Textile Mill Workers and Asbestos Exposure
The term textile mill worker can encompass a number of positions at a mill including weavers, machinery cleaners, people who load and unload materials into the machines, and anyone that helps in the process to create usable cloth from raw materials. Unfortunately, many textile mill workers of the past have suffered workplace exposure to asbestos, which can cause deadly mesothelioma cancer.
Asbestos was used as a component in textiles primarily because of its resistance to fire and chemicals, as well as its durability and tensile strength. Unfortunately, the environment of textile mills producing asbestos containing products was particularly hazardous because of fibers floating in the air. When inhaled, asbestos fibers can lead to a number of health problems including asbestosis and numerous cancers like mesothelioma, lung, esophageal, gastrointestinal, laryngeal, and pharyngeal.
Textile Mill Workers are at a High Risk for Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma
Textile mill workers employed from about 1940 to 1980 are at the highest risk for possible asbestos exposure because of the likelihood that clothing and textiles spun at their mill may have contained asbestos. Unfortunately for textile mill workers, it was often the clothing designed to protect others from heat and fire that ultimately put them at risk for asbestos exposure.
Asbestos-Containing Protective Clothing Often Produced by Textile Mill Workers:
• Gloves/Mittens
• Coats
• Blankets
Check out our asbestos containing products page for more information.
Were You Exposed to Asbestos While Employed as a Textile Mill Worker? Mesothelioma Attorneys May be Able to Help
It is recommended that people who have spent a significant period of time working as a textile mill worker get a full physical evaluation by a medical doctor. Mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer caused by asbestos exposure, often takes 15-40 years to manifest and victims average only one year of life after diagnosis. Thus, it is important to catch the disease in its early stages. At-risk workers should pay close attention to any mesothelioma symptoms which include fluid in the lungs, chest pain, coughing, shortness of breath and fatigue.