A new study done by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has found some surprising results after studying a group of workers from the boatbuilding industry. The scientists were studying a group of workers from two boatbuilding factories that had been exposed to styrene, wood dust, and fiberglass between 1958 and 1979.
Through the year 2008, there had been 5,203 deaths among these workers and the NIOSH scientists wanted to determine if the deaths had been caused by cancer as they had expected. The scientists were expecting to find that many of the deaths were caused by lymphoma and leukemia. Instead, they found that the majority of the deaths were from mesothelioma or ovarian cancer.
There was no evidence that the workers at the boatbuilding plants had been exposed to asbestos, so there were several theories as to how they contracted mesothelioma. The scientists hypothesize that this case may be a rare example, caused by fiberglass inhalation, or possibly caused by unknown asbestos exposure elsewhere.
Though the National Toxicology Program deems fiberglass to be “reasonably anticipated as a human carcinogen,” these findings give NIOSH a reason to investigate into other mesothelioma causes.
If you or a family member have mesothelioma, it is important that you seek justice against the companies that allowed you to be exposed to it. Please let our Baltimore mesothelioma attorneys to fight for you. Please contact Matthew E. Kiely today. Call us at (410) 625-9330.
