As an occupation, painting has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as “carcinogenic to humans.”[1] There are many reasons for this, but one of the most troubling is the significant exposure to asbestos both during the years when the material was being used and in the present day when painters continue to work around and remove asbestos-containing paint and other materials. Thousands of professional painters have already been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other related diseases and continue to be at risk.
How Were Painters Exposed to Asbestos in the Past?
Asbestos was once thought of as a miracle mineral because it was inexpensive and added durability, strength, and resistance to heat and flame to countless materials and applications, including paint. From the late 19th century through to the mid-1980s, adding asbestos to paint had numerous benefits. Not only was it fireproof, but the mineral made paint more spreadable, adhesive, and opaque, so fewer layers needed to be applied. It was non-corrosive, non-conductive, and chemically inert, so it became extremely popular for use in ships, automobiles, industrial installations, and office buildings. It suited chemical plants because it was non-reactive, and it was attractive enough to be used in residential painting.[2]
Though asbestos paint could contain as much as 20% asbestos, it was generally safe when it was wet because it was bound to the other liquid paint materials. It was also safe when it was dry and in good condition. But when it was sanded or began to flake and crack, it released microscopic particles that could easily be inhaled and ingested. Once asbestos fibers become embedded in the linings of the mesothelium— the organ that lines the cavity that holds the lungs or the peritoneal organs — they cause cell death and mutation that grows into the deadly tumors of mesothelioma or lung cancer.[2]
Painters also worked with and around other products that were contaminated with asbestos before manufacturers stopped using the carcinogenic material. There have been many cases of painters whose jobs put them in the vicinity of boiler rooms that contained asbestos insulation or asbestos-lagged pipes, which they sanded down before painting, and others who worked alongside other tradesmen – including pipefitters and carpenters – who were working with asbestos-containing materials that raised dust in the area.
Asbestos-containing materials that painters worked around included:
- Wallboard
- Tape
- Spackling compound
- Plastic
- Plaster
- Caulk
- Joint compound
- Textured coatings
- Gypsum
Many manufacturers used asbestos in their paint products and painting materials. Brand names of these products included:
- ACoustex
- Glidden
- A-B Tex
- Pac-Tex
- Uiflex
- Texure
- Imperial QT
- Skykote
- Sabinite
- Sherwin Williams
- Gold Bond
- Texolite
- Kelly Moore
- Soundblock
Manufacturers and distributors of asbestos-containing paints and paint products included:
- Akzo Nobel Paints LLC
- Amsterdam Color Works
- Kelly Moore Paint Company, Inc.
- Murco Wall Products
- The Sherwin-Williams Company
- Purity Paint Products Corporation
- The Glidden Company
- U.S. Gypsum Company
- The Adams Paint Company
- Allen-Lincoln Paint Company
- American Seal Paints and Cements
- Asbestos Fire-Proof Paint Ltd.
- Carter Paint Company
- Cincinnati Standard Asbestos Paint Company
- Clinton Metallic Paint Company
- Connors Paint Mfg. Co.
- Franklin Paint Co.
- Fulton Paint Co.
- Indianapolis Paint and Color Co.
- Iowa Paint Mfg. Co.
- Missouri Paint & Varnish Co.
- Pecora Paint Co.
- Progress Paint Co.
- The Tropical Paint & Oil Co.
Paint companies discontinued their use of asbestos in the late 1980s, but the painters who worked with those products continue to be at risk. Malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases have latency periods of fifty to sixty years, so many of those who were exposed to asbestos in the 1970s and after are still at risk.
Are Painting Professionals Still at Risk of Asbestos Exposure?
Asbestos paint that was applied years ago continues to pose a very real threat to painting professionals. That is because sandpapering old paint to remove it from a wall or other surface releases a significant amount of asbestos dust into the air, and this can be inhaled or ingested as easily as was the case when the paint was first being applied. The same risk exists from insulation, cement, or masonry that lies beneath the paint and from adhesives, joint compounds, and other asbestos-containing materials that painters may find on surfaces they’re working on.[2]
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry includes painting professionals as among those who are still at risk for occupational asbestos exposure.[3] The agency also notes that homeowners who engage in painting projects involving in-place asbestos may also be at some risk for exposure to the carcinogenic material, and so too can the family members of painters past and present who may suffer secondary exposure to asbestos fibers carried home on their loved one’s hair, skin, or work clothes.
How Can Today’s Painting Professionals Protect Themselves from Asbestos?
Today, painting professionals are protected from dangerous work conditions involving asbestos by OSHA, which regulates workplace safety. Unfortunately, not all employers comply with regulations, placing their employees at significant risk for future diagnosis with an asbestos-related disease.
The protections that OSHA requires employers to implement include:
- Ensuring that the exposure limit for workers in any industry is just 0.1 fibers per square centimeter.
- Employers are required to communicate clearly with workers if there is asbestos on the job and let them know what the risks are.
- Employers must regularly monitor workplace asbestos.
- Workers are entitled to protective gear, including respirators if working around asbestos.
- Workers must have access to medical surveillance if exposed to asbestos.
If you work in painting and believe that your employer is out of compliance with these regulations, you can file a complaint with OSHA.
How Asbestos Can Harm Painting Professionals
Multiple studies have determined that painting professionals face significant health risks from exposure to asbestos in paint and other products they use on the job. A meta-analysis that assessed painters’ risk of dying from lung cancer reviewed 47 independent cohort, record linkage, and case-control studies that involved 11,0000 incident cases or deaths from lung cancers among patients. The researchers concluded that occupational exposures in painters are causally associated with the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma, and asbestos exposure and talc-containing asbestos were major components of this risk.[1]
What Remedies Are Available to Painters Sickened by Asbestos Exposure?
Whether you were exposed to asbestos in paint fifty years ago or more recently, if you’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease like malignant mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer, you have legal options available to you. Painters exposed to asbestos can seek compensation by filing a personal injury lawsuit against the companies responsible for their exposure. If the company responsible for your asbestos exposure was one of the many forced into bankruptcy as a result of their asbestos liabilities, you may be eligible to file a claim with an asbestos trust fund they were required to establish as part of their reorganization.
The best resource available to anybody diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease is an experienced asbestos attorney who has specialized knowledge of the intricacies of personal injury law. By choosing a professional who specifically works with mesothelioma and asbestos-lung cancer victims, you’ll get the benefit of an impressive amount of historical data on the manufacturers, asbestos companies, and job sites where asbestos was used, as well as on the type of compensation you can expect to receive.
Asbestos Lawsuits Filed by Painters
Many painting professionals have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other illnesses because of their occupational asbestos exposure. Those who have pursued justice through America’s legal system include:
- Many died of malignant mesothelioma eighteen months after being diagnosed with the asbestos-related disease. He and his wife filed suit against multiple companies whose asbestos-containing products, including joint compound, he worked with during his career as a painter for a construction company.
- A set builder who worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation filed suit against the broadcast company for failure to warn of the dangers of Artex, a material contaminated with asbestos that he used as a base before painting sets.
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