Asbestos Exposure in Equipment Lawsuits

For decades, asbestos was used in a wide range of industrial and military equipment to prevent heat damage, fire, and wear. Mechanics, technicians, and operators who worked on or near equipment containing asbestos were often exposed to dangerous fibers without protective gear. Over time, these invisible fibers could be inhaled or swallowed—leading to serious illnesses such as mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and asbestosis. This guide explains how exposure occurred, what types of equipment were affected, and how victims can pursue legal and financial support.

⚙️ Equipment Asbestos Exposure – What You’ll Learn From This Page:

🧰 Industrial and commercial equipment made before the 1990s often contained asbestos insulation, especially in gaskets, brakes, seals, and packing.

🔧 Workers were exposed while servicing boilers, turbines, compressors, pumps, and other heavy machinery lined with asbestos materials.

🛠️ Repair tasks like gasket removal, valve adjustments, or insulation stripping disturbed aging asbestos, releasing fibers into the air.

🌬️ Confined mechanical rooms and poorly ventilated equipment bays allowed airborne asbestos to accumulate near workers’ breathing zones.

💰 Machinists, mechanics, millwrights, and maintenance crews diagnosed with mesothelioma may qualify for trust fund payouts or legal compensation.

Asbestos was widely used in equipment between the 1930s and 1980s for its heat resistance, durability, and affordability. Whether in military vehicles, factory machines, construction tools, or heavy-duty appliances, asbestos was commonly found in parts that endured high temperatures or friction. Unfortunately, workers who maintained, installed, or repaired this equipment were often exposed without warning.

Due to a 20–50 year latency period, many are only now being diagnosed.

Estimated Number of People Exposed to Asbestos-Containing Equipment in the U.S.

Asbestos-containing equipment—including boilers, pumps, valves, and HVAC systems—was extensively used across many industries. Workers involved in operating, maintaining, and repairing this equipment faced regular asbestos exposure.

Total Estimated Exposure: Over 220,000 U.S. workers were exposed to asbestos through asbestos-containing equipment.

Asbestos was used in both large machinery and everyday jobsite tools—putting countless workers at risk.

• Boilers & Pressure Vessels: Lined with asbestos insulation to retain heat and prevent fire.
• Industrial Pumps & Valves: Used asbestos gaskets and seals to handle high-pressure fluids.
• Generators & Turbines: Contained asbestos insulation and wiring to withstand extreme heat.
• Heavy Equipment (Cranes, Bulldozers): Brake pads, clutches, and engine insulation often contained asbestos.
• Military Vehicles & Aircraft: Asbestos was used in brake systems, heat shields, and pipe insulation.
• Ovens & Kilns: Firebrick and thermal insulation made with asbestos kept these machines safe—but hazardous.
• Machinery Gaskets: Asbestos was a standard material in high-temperature sealing components.
• Welding Equipment: Gloves, aprons, and blankets used during welding often contained asbestos fibers.
• Electrical Panels & Switches: Asbestos components resisted electrical fires and high voltage.
• Furnaces & HVAC Units: Insulation and duct materials often included asbestos for fire safety.

If you worked on or around equipment before the 1990s, you may have unknowingly been exposed to asbestos—even if you weren’t told at the time.

✅ Common Ways to Prove Exposure:

• Job history as a mechanic, technician, equipment operator, or engineer
• Records showing equipment type used during employment or military service
• Medical diagnosis of mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis
• Manufacturer documentation showing asbestos use in product parts
• Statements from coworkers or supervisors about repair work or asbestos dust
• Help from legal professionals who can match equipment brands to trust fund records

Workers and veterans diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases due to equipment exposure may qualify for compensation through asbestos trust funds, lawsuits, or VA benefits.

✅ You may be eligible if:

• You worked with or around equipment made before 1990
• You were exposed to gaskets, insulation, brakes, or seals made with asbestos
• You’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis
• You maintained or repaired boilers, vehicles, turbines, or industrial machinery
• A loved one passed away from asbestos illness connected to equipment exposure

Many claimants qualify for multiple asbestos trust fund settlements and lawsuit compensation.

Whether you’re a living patient or the family member of someone affected, financial and legal help is available.

✅ Workers and Families May Qualify For:

• Compensation from asbestos trust funds related to equipment manufacturers
• Personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits
• Funeral and medical expense reimbursement
• Secondhand exposure claims if asbestos dust was brought home on work clothes
• Free legal support to file claims or gather evidence
• Monthly income payments to support surviving spouses or dependents

📞 If you or a loved one worked on or near equipment containing asbestos, and now suffer from mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness, you may be eligible for significant compensation. Contact us today for a free legal case review—no fees unless you win.

🌀 Air Compressor Equipment

Air compressors in industrial and mechanical settings often contained asbestos insulation around gaskets, seals, and heat shields. Maintenance or repairs disturbed asbestos fibers, exposing operators, mechanics, custodians, and nearby workers to harmful airborne particles during routine operation and servicing.

🚗 Automotive Equipment

Automotive shops used asbestos components in brakes, clutches, and gaskets. Mechanics grinding, sanding, or replacing parts disturbed asbestos fibers, filling enclosed garages with dust. This daily exposure endangered mechanics, painters, apprentices, and customers inside repair bays and automotive facilities.

🔥 Boiler Equipment

Boilers relied heavily on asbestos insulation to manage heat. Maintenance, retrofits, or routine servicing disturbed asbestos fibers surrounding pipes and refractory linings. Workers including boilermakers, engineers, custodians, and contractors inhaled fibers in boiler rooms or industrial facilities.

🛑 Brake Equipment

Brake systems in vehicles and machinery contained asbestos linings. Servicing, sanding, or replacing pads disturbed fibers, contaminating workshops. Mechanics, apprentices, drivers, and surrounding staff inhaled asbestos during daily brake jobs, creating lasting respiratory health hazards decades after exposure.

🏗️ Cement Mixer Equipment

Cement mixers historically contained asbestos insulation for heat resistance and durability. Cleaning drums, repairing linings, or replacing parts released fibers. Laborers, operators, and mechanics were exposed during construction projects, mixing operations, or when cleaning hardened material deposits.

🏗️ Crane Equipment

Cranes on job sites often used asbestos in brake linings and insulation. Repairs or maintenance disturbed asbestos dust. Operators, riggers, laborers, and maintenance crews inhaled fibers while servicing, moving heavy loads, or performing construction activities.

🔌 Electrical Equipment

Transformers, panels, and wiring once used asbestos insulation. During retrofits or breakdown repairs, fibers were disturbed. Electricians, linemen, custodians, and contractors faced inhalation risks when cutting, stripping, or installing replacement wiring in older commercial, industrial, and residential systems.

🛗 Elevator Equipment

Elevator machinery rooms contained asbestos insulation and brake pads. Maintenance and upgrades disturbed asbestos dust. Technicians, custodians, contractors, and inspectors were exposed during repairs, modernization, or replacement of elevator systems in commercial buildings, apartments, and industrial facilities.

🛝 Escalator Equipment

Escalators often contained asbestos insulation in motors, brakes, and mechanical parts. During maintenance or cleaning, asbestos fibers were disturbed. Workers including technicians, custodians, electricians, and operators inhaled dust inside enclosed shafts and machine rooms where fibers circulated.

⛏️ Excavating Equipment

Excavators incorporated asbestos insulation in brakes and clutches. Operation and servicing disturbed asbestos fibers. Operators, mechanics, laborers, and contractors inhaled dust on construction sites and repair shops, where disturbed insulation or worn components released harmful asbestos particles.

🛠️ Fabricating Equipment

Fabrication machinery often contained asbestos insulation to withstand heat. Grinding, cutting, or welding disturbed these materials. Fabricators, machinists, welders, and shop laborers inhaled fibers released during repetitive tasks, contaminating equipment shops, production floors, and surrounding industrial facilities.

🚜 Farm Equipment

Older tractors and harvesters contained asbestos insulation, gaskets, and brakes. Daily operation, repairs, or retrofits disturbed asbestos dust. Farmers, mechanics, and seasonal workers inhaled fibers during plowing, harvesting, or routine maintenance of agricultural equipment.

🔥 Fireproofing Equipment

Fireproofing sprays, boards, and coatings contained asbestos. Installation, demolition, or renovation disturbed fibers. Construction laborers, demolition crews, and maintenance workers inhaled asbestos dust on building sites, refineries, and industrial facilities where asbestos-based fireproofing equipment was widely applied.

🧱 Floor Tile Equipment

Tile cutting, sanding, and removal released asbestos fibers from flooring equipment. Contractors, maintenance crews, and custodians inhaled dust while replacing tiles, sanding adhesives, or cleaning surfaces, especially in schools, offices, or industrial spaces built before 1980.

🔥 Furnace Equipment

Furnaces contained asbestos insulation to withstand extreme temperatures. Servicing or replacing units disturbed asbestos materials. HVAC technicians, custodians, homeowners, and contractors inhaled fibers when repairing burners, ducts, or linings in homes, schools, and industrial facilities.

🧵 Gasket Equipment

Industrial gaskets contained asbestos fillers. Cutting, scraping, or replacing gaskets disturbed fibers. Pipefitters, mechanics, and engineers inhaled dust while handling gaskets in engines, boilers, pumps, or pipelines across manufacturing plants, refineries, and maritime vessels.

⚡ Generator Equipment

Generators often used asbestos insulation to manage heat. During servicing, insulation was disturbed. Mechanics, electricians, operators, and custodians inhaled airborne fibers while maintaining generators in industrial facilities, hospitals, power plants, and maritime vessels.

⚙️ Grinder Equipment

Grinders used in metalworking incorporated asbestos components. Sparks, friction, and repairs disturbed fibers. Machinists, welders, and apprentices inhaled asbestos dust while operating, cleaning, or repairing grinders in workshops, shipyards, and factories.

🌡️ Heat Exchanger Equipment

Heat exchangers were insulated with asbestos to withstand high temperatures. Repairs or maintenance disturbed insulation. Pipefitters, HVAC workers, engineers, and custodians inhaled asbestos dust while servicing exchangers in industrial facilities, refineries, and power plants.

🧯 Hot Water System Equipment

Hot water systems relied on asbestos insulation. Servicing or replacing pipes disturbed asbestos fibers. Plumbers, custodians, technicians, and homeowners inhaled fibers during maintenance, demolition, or emergency leak repairs in residential, commercial, and industrial facilities.

🧊 Insulating Blanket Equipment

Heat-resistant blankets contained asbestos. Removing, repairing, or replacing blankets disturbed fibers. Industrial workers, welders, pipefitters, and mechanics inhaled asbestos dust while handling insulating blankets used across construction, shipyards, and manufacturing plants.

🧰 Insulation Equipment

Insulation tools, machinery, and products often contained asbestos. Installation, maintenance, or demolition disturbed fibers. Insulation workers, contractors, and custodians inhaled dust while applying or removing asbestos insulation in walls, ceilings, boilers, and industrial piping systems.

cturing plants.

🖥️ Kitchen Appliance Equipment

Appliances like ovens, stoves, and toasters contained asbestos insulation. Servicing disturbed fibers. Technicians, homeowners, and custodians inhaled asbestos dust while repairing appliances manufactured before asbestos bans. Kitchens often harbored hidden exposure risks.

🛗 Lift Equipment

Older lifts incorporated asbestos insulation in brake pads and components. Maintenance and modernization disturbed asbestos dust. Technicians, custodians, and contractors inhaled fibers while repairing lifts in offices, factories, hospitals, and residential buildings.

🔩 Lathe Equipment

Machining lathes contained asbestos components. Operating or repairing machines disturbed fibers. Machinists, apprentices, and maintenance staff inhaled asbestos dust during manufacturing tasks in factories, workshops, and industrial training programs where asbestos components were common.

🏭 Machinery Equipment

Industrial machinery widely incorporated asbestos insulation and gaskets. Maintenance and operation disturbed asbestos fibers. Operators, mechanics, custodians, and contractors inhaled dust in factories, construction sites, shipyards, and refineries where asbestos-based machinery was prevalent.

🏭 Mill Equipment

Mills relied on asbestos insulation for machinery. Operating or repairing equipment disturbed fibers. Textile workers, machinists, and millwrights inhaled dust while handling machines in factories where asbestos was integrated into mill components.

⛏️ Mining Equipment

Mining machines contained asbestos insulation. Operation or maintenance disturbed fibers. Miners, mechanics, engineers, and custodians inhaled asbestos dust underground or in surface mines where asbestos-based machinery was routinely used during extraction and hauling operations.

☢️ Nuclear Equipment

Nuclear facilities used asbestos insulation in reactors and machinery. Repairs disturbed fibers. Engineers, technicians, custodians, and contractors inhaled dust while servicing nuclear reactors, turbines, and auxiliary systems insulated with asbestos-based equipment.

🏭 Oven (Industrial) Equipment

Industrial ovens used asbestos insulation. Maintenance or operation disturbed fibers. Workers in factories, bakeries, and laboratories inhaled asbestos dust during servicing or demolition of ovens built before safer alternatives replaced asbestos components.

💧 Pump Equipment

Pumps relied on asbestos gaskets and seals. Maintenance or replacements disturbed fibers. Workers in chemical plants, factories, and maritime vessels inhaled asbestos dust while servicing or dismantling pumps containing asbestos-based components.

🌡️ Radiator Equipment

Radiators used asbestos insulation. Repairs disturbed fibers. Mechanics, custodians, and operators inhaled asbestos dust while maintaining radiators in vehicles, buildings, and factories where asbestos-based radiator equipment was common.

❄️ Refrigeration Unit Equipment

Older refrigeration units contained asbestos insulation. Maintenance or dismantling disturbed asbestos fibers. Refrigeration technicians, mechanics, and custodians inhaled dust while repairing freezers, coolers, and chillers in restaurants, warehouses, or industrial facilities.

🚧 Road Construction Equipment

Roadwork machinery contained asbestos insulation in brakes and clutches. Operation or repairs disturbed fibers. Laborers, drivers, and mechanics inhaled asbestos dust during road construction projects, paving operations, and equipment repairs.

🚢 Ship Engine Equipment

Ship engines used asbestos insulation to manage extreme heat. Repairs or operation disturbed asbestos dust. Engineers, sailors, mechanics, and custodians inhaled fibers while servicing ship engines aboard Navy and merchant vessels.

🛠️ Shipbuilding Tool Equipment

Shipyard tools often came into contact with asbestos insulation. Operation disturbed fibers. Shipwrights, welders, machinists, and laborers inhaled asbestos dust while working with equipment in ship construction and repair yards.

🔥 Steam Boiler Equipment

Steam boilers used asbestos insulation extensively. Servicing disturbed fibers. Boiler technicians, engineers, and custodians inhaled asbestos dust while repairing boilers in schools, ships, and factories where steam power was prevalent.

🌀 Tile and Countertop Equipment

Older tiles and countertops incorporated asbestos. Removal or replacement disturbed fibers. Contractors, custodians, and homeowners inhaled asbestos dust while handling equipment used to cut, sand, or replace asbestos-laden surfaces in homes and businesses.

🏗️ Valve Equipment

Valves contained asbestos gaskets and insulation. Repairs disturbed fibers. Engineers, pipefitters, mechanics, and laborers inhaled asbestos dust while handling valves in refineries, chemical plants, and factories where asbestos-based equipment was common.

💧 Water Heater Equipment

Water heaters contained asbestos insulation. Maintenance or removal disturbed fibers. Technicians, plumbers, and custodians inhaled asbestos dust while repairing or dismantling older water heaters in homes, offices, and industrial facilities.

🚿 Wall Insulation Equipment

Wall insulation products often contained asbestos. Installation, demolition, or removal disturbed fibers. Construction workers, contractors, and custodians inhaled asbestos dust while handling insulation equipment in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings.

🔧 Welding Equipment

Welding tools incorporated asbestos for heat protection. Operation disturbed fibers. Welders, apprentices, and shop workers inhaled asbestos dust while using welding equipment in factories, construction sites, and shipyards where asbestos insulation was widely applied.

The mesothelioma claims process can seem overwhelming, but understanding each step can make it easier to navigate. Here’s an easy-to-follow guide to help you understand the process, from filing your claim to receiving compensation.

Step 1: Consult with an Experienced Mesothelioma Lawyer

The first step in the mesothelioma claims process is to consult with an experienced mesothelioma lawyer. This lawyer specializes in asbestos-related cases and can guide you through the legal process. They will evaluate your case, explain your legal options, and help you determine whether you are eligible for compensation. Choosing a lawyer with experience in mesothelioma cases increases your chances of success.

Step 2: Gather Medical and Work History

Once you’ve chosen your lawyer, the next step is to gather your medical and work history. You’ll need to provide your medical records that confirm your mesothelioma diagnosis and documents showing where and when you were exposed to asbestos. Your lawyer will help you collect employment records and any other relevant documents that establish the connection between your exposure and your illness. This step is essential to building a strong case.

Step 3: Investigate the Asbestos Exposure

In this step, your lawyer will work to identify the specific companies and products responsible for your asbestos exposure. This is done by investigating your work history, where you lived, and which asbestos-containing materials you were in contact with. Your lawyer will research which manufacturers or employers were involved and whether they can be held legally accountable. This investigation is crucial for determining who will be the target of your claim.

Step 4: Filing the Mesothelioma Claim

After gathering all necessary information, your lawyer will file the mesothelioma claim on your behalf. This may involve filing a lawsuit against the companies responsible for your exposure, or it could involve filing a claim with an asbestos trust fund, which is a compensation fund set up by companies that have gone bankrupt due to asbestos liabilities. Your lawyer will ensure that all necessary documentation is submitted to support your claim and increase the chances of success.

Step 5: Discovery and Negotiation

Once the claim is filed, the discovery process begins. During this phase, both parties (you and the defendants) will exchange information and evidence related to the case. This process may involve depositions, document requests, and expert witness testimony. After discovery, your lawyer will enter into settlement negotiations with the defendant(s). Many mesothelioma cases are settled out of court to avoid lengthy trials. Your lawyer will negotiate on your behalf to secure the best possible settlement.

Step 6: Settlement or Trial

Most mesothelioma claims are settled out of court, which means you will receive compensation without a trial. If a fair settlement can’t be reached, the case will proceed to trial. During a trial, both sides present evidence and arguments to a judge or jury, who will then make a decision. While a trial can take longer, a favorable verdict can result in a larger settlement. However, many mesothelioma cases are settled before reaching trial, providing quicker compensation.

Step 7: Receiving Compensation

After settlement or trial, you will receive compensation for your mesothelioma diagnosis. Compensation may cover medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages resulting from your illness. If your claim is successful, you will receive a financial payout. This compensation is essential for managing the costs of treatment, and it provides some financial relief for you and your family. Your lawyer will help you understand how much you are entitled to and ensure that the funds are distributed appropriately.

Step 8: Post-Settlement Support

After you receive compensation, your lawyer will continue to support you by ensuring that all aspects of your claim are completed, and they will address any additional legal concerns that may arise. If you are receiving compensation from an asbestos trust fund, your lawyer will help you navigate the disbursement process. Post-settlement support ensures that all final steps are handled efficiently and that you can focus on your health and well-being.

Final Thoughts

The mesothelioma claims process can be lengthy, but with the help of a skilled attorney, you can secure the compensation you deserve. Whether your claim involves filing a lawsuit or a trust fund claim, following each step carefully will ensure that your legal rights are protected and that you get the support you need during this challenging time.

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may be entitled to compensation. Call 800.291.0963 for a free, no-obligation case evaluation with a dedicated mesothelioma lawyer who can help guide you through the legal process and get the support you deserve.