Boilermakers
Union locals: Boilermakers Local 1 (Chicago) · Local 363 (Belleville — Southern IL)
How Boilermakers Were Exposed to Asbestos
During normal duties, Boilermakers were routinely exposed to asbestos-containing materials in Illinois industrial, commercial, and public construction work from the 1930s through the 1980s. Documented exposure pathways drawn from public litigation records and industrial hygiene literature include:
- Crawling inside boilers during annual outages alongside disturbed insulation
- Welding and cutting on asbestos-gasketed manways and access doors
- Replacing asbestos rope packing in soot blowers and steam valves
- Removing and repairing asbestos block lagging on boiler walls
- Cutting asbestos millboard for fireboxes and breechings
- Working in confined boiler spaces saturated with airborne fiber
Why This Matters for Illinois Workers
If you worked as an boilermakers in Illinois during the asbestos era and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or pleural disease, you may have a legal claim — even if your employer is no longer in business. Many asbestos product manufacturers have established bankruptcy trust funds that continue to pay qualified claimants based on documented exposure history.
Illinois Filing Deadlines — Two Separate Clocks
Illinois keeps the personal-injury clock (735 ILCS 5/13-202 — 2 years from diagnosis) and the wrongful-death clock (740 ILCS 180/2 — 2 years from date of death) on separate, independent tracks. Preserving one does not extend the other. An experienced Illinois asbestos attorney can keep both options open as your situation evolves.
Talk to an Experienced Illinois Asbestos Attorney
A free, confidential consultation with O’Brien Law Firm can evaluate your specific exposure history and filing-deadline situation. No fee unless they recover compensation.
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