Asbestos exposure during naval vessel overhaul

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos exposure during naval vessel overhaul, by W.T. Marr (American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, 1964).

The study

• Author: W.T. Marr
• Journal: American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal
• Published: 1964;25:264-8
• Cited by: 29 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher
• In J-M's library: Johns-Manville's company medical library held a copy (J-M no. 001570).

In plain English

This 1964 report from Long Beach Naval Shipyard, California, described asbestos exposure among its 60 to 80 pipecoverers and insulators, who worked mainly aboard ship. It described the materials used, many containing amosite or chrysotile asbestos while others such as fiberglass did not, plus working conditions and dust counts. The author reported that five employees, averaging 15 years of exposure, had retired on disability compensation due to asbestosis. The author also reported one employee who, after 10 years as a pipecoverer and insulator, received disability compensation for seven years before dying in 1962; autopsy reports left no doubt the death was due to asbestosis. Removing dry insulation during overhaul gave high asbestos dust exposure. Respirator filters often clogged after an hour of removal work, and the portable exhaust ventilation was not adequate. The author noted that the low dust counts did not seem to show the actual hazard. Whether the cases came from massive exposure during removal or from many years of exposure was unknown. The author concluded that shipboard pipecovering and insulating during overhaul and repair is a hazardous trade.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Descriptive industrial hygiene report from one shipyard: description of materials and work conditions, dust counts, and an account of asbestosis cases among the workers
• Who was studied: Pipecoverers and insulators of the Long Beach Naval Shipyard insulation shop, California (60 to 80 employees), working mainly aboard ship; report published 1964
• Exposure: Asbestos-containing shipboard insulation during fabrication, installation and removal in ship overhaul and repair. There were about ten material types, including amosite blanket, magnesia or calcium silicate blocks with amosite, and chrysotile filler, binder and cloth. The amosite blanket was generally used until 1962. Non-asbestos materials such as fiberglass were also used.
• Main results:
  • Besides asbestos-containing materials, insulation workers also used fiberglass, magnesia, diatomaceous earth and other inert substances
  • Five insulation shop employees, averaging 15 years of exposure, retired on disability compensation due to asbestosis
  • One employee, after 10 years as a pipecoverer and insulator, received disability compensation for seven years before his death in 1962, which autopsy reports attributed to asbestosis. The article does not say whether he was among the five retirees.
  • Removing dry insulation during overhaul gave a high exposure to asbestos dust
  • Respirator filters often clogged after an hour of work removing insulation
  • The portable exhaust system, designed for welding and burning work, was not adequate for pipecoverers and insulators
  • In the shop, asbestos cloth was kept damp, which made dust control relatively easy there
• The authors' conclusion: The author concluded that shipboard pipecovering and insulating during overhaul and repair is a hazardous trade, and that employees should wear respirators when exposed to dry asbestos-containing insulation
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The low dust counts did not appear to give an adequate indication of the actual hazard
  • Because work location, position and material constantly changed, the samples were only a basis for discussion of exposure
  • It was not known whether the asbestosis cases came from massive exposure during removal of old insulation or from many years of exposure during all insulation work

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Asbestosis, Shipyards and maritime work.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Asbestos Exposure.

Related studies

• Asbestos exposure control at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard — R.R. Beckett (1976)
• Experience with asbestos disease and its control in Great Britain's naval dockyards — P.G. Harries (1976)
• Airborne concentrations of asbestos onboard maritime shipping vessels (1978-1992) — D.M. Murbach, A.K. Madl, et al. (2008)
• Technological feasibility of the 2 fibers/cc asbestos standard in asbestos textile facilities — R.A. Curtis, P.H. Bierbaum (1975)
• Industrial hygiene and occupational health studies in Australian (New South Wales) shipyards — A. Bell (1976)
• Shipyard health problems — B.G. Ferris (1976)

Browse more research in American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal, or return to medical research.