An Alabama boilermaker’s mesothelioma lawyer assists with determining whether previous boilermaker jobs exposed the client to asbestos that could have caused a future diagnosis. A mesothelioma diagnosis often prompts former boilermakers to finally scrutinize their past work environments. Industrial plants around Alabama used boilers, pressure vessels, and other high-temperature mechanical systems in their facilities.
In the past, asbestos was used as insulation and sealing materials in these machines. Repairmen, builders, and maintainers of this equipment might have come in contact with these materials in the course of their jobs. The Alabama mesothelioma lawyers at Wallace & Graham, P.A., take on asbestos litigation on behalf of workers diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease because of industrial or skilled trade work.

Wallace & Graham, P.A., has more than 40 years of combined experience in the complex litigation of asbestos cases nationwide, with a focus on occupational exposure to asbestos.
Often this research includes investigating employment records, facility and business documentation, as well as historical product information to determine where and how a worker was exposed to asbestos-containing materials during their career.
Boilermakers assembled and maintained large vessels that were designed to hold and transport pressurized materials in industrial settings. Tasks typically included leveling steel plates and placing internal mechanisms or parts to seal joints in boilers so they could safely hold steam and heat. Such systems often required insulating materials that could resist incredibly high temperatures.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 2,669 new cases of mesothelioma were diagnosed in the United States in 2022. Many were the result of occupational exposure that had taken place many years prior. Boilermakers often worked directly with or near equipment designed to contain or regulate high heat, and their work activities sometimes exposed them to insulation materials that were historically made with asbestos.
Mesothelioma has a long latency period, so symptoms do not manifest until many years after the initial exposure. Industrial workers who were exposed to asbestos throughout their working lives in the mid-twentieth century may receive a diagnosis of mesothelioma well after they have retired. A connection between the illness and former work conditions may not be immediately obvious.
Occupational exposure to asbestos is estimated to be the cause of over 200,000 deaths per year globally, according to the World Health Organization. An awareness of how long mesothelioma can take to develop can be useful to those reviewing their work history for potential exposure.
There are time limits in Alabama during which a civil suit can be filed for an asbestos-related disease. Injury claims are subject to Ala. Code § 6-2-38, which has a 2-year statute of limitations. Alabama courts have looked at when mesothelioma was diagnosed or could have reasonably been diagnosed, not when the exposure first occurred.
Many boilermakers and industrial workers were exposed for many years before the disease first manifested itself. The decision as to the applicable filing period can be complicated by a need to review employment records, medical evidence, and plant/facility history from previous places of employment.
Wallace & Graham, P.A., assists individuals seeking to understand whether past industrial employment may have involved asbestos exposure. Schedule a consultation to hire a boilermaker’s mesothelioma lawyer today.