Because of its strength and fire resistance, asbestos has been used in cooking for centuries, and that was especially true of the commercial ovens built in the 20th century. Pizza ovens were built with asbestos decks and baking stones, while bakery ovens were insulated with the carcinogenic material. This put many pizza cooks, pastry cooks, and bakers at risk of malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related diseases.
Why Was Asbestos Used in Commercial Ovens?
Many industries used asbestos in the 20th century until the time it was revealed to be carcinogenic. The hazardous material was valued for its strength and its ability to prevent fire and to insulate against heat.
The characteristics that made asbestos appealing in other industries also benefitted the commercial food industry. The temperatures in specialty baking reach as high as 500 degrees, so effectively insulating and sealing them was essential for heat to be distributed evenly, as well as to prevent damage to other oven parts. Both the oven insulation and sealants were made using asbestos. Additionally, the baking stones used as oven decks in pizza ovens contained the toxic mineral within a material called transite, a hydraulically pressed cement asbestos board that was mass-produced from the 1940s until 1945.[1]
Transite was made from a combination of portland cement and asbestos fibers. In pizza baking, it provided even, consistent thermal conductivity that delivered a uniformly baked, crispy pizza crust. Transite also stood up to the high heat of the ovens without cracking.
Occupational Exposure to Pizza and Bakery Ovens
Though asbestos was used in commercial ovens because of its ability to withstand high heat, over time and constant exposure to 500-degree temperatures, insulation and baking stones eventually deteriorated, and so did the sealants on oven doors as they were opened and closed thousands of times. When the asbestos wore down, it became friable and broke down into microscopic fibers. These deadly, invisible particles were easily inhaled by bakers, pastry chefs, and pizza makers as they placed and removed their products into and out of the ovens, as well as when they cleaned the cooled ovens at the end of the workday.
The bakery and pizza staff were not the only ones at risk from asbestos in the workplace. Repair and maintenance professionals who installed and serviced these industrial ovens were also exposed to asbestos fibers, and so were the family members of all those who suffered occupational exposure. This is known as secondary asbestos exposure. It comes from breathing in asbestos particles carried into the home on hair, skin, and clothing.
What Companies Made Asbestos-Containing Commercial Ovens?
The transite boards that were used in commercial pizza and bakery ovens were created in 1929 by Johns Manville, and American company that has been named in countless personal injury lawsuits filed by victims of asbestos exposure. Many oven manufacturers purchased asbestos-containing cement, bricks, and refractory supplies from companies including J.H. France Refractories and Christy Refractories.
The company that has most frequently been named in claims from asbestos disease victims is the Blodgett Corporation, a commercial oven manufacturer that included transite in its pizza ovens.
Asbestos Illnesses Diagnosed in Pizza Chefs and Bakery Professionals
Exposure to asbestos causes a wide range of serious and sometimes deadly diseases. When asbestos breaks down, its particles have pointed ends. When they are inhaled, these needle-like fibers become embedded in the vulnerable cells of the protective organ that lines the cavity that holds the lungs, and once there, they are nearly impossible for the body to expel. Over time, the lungs and mesothelium become inflamed by these foreign bodies. This inflammation leads to the scarring of asbestosis and mutations that can eventually grow into lung cancer or mesothelioma tumors.
A study titled “Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) in Bakers and Pastry Cooks published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine reported eight cases of the rare asbestos-related disease in bakers, pastry cooks, and biscuit cooks. In Rome and Turin, Italy, between 1990 and 1997. The patients had worked for a minimum of one year as bakers. An examination of similar appliances to the ones that had been used at the time of their exposure revealed that the insulation, fire-proofing, or sealant products used often contained chrysotile or amosite asbestos.[2]
In 2019, an 87-year-old former pizza baker filed a lawsuit against the successor to the Bakers Pride Oven Company after he’d been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. Stanley B. Lewis testified that eighty percent of his commercial work in restaurants and pizzerias was on old existing ovens and specifically remembered working on pizza ovens that contained asbestos decks. He recalled the deck having been made of a hard material that emitted dust when he cleaned or scraped it, and he described the aftermath as an asbestos “dust storm” that he could not avoid breathing in.[3]
Ottavio Belvedere was a restaurant owner who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in April 2006. In a deposition, he testified that he had worked around Blodgett pizza ovens continuously from 1959 until his diagnosis. After his death from the disease, his family continued seeking justice from the oven manufacturer on his behalf.[4]
Do Pizza and Bakery Ovens Still Contain Asbestos?
Though the use of asbestos was largely discontinued in the mid-1980s, many pizzerias and bakeries that have been in business for decades never removed the material that lined and insulated their commercial baking equipment. Employees working with pizza ovens and bakery ovens that were manufactured before 1980 may be at risk of exposure to legacy asbestos today.[5]
If you suspect that the ovens you’re working with may still contain transite boards or asbestos in some other form, notify your employer or supervisor immediately and stop working with the equipment. All employees should avoid disturbing the material until a qualified professional inspects the site. If asbestos is found, only a licensed asbestos abatement professional should handle its removal.
Have You Been Diagnosed with Mesothelioma After Exposure to a Commercial Pizza or Bakery Oven?
If you’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness after having worked with an asbestos-contaminated commercial oven, you may be entitled to compensation from the oven’s manufacturers, as well as others involved in supplying its parts or distributing the equipment. An experienced mesothelioma attorney will be able to answer all of your questions and provide you with comprehensive information about your options.
If any of the companies responsible for your exposure have filed for bankruptcy in the face of their asbestos liabilities, you may be able to file a claim against an asbestos trust fund that they were required to establish for victims of exposure to their products. You may also be eligible to file a personal injury claim for compensation directly from the asbestos companies.
A mesothelioma diagnosis is devastating, but you are not alone. An asbestos lawyer can explain your rights and help you find the best answer for you and your family, but it’s important that you contact them as soon as possible after your diagnosis. There are limits to how much time you have between the time you know you’re sick and the time you have to take legal action.
References
View All References
