Asbestos and Power Plants

Power plant workers make electricity happen. You might think it's as easy as flipping a switch but not so for the power plant worker.

Some power plant workers sit at computers and control the production and flow of electricity. Some power plant workers may need to control each generator and turbine by monitoring separate switches on the units for energy demands.

Many of the power plant machines generate a horrendous amount of heat. Power plant workers could be exposed to asbestos used to insulate pipes going to and from turbines and other heat-producing machines. Used to generate heat, boilers were present and asbestos can be found in the insulation surrounding boilers and networks of pipe.

Asbestos may be found inside many power plant machines such as asbestos gaskets used to seal pumps and valves. Power plant workers typically installed these asbestos. In the process of installing asbestos gaskets, workers may have been exposed to asbestos fibers.

Even the walls, floor tiles, and ceiling tiles in a power plant may be sites of exposure for the power plant worker.

Many U.S. power plants have been renovated and asbestos has been removed although some plants still contain asbestos. Workers should be particularly diligent when working in older plants to ensure that they are not exposed. Respirators or filtering masks should always be worn.

All these exposure to asbestos has been the cause of mesothelioma, a rare asbestos-related cancer.