protect employees from serious burns and other injuries caused by the high temperature equipment and processes used at oil refineries, but at the same time, it was also wreaking havoc with the health of employees. Damaged and worn asbestos would release sharp fibers into the air that employees could inhale while on the job. Those who repaired and maintained the asbestos insulation were especially prone to inhalation, which often resulted in the development of asbestos-related diseases and disorders, like pleural plaques, asbestosis, and mesothelioma.
It has been proven that, in many instances, oil refinery owners or managers knew of the hazards of asbestos yet continued to use it as insulation until the late 1970s, when its use in the United States was newly regulated. As a result, many individuals did indeed develop mesothelioma. Because the disease remains latent for decades, some are just now realizing the effects of exposure to the mineral while others have already faced a terminal diagnosis.
-
05/24/2012 -
One of the biggest asbestos-abatement jobs ever done in Buffalo, New York, is being handled now by a local company with a history of asbestos-related ..
-
05/23/2012 -
A new class of anti-cancer drugs is nearing the clinical trial phase and may eventually be available for treatment of aggressive diseases like pancrea ..
-
05/23/2012 -
School districts all across America have been wrestling in recent years with the task of removing and disposing of toxic asbestos from older buildings ..
© 2012 The Mesothelioma Center |
Last Modified Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy |
The information provided by The Mesothelioma Center is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Sponsored by a law firm concentrating in asbestos litigation, The Peterson Firm, LLP with offices at 1350 Connecticut Ave, NW, Fifth Floor, Washington DC 20036.
