Asbestos in boilers has exposed tens of thousands of boilermakers, boiler workers and operators to risks of mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and other diseases. Boilermakers encountered asbestos in the production process, and boiler workers today are at risk during maintenance and regular use.
Written by Michelle Whitmer | Legally Reviewed by Yvonne Waterman | Edited by Walter Pacheco | Last Update:
Asbestos-Related Disease Risk:
High
States with Highest Employment:
Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, Ohio, New York
Boilermakers, boiler operators, boiler tenders, boiler coverers and others who worked around boilers faced asbestos exposure in almost every industry. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, boiler work involves boilermakers who produce and install the machines and boiler operators who oversee their daily use in engine rooms or boiler rooms. Asbestos exposure hazards are present for both types of workers through cleaning, adjusting or repairing the equipment.
Boiler workers and boilermakers are among the occupations most frequently exposed to asbestos and carry some of the highest risks for asbestos-related disease. The danger comes from regular operation and attendance of the machinery. Asbestos is still common today in boiler rooms in many countries. Historically, boiler workers would cut half-rounds of pre-molded asbestos insulation to cover stretches of pipe. Installing these rounds would disturb the material and release asbestos dust into the air. Boiler rooms were typically small and poorly ventilated, often containing other asbestos sources, such as cement millboard in the ceiling.
Industrial hygienist William Ewing, an expert witness in several asbestos cases, testified that asbestos boiler work risked “significant exposure.” Boiler operators commonly made repairs using loose asbestos fibers, asbestos tape or other asbestos-containing products. Some manufacturers recommended that workers make asbestos cement for pipe repair. Boilermakers encountered similar sources of exposure during production. Older boilers often had asbestos insulation to protect the inner machinery from heat, and many of these boilers stayed in service for decades. A 2005 report for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy lab estimated there were about 163,000 industrial and commercial boilers in the United States. Among large boilers, about 47% of boiler capacity was at least 40 years old, and only about 7% was less than 10 years old.
During construction, boilermakers would spray asbestos on structural beams and columns to prevent them from warping or collapsing in a fire. Many rigging components, such as slings and chain falls, can disturb asbestos-containing materials within boilers, releasing the toxic dust.
Survivor Experience
“We never knew how bad the asbestos was for you. It was such a great insulator, a great product for the Navy to use.”
Nick P., former U.S. Navy boiler technicianVerified Asbestos.com Survivor
Paul Schuelke, director of product compliance for the boiler manufacturer Weil-McLain, once explained to a jury that asbestos use in sectional boilers was an industry standard. In most boilers, a one-inch layer of asbestos insulation surrounded the machine’s heated components. The boiler’s stove often sat between slabs of asbestos cement.
Asbestos in boilers exists at industrial worksites, such as refineries, factories or power plants, and those in schools, ships and military installations. These locations are also likely sources of asbestos exposure for HVAC mechanics, industrial machinery workers and power plant workers. Asbestos-containing products in boilers vary by manufacturer.
Asbestos Products in Boilers
Asbestos insulation included a mix of asbestos with magnesium carbonate and calcium silicate, and asbestos fibers often made up 6% to 15% of the insulation’s net weight. Some pipe coverings were different. Corrugated paper pipe covering, often called aircell, contained a much higher amount of asbestos.
Boiler and boiler parts manufacturers have a long history of asbestos use due to its affordability, heat resistance and tensile strength. The material was easy to incorporate into many products and mixed well with other substances.
However, the toxicity and long-term health effects of asbestos in boilers, such as malignant mesothelioma cancer, would eventually lead to years of litigation for these and hundreds of other companies that manufactured asbestos products.
Asbestos Boiler Product Companies
Many of these companies later faced lawsuits from workers who developed asbestos-related diseases, especially those who handled boilers, gaskets and insulation on the job.
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Get Your Free GuideBoilers ran power plants, refineries, mills, factories, ships and public buildings, so boiler work happened in almost every industry. A paper mill worker who covered boiler pipes handled the same insulation, gaskets and cement as a boilermaker. So did a refinery worker who tended a boiler.
Workers didn’t need the specific title “boilermaker” to do boiler work. The job went by many names, including boiler operator, boiler tender, boiler welder and stationary engineer. Navy boiler technicians, firemen and water tenders did this work too, along with steamfitters and the millwrights who installed boiler equipment.
Boiler coverers, pipe coverers and laggers also wrapped pipes and boilers in insulation. Auto mechanics, farmers, firefighters and miners usually didn’t work in boiler rooms, but they still received asbestos exposure in other ways.
Boilermaker Industries and Asbestos Sources
Boilermakers and boiler workers have a high risk of mesothelioma, a rare cancer that forms in the thin lining around the lungs, abdomen or heart and mainly results from asbestos exposure. The disease usually appears several decades after asbestos exposure, so workers who left the trade many years ago can still receive a diagnosis today. That long latency period is why boiler workers should share their full job history with their doctor.
A 1990 study found that roughly 30% of union boilermakers with more than 20 years in the trade showed pleural abnormalities on chest imaging. These include pleural plaques, patches of thickened tissue on the lining of the lungs that indicate asbestos exposure. Heavier exposure can also cause asbestosis, scarring of the lung tissue that makes breathing more difficult over time.
Boiler workers and boilermakers who have a known history of asbestos exposure or who develop symptoms of asbestos-related diseases should consult with a physician at the first sign of illness. Mesothelioma in boilermakers is particularly challenging to diagnose, often requiring a mesothelioma specialist for advanced treatment.
In one case, Clarence Nolan, who had mesothelioma, filed a lawsuit against 12 different corporations, including the boiler manufacturer Weil-McLain. The court dismissed some of the 11 other companies, and the rest of them settled before trial, but the case against Weil-McLain went to a jury. Nolan died before the trial, so the jury heard his testimony through a recorded deposition. He said he serviced the company’s boilers about 20 to 25 times during his 38-year career. He also testified that none of the asbestos products bore a warning label. The jury awarded his estate a $2,368,000 verdict, but the Illinois Supreme Court overturned it in 2009. Another case linked a boiler room insulation worker’s asbestosis diagnosis to occupational exposure. He spent 22 years molding pipe and duct insulation for boiler room equipment before retiring from health complications. He primarily worked with Keene’s and Owens’ products, such as their asbestos-laden Kaylo insulation. After deliberations, the jury returned a verdict of just over $878,500.
In 2010, a Los Angeles jury awarded former boiler operator William Pfeifer $22.7 million after his mesothelioma diagnosis. His primary exposure came from asbestos packing and gaskets, which he applied to boilers at various military locations. The jury held product manufacturer John Crane, Inc. responsible for 70% of the fault.
In 2019, a Louisiana appeals court upheld a $2.25 million verdict for Lynda Berry against boiler manufacturer Foster Wheeler. Berry developed mesothelioma after washing her husband’s work clothes, which often had asbestos dust on them from Foster Wheeler boilers at the paper mill where he worked.
In July 2013, a New York jury awarded $190 million to five tradesmen, finding that two boiler companies, Burnham and Cleaver-Brooks, acted negligently and recklessly. It was the largest verdict of its kind in New York history. The verdict was the product of 18 months of research and preparation by the team at Weitz & Luxenberg, which represented the plaintiffs, two of whom passed away before the trial. A judge later reduced the award. Every case is different. These verdicts reflect the facts of each specific case and don’t predict the outcome of another claim. Many cases end in mesothelioma settlements instead of going to trial.
Our Patient Advocates have more than 50 years of combined experience helping mesothelioma patients.
Chat NowBoiler workers with mesothelioma may be able to seek compensation through several legal frameworks. These include asbestos trust funds, mesothelioma lawsuits against the companies that made boiler products and VA disability compensation for veterans. Some people may also qualify for workers’ compensation.
Many companies that made boiler insulation, gaskets and other parts later reorganized through bankruptcy. Some set up trusts during that process to pay current and future asbestos claims. A worker can sometimes file more than one type of claim, depending on where and when their exposure happened. An attorney who handles asbestos cases can tell you which options fit your work history.
| Compensation Type | Who It May Fit | What It Involves |
| Asbestos trust fund claim | Workers exposed to products from companies that set up a bankruptcy trust | A claim filed with the trust, with proof of diagnosis and exposure to that company’s products |
| Mesothelioma lawsuit | Workers who received asbestos exposure from companies that still operate | A legal claim against the manufacturers, which may settle or go to trial |
| VA disability compensation | Veterans exposed during military service, such as Navy boiler technicians | A claim with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for monthly benefits |
| Workers’ compensation | Workers whose exposure happened on the job | A claim through the employer’s insurance, which may limit other claims against that employer |
Boilermakers and boiler workers with a history of asbestos exposure face a high risk of lung cancer in addition to mesothelioma. The same asbestos insulation, gaskets, packing and cement linked to mesothelioma can also cause lung cancer. Lung cancer is far more common than mesothelioma, so doctors may not ask about work history, and the asbestos link can go unrecorded.
A 2019 study of 4,240 people who lived near an asbestos mine in Western Australia found that workers with heavy asbestos exposure had a higher risk of lung cancer. People with asbestosis also had increased lung cancer risks.
Former boiler workers with lung cancer should tell their doctor which boilers they worked on, where and for how long. Workers with asbestos-related lung cancer have filed asbestos lung cancer lawsuits against the companies that made these products.
Any job that involves building, installing, running, repairing or insulating boilers counts as boiler work. That includes boilermakers, boiler operators and tenders, stationary engineers, pipe coverers, steamfitters and Navy boiler technicians. Asbestos exposure came from the work a person did around the boiler, not the name of their employer or the industry they worked in.
Some older boilers still do. Many of them had asbestos insulation, gaskets and cement, and that material can stay in place as long as the boiler runs. Intact asbestos insulation is less likely to release fibers than insulation that someone cuts, scrapes or tears out. That’s why repair, removal and demolition work carry the most risk.
No, most people who experience asbestos exposure never develop mesothelioma. The risk rises based on how much asbestos a person inhaled and for how long. There is no safe level of exposure. Boilermakers who worked around asbestos for years should tell their doctor about that history, even if they feel healthy.
Yes, family members can develop mesothelioma through secondary asbestos exposure. Boiler workers often carried asbestos dust home on their clothes, hair and tools, and relatives who shook out or washed those clothes could breathe it in. A family member who develops mesothelioma after this kind of exposure may be able to seek compensation.
Yes. Asbestos exposure from boiler work can cause lung cancer and mesothelioma, and it also has links to asbestosis and pleural plaques. Lung cancer forms inside the lung itself, while mesothelioma forms in the thin lining around the lungs or abdomen. Pleural plaques don’t turn into cancer, but they show that a person breathed in asbestos.
A history of smoking doesn’t rule out an asbestos lung cancer claim. According to a 2019 review, compared with someone who neither smoked nor had asbestos exposure, smoking alone raises lung cancer risk by about 10 times, asbestos exposure alone raises the risk by about 5 times and both together increase risks by roughly 50-fold. Claims depend on documented asbestos exposure. An attorney can review your work history and medical history.
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Whitmer, M. (2026, October 26). Boiler Workers and Asbestos. Asbestos.com. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://www.asbestos.com/occupations/boiler-workers/
Whitmer, Michelle. "Boiler Workers and Asbestos." Asbestos.com, 26 Oct 2026, https://www.asbestos.com/occupations/boiler-workers/.
Whitmer, Michelle. "Boiler Workers and Asbestos." Asbestos.com. Last modified October 26, 2026. https://www.asbestos.com/occupations/boiler-workers/.
A mesothelioma lawyer who specializes in asbestos litigation reviewed the content on this page to ensure it is legally accurate.
Yvonne Waterman, Ph.D., is the founder of the European Asbestos Forum and a specialist in asbestos litigation. Waterman has worked to build a global network of professionals fighting for a future without asbestos exposure and disease.
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