Auto Mechanics

When a mechanic pulled a brake drum, the worn lining material inside had often turned to fine dust. Blowing it out with an air hose was standard practice in many shops for years. That cloud spread through the bay, reaching the mechanic and anyone working nearby. Sweeping the floor afterward stirred it up again. Grinding, sanding or beveling new linings to fit could add more dust to the same air. If you did brake work regularly, estimate how many jobs you did in a typical week and how you cleaned the parts. Those details help show the scale of exposure over time.

Brakes weren't the only source of dust in the shop. Clutch facings, some engine and exhaust gaskets, and certain heat shields could also contain asbestos in earlier vehicles and replacement parts. Removing old clutches, scraping gasket surfaces clean and handling heat-resistant parts may have released fibers each time. Mechanics who worked on heavy trucks, buses or farm equipment sometimes handled much larger components with more material in them. List the types of vehicles you worked on, the repairs you did most often and whether you rebuilt parts or simply swapped them out.

Mechanics often used parts from specific suppliers or brands, and many still remember the boxes they came in. Knowing which brands you used helps identify the companies responsible for your exposure. If you don't remember, think about the parts stores or distributors your shop relied on, whether you worked at a dealership that sold its own branded parts, or what coworkers recall using. Shop invoices, photos or old catalogs may help too. Because so many brands were sold over the years, careful product identification is often the most important step in an auto mechanic's claim.

1. 1

   Estimate how many brake or clutch jobs you did in a typical week during each period.

2. 2

   Write down parts brands, suppliers or dealerships connected to the shops where you worked.

3. 3

   Describe how your shops cleaned brake parts, including air hoses, brushes or dry sweeping.

4. 4

   List every shop, dealership or fleet garage you worked in, with approximate years for each.