Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones by Understanding Your Risks and Rights of Asbestos Exposure

Over a million construction and craftworkers, especially bricklayers and tile setters, are currently at risk of asbestos exposure. When toxic asbestos fibers are released during cutting, drilling, or sanding building materials, they can lodge inside the lungs and other soft tissue, causing lasting and often fatal damage. Workers not only suffer from illnesses, but also loss of income. Too often those affected face the threat of personal bankruptcy due to devastating medical costs — all while trying to battle a potentially life-ending disease.

Bricklayers who work inside power plants, chemical and petroleum refineries, steel mills, foundries, shipyards, and other industrial manufacturing have likely been exposed to asbestos contained within the equipment and the buildings themselves. Activities such as cutting and laying mortared bricks, mixing mortar, repairing walls with asbestos insulation, installing or repairing chimneys, working on boilers or furnaces, or remodeling older buildings, have also exposed bricklayers to asbestos.

To inform and assist members, BAC recently published a new pamphlet, Risks and Rights of Asbestos Exposure, containing information about the resources available. “The facts about asbestos exposure are stark and alarming,” said BAC President Driscoll in the introduction for the pamphlet. “Bricklayers, and their families, are amongst those workers at-risk from exposure… Just as we did with the silica standard, we will relentlessly pursue more stringent asbestos safety measures. And we will help those already exposed and suffering from asbestos-related illnesses get the help and compensation they deserve.”

Whether you are a current or retired BAC member, if you believe you have been exposed to asbestos or find yourself diagnosed with an asbestos related illness, you can contact the BAC for assistance and support.

“I encourage all BAC members read the important information available in this new resource,” said BAC Executive Vice President Jerry Sullivan. “It contains information about what asbestos exposure is, what diseases it can cause, and what members can do to get help from the medical costs associated with mesothelioma, cancer, or other illnesses caused by known asbestos exposure.”

To receive a free copy, please contact Bobbie Haut at rhaut@bacweb.org