Papermaking and pulp represent one of the largest industries in the world, and the United States accounts for the majority of the world’s consumption of paper.[1] Papermaking has played an important economic and social role in U.S. history,[2] but its contributions came at a cost to paper mill workers exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos contamination. Both the papermaking process and its industrial environment have been linked to many cases of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Asbestos Exposure in the Papermaking Process
To make paper, pulped plant fiber is diluted with water and formed into a sheet using a screen. The plant fibers are linked through hydrogen bonding. Though this process was originally done by hand, by the 19th century the first paper-making machine was invented and a sulfur process began being used to produce pulp from wood fibers. These two developments changed the speed and output of papermaking forever.
- As demand for paper and paper products grew exponentially in the late 19th century, more and more paper mills were built. In keeping with the construction processes of the time and in response to paper’s high flammability, when these structures were built they incorporated significant amounts of asbestos in their walls, insulation, flooring, and roofing materials. Though asbestos is considered harmless when it is intact, years of maintenance and improvements of those worksites disturbed these asbestos-contaminated construction materials, putting both maintenance workers and those working in the vicinity of upgrades and repairs at risk of inhaling or ingesting the deadly fibers. Additionally, paper mill plants transported solvents, steam, heat, and power through pipes that were insulated with asbestos.
Beyond the risk of asbestos exposure arising from the physical plant in which they worked, the heavy machinery that was used to convert wood chips into pulp included parts that were made with asbestos, and numerous other aspects of paper mill workers’ job responsibilities put them into constant contact with the carcinogenic material, including:
- The enormous vats that contained the corrosive materials used to break hardwood materials down into pulp were lined with asbestos.
- After the wood, plant, and other fibrous materials were physically and chemically broken down, the wet pulp was spread onto a conveyor belt and passed through giant rollers that compressed it at extremely high temperatures. These rollers were lined with asbestos felt, which served to protect the machines from the pressure and heat. The fibrous nature of the asbestos allowed it to withstand these forces, but when the felts were installed or removed, an enormous amount of asbestos dust would be released into the air, both from the felts themselves and from the machines. As part of the process, paper mill workers would have to use compressed air to blow the layers of asbestos dust off of the machines’ surfaces. Some of the asbestos would be so baked onto the pressing and rolling machines that the workers would use chisels to remove it.
- Talc, a mineral that is frequently contaminated with asbestos, is an integral part of the paper-making process. It is used during flotation, cleaning, and in the finished paper.[3]
Asbestos-related Diseases in Paper Mill Workers
When asbestos is damaged, whether by pressure, cutting, exposure to heat, or normal wear and tear, it breaks down into microscopic, needle-like fibers that float in the air and are easily inhaled. The environment, equipment, and processes used in the paper mills surrounded workers with asbestos-filled air. It is no wonder that paper mill workers have been shown to have a significantly higher risk of asbestos-related diseases than is true of workers in other industries. Several studies have confirmed this, including:
- A 1996 study titled “Health effects of working in pulp and paper mills: Malignant diseases” published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine concluded that there was an increased risk for lung cancer and that pulp and paper mill workers and that the highest risk for lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma was seen in pulp and paper mill maintenance workers, who were exposed to asbestos.[4]
- A 2000 study titled “Cancer incidence among male pulp and paper workers in Norway” published in the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health investigated cancer incidence among 23, 718 male pulp and paper workers employed continuously for at least one year between 1920 and 1993 in Norway. The study noted an excess incidence of lung cancer among both short-and long-term employees, especially for workers with the longest latency, and an increased risk of pleural mesothelioma, especially among maintenance workers. The study concluded that almost all of the pleural mesothelioma occurred in departments where asbestos was used.[5]
- A 2023 study titled “Cancer incidence among workers in soft paper mills: A cohort study” published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine set out to determine whether occupational exposure to soft paper dust increases the incidence of cancer. After an analysis of 7.988 workers in Swedish soft paper mills from 1960 to 2008, of whom 3,233 had more than ten years of employment, they found an increased incidence of several cancers, including lung cancer and pleural mesothelioma. The researchers concluded that the increased incidence of pleural mesothelioma was probably linked to asbestos exposure.[6]
- A 2002 study titled “Malignant Mesothelioma and Occupational Exposure to Asbestos: an Analysis of 1445 Cases” published in the Oxford Press, studied 1,445 cases of malignant mesothelioma where patients had known exposure histories to examine the distribution of occupations. Among the study’s findings was that the percentage of patients with malignant mesothelioma and plaques was as high as 100% in papermill workers.[7]
It is important to note that in addition to the workers themselves, family members of paper mill workers were also at risk of asbestos exposure from fibers carried into their homes on the hair, skin, and clothing of their loved ones. Many family members inhaled these asbestos fibers as they laundered the papermill workers’ clothing or swept the dust that fell onto the floor. This type of secondary asbestos exposure has impacted many people who had never spent a day working with the deadly material.
Lawsuits Filed by Paper Mill Workers
Since the mid-1970s, information about the dangers of asbestos has become widely available, and countless individuals exposed to the carcinogen in their workplace have filed personal injury lawsuits seeking compensation from the companies whose negligence led to their illnesses. These victims have included large numbers of paper mill and pulp workers who spent years breathing in asbestos fibers in their workplace.
- The family of a South Carolina paper mill worker was awarded $1 million in damages to be paid by Scapa Waycross, a manufacturer of dryer felt.
- A Washington state widow is pursuing a wrongful death claim against Scapa Waycross in the mesothelioma death of her husband, who worked with the company’s dryer felts throughout his 33-year career working in a paper mill.
- An undisclosed settlement was reached between a mesothelioma victim and the company whose asbestos-contaminated thermal insulation and building materials had been installed in the paper mill where the victim’s stepfather had worked.
- A $16.67 million wrongful death award was given to the widow of a mesothelioma victim whose husband had spent almost forty years working as a papermill worker. The defendant in the case was Scapa Waycross, and the jury had listened to details of the man using air hoses to blow dust off of paper machines and to shoot air through dryer felts.
