The same material that helped to protect buildings, ships and locomotives from the high heat of boilers has put thousands of boilermakers at risk for serious health problems including mesothelioma. Boilers are closed vessels in which water or other fluid is heated to produce steam.  The steam can be used for various applications such as powering steam locomotives and ships in the past, and heating and providing hot water for buildings today.  Because of the high heat generated by boilers, many were installed surrounded by one of the most heat-resistant insulators ever known –  asbestos. Long before asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral, had been linked to deadly diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, thousands of people who repaired and … Continue reading Boilers Puts Boilermakers at Risk for Mesothelioma »