Construction Workers and Asbestos Exposure Risks

Asbestos was a standard building material for most of the 1900s and construction was one of the broadest and most consistently exposed occupations in the country. At Nemeroff Law, we help construction workers and their families understand what exposure they had, what diseases it caused, and what compensation they may be owed.

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Asbestos on the Construction Site

From the 1930s through the early 1980s, asbestos fibers were present in large scale construction projects that built American homes, schools, hospitals and commercial buildings. The workers who installed, cut, sanded and demolished those materials were exposed to asbestos throughout their careers.

Occupations Most at Risk for Exposure

Working in enclosed spaces with insulators and pipefitters left all trades at risk for asbestos exposure. Trades that never touched asbestos products directly accumulated exposure from coworkers on the same site. Although asbestos is no longer used as a material, buildings constructed before the late 1980s still contain it and demolition crews working on those structures today can disturb materials that have sat undisturbed for decades.

A diagnosis today can trace back to work done 30, 40 or even 50 years ago across jobsites and employers. Nemeroff Law investigates employers, jobsites and project years to identify the claims you may qualify for.

Asbestos Building Materials Construction Workers Handle

At its peak, asbestos was an ingredient in more than 3,000 different products like insulation, drywall and popcorn ceilings. For construction crews, that meant asbestos was present in the materials they handled on virtually every commercial and residential jobsite for half a century.

Common Building Materials

• Joint Compound, Drywall Mud, and Spackling: Used to finish and tape drywall seams, these products commonly contained 5-15% of asbestos fibers as a binding and strengthening agent through the mid-1970s.
• Plaster, Stucco, and Texture Coatings: Applied to walls and ceilings in residential and commercial construction, these materials were often formulated with asbestos for durability and fire resistance.
• Pipe Insulation, Block Insulation, and Boiler Insulation: Wrapped around steam and hot water piping throughout commercial and industrial buildings, these products often contained asbestos as their primary insulating material. Applied to mechanical systems throughout commercial and residential buildings, these insulating materials relied heavily on asbestos for thermal performance and fire resistance.
• Vinyl Floor Tiles, Sheet Flooring, and Mastic Adhesives: Standard flooring materials for homes, schools and offices through the 1980s, both the tiles and their adhesives commonly contained asbestos as a reinforcing agent.
• Acoustic Ceiling Tiles and Spray-Applied Ceiling Texture: Installed in commercial buildings and homes through the 1970s, spray-applied ceiling textures, like “popcorn ceilings” often contained asbestos.
• Fireproofing Spray Applied to Structural Steel: Sprayed onto structural steel beams and columns in commercial construction, these products were among the highest-asbestos-content materials used in the industry.

Despite the EPA’s attempt to ban most asbestos-containing products in 1989, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned most of that rule in 1991, meaning many of these materials remained legal to produce and sell for years after. In March 2024, the EPA finalized a rule prohibiting ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos, the only form still imported and used in the U.S.

Asbestos Diseases Construction Workers Face

Due to high levels of asbestos exposure, construction workers often receive diagnoses for mesothelioma, lung cancer or asbestosis. Construction workers rank among the highest of any occupation for asbestos-related disease diagnoses in the U.S., according to a 2023 NIOSH study. These conditions are well-documented in occupational health research and recognized across the compensation systems available to workers and their families.

Asbestos-Related Diseases:

• Mesothelioma: A rare, aggressive cancer that develops in the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart. It’s the disease most closely linked to asbestos exposure. Construction workers are diagnosed with mesothelioma at higher rates than most other occupations.
• Lung Cancer: Asbestos exposure raises the risk of lung cancer significantly, and for workers who also smoked, that risk climbs even higher. The two exposures together are far more dangerous than either one alone.
• Asbestosis: Years of inhaling asbestos fibers can cause the lung tissue to scar and stiffen. It’s a progressive condition with no reversal, and it tends to worsen over time. Long-tenured construction workers are among those most commonly diagnosed with it.
• Pleural Plaques and Pleural Thickening: These show up on imaging as physical evidence of past asbestos exposure. They can cause chest discomfort and shortness of breath. Although not cancerous, their presence confirms that meaningful exposure occurred.
• Other Linked Cancers: Research has also connected occupational asbestos exposure to cancers of the larynx, ovaries and certain parts of the gastrointestinal tract.

What makes construction exposure difficult to trace is that it rarely came from one place. Most workers encountered asbestos across many products, many jobsites and many years with no single moment of concentrated exposure to point to. The long latency period between exposure and diagnosis means many construction workers are still being diagnosed today, and because asbestos remains in older buildings, workers doing demo and renovation work continue to face exposure. People diagnosed with mesothelioma often want to understand their medical and legal options at the same time. Both are worth exploring and neither has to wait.

Construction Workers and Secondhand Asbestos Exposure

Secondary exposure, asbestos exposure through a secondary source like a relative or family member, is a risk for construction worker families or loved ones. Dust from joint compound, plaster, insulation and demolition debris settled into work clothes, boots and tool bags and traveled home with workers across their entire careers.

Shaking out and washing work clothes sent fibers into the air. Once inhaled, the asbestos fibers cling to the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart. Children who greeted a parent at the door or spent time in their parents’ work vehicle faced the same secondary risks. The CDC’s 2022 MMWR report research showing that women with a husband or father in an asbestos-related industry faced a ten-fold increased risk of developing mesothelioma.

Spouses and children of construction workers may have separate, valid claims even if the worker is no longer living. Nemeroff Law represents both workers and their family members on independent claims.

Compensation Options for Construction Workers and Their Families

You may qualify for more than one asbestos claim depending on your case, such as a worker’s compensation claim, a trust fund lawsuit or VA benefits.  A career in construction often meant decades of exposure to products from dozens of different manufacturers and that history typically translates into more legal and compensation options than most families realize.

Types of Compensation:

1. Asbestos trust funds: When asbestos manufacturers went bankrupt, courts required them to set aside money for people harmed by their products. More than 60 active trusts currently hold an estimated $30 billion for current and future claimants. Construction workers, who routinely handled products from many different manufacturers across a career, sometimes qualify for claims against multiple trusts at once. Most asbestos trust fund claims resolve within 30 to 90 days.
2. Personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits: Not every asbestos manufacturer went bankrupt. Many companies that made asbestos-containing building products are still operating and can be held liable in civil court. For workers and families whose exposure traces back to those companies, an asbestos lawsuit may be the most direct route to accountability.
3. Workers’ compensation: Workers diagnosed with an occupational asbestos-related disease may have a claim through their state’s workers’ compensation program. Eligibility and value vary by state and these claims can often be pursued alongside trust fund or civil claims.
4. VA benefits: Veterans who performed construction work during military service, or worked in Navy-contracted shipyards, may qualify for VA disability compensation and dependency benefits. Those benefits are separate from any civilian legal claims and filing for one does not reduce the other.

There is no upfront cost to get started with Nemeroff Law. The initial case review is free, and no fees are charged unless compensation is recovered.

How We Help Construction Workers

With so much risk to asbestos exposure across construction trades, you need a law firm familiar with workplace diseases and mesothelioma cases. Nemeroff attorneys are qualified to manage complex cases.

Our mesothelioma attorneys cross reference every claim and identify every trust fund you qualify for. A construction career that touched products from different manufacturers often means more claims are available than families expect. Our investigators pursue claims that span across multiple employers, contractors and jobsites, even when companies have closed, records are gone or careers spanned decades and dozens of projects.

We work with the records are on hand, including W-2s, union records, project lists, photographs, coworker contacts and Social Security earnings reports to establish your case. We file each of your claims at the same time. If you qualify for more than one claim, pursuing trust funds, lawsuits, workers’ compensation and VA benefits simultaneously protects the full value of a claim and can bring resolution faster.

Nemeroff Law has recovered more than $650 million for more than 3,000 clients, with more than 150 combined years of experience handling asbestos cases. The first conversation is free, and the reconstruction work is handled from there.

Frequently Asked Questions

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