7 Jobs That Will Make You Sick

7 Jobs That Will Make You Sick

Every year, people in the United States become ill as a result of occupational
hazards. Workers exposed to asbestos can develop cancer. Coal miners can get
black lung disease. Some of these diseases can be fatal, even when properly
treated. 24/7 Wall St. identified some of the most common jobs that have a high
risk of sickness, and the diseases and ailments associated with them.

Although many of these risks are well documented, many workplaces still fail to
properly protect workers. Incidence of mesothelioma, the cancer caused by
asbestos exposure, dropped sharply once the risk was understood. Exposure,
however, still persists. It takes decades to address other risks.

Formaldehyde was classified as a carcinogen by the National Toxicology Program
just this past June. The chemical has been known to cause cancer since the
1970s, but the official designation has been fought for years by the chemical
industry. People who work with formaldehyde, such as morticians, have been known
for a number of years to have higher rates of leukemia than those who are not
exposed to it. According to a recent article inThe
New York Times, the industry appears reluctant to change its practices to
better protect against it.

24/7 Wall St. identified many of the most common diseases that are related to
occupational hazards, including cancer, lung disease and heart disease,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other scientific
studies of disease in the workplace. Using the Bureau of Labor statistics, we
identified eight professions with exceptionally high rates of certain illnesses.
Each of the occupations is listed with its respective long-term risk and its
median annual wage.

1. Morticians

• 
  Risk: leukemia
• 
  Cause: formaldehyde
• 
  Median annual wage: $52,210

Morticians who use formaldehyde to embalm bodies are at an exceptionally high
risk of leukemia. “Previous studies have shown excess mortality from
lymphohematopoietic malignancies and brain cancer in anatomists, pathologists,
and funeral industry workers, all of whom may have worked with formaldehyde,”
reports the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Formaldehyde, which is
used in plywood manufacturing as well as embalming, was only officially
classified as a carcinogen this past June.

2. Pipefitters

• 
  Risk: mesothelioma
• 
  Cause: asbestos
• 
  Median annual wage: $46,660

Malignant mesothelioma is a life-threatening type of cancer commonly caused by
exposure to asbestos. Asbestos use peaked in 1973 in the U.S., but its use has
since declined by 99.8 percent, according to the American Lung Association.
Because mesothelioma can take 20 to 40 years to develop, it has only been in
recent years that the disease has become extremely widespread. Some occupations,
such as pipefitters, still put workers at risk of exposure. One Massachusetts
developer was recently fined for neglecting to take precautions to ensure that
workers would be protected from airborne asbestos while removing pipes lined
with the fiber. Other occupations that have seen highest rates of the illness
are plumbers, mechanical engineers, electricians, and elementary school teachers
who spent years in older buildings.

3. Concrete mixers

• 
  Risk: silicosis
• 
  Cause: silica
• 
  Median annual wage: $43,850

Silicosis is a disabling respiratory disease caused by inhaling silica dust,
which is used in the production of glass products, optical fibers, cement and
more. The disease can lead to “extreme shortness of breath, loss of appetite,
chest pains, and respiratory failure, which can cause death,” reports the
American Lung Association. More than one million workers are exposed to silica
each year. The highest rate of silicosis deaths occur among so-called
non-construction laborers and mining machine operators.

4. Pilots

• 
  Risk: melanoma
• 
  Cause: intense exposure
  to sunlight
• 
  Median annual wage: $103,210

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer and is related to sunlight
exposure. Studies have shown that brief periods of high intensity exposure are
more risky than long-term, lower intensity exposure, according to a report out
of the U.K. on occupational mortality. The report shows that aircraft flight
deck officers, including pilots, have an exceptionally high mortality rate from
melanoma. The study notes that in addition to solar radiation, cosmic radiation
exposure could be a contributing factor. A different study, conducted by
Iceland’s University of Reykjavik, reports that airline pilots have up to 25
times the average rate of melanoma.

5. Firefighters

• 
  Risk: heart attack
• 
  Cause: physical and
  psychological stress, exposure to toxic elements
• 
  Median annual wage: $45,520

It is not fire or smoke inhalation that is the No. 1 irregular cause of death
among firefighters, but heart attacks. When fighting a fire, the chance that a
firefighter will have a heart attack increases up to 100 times the normal rate.
Even when they aren’t fighting fires, firefighters are at a higher risk of heart
attack, a report from the Harvard School of Public Health shows. Risk of heart
attack is increased for firefighters when they respond to an alarm, return from
an incident, or engage in physical activity, including training. The occupation
of firefighter, by nature, entails dealing with extreme heat, exposure to toxic
substances, and causes high levels of psychological and physiological stress.

6. Coal miners

• 
  Risk: pneumoconiosis
• 
  Cause: coal dust
• 
  Median annual wage: $43,010

Coal miners far and away have the highest mortality rate from pneumoconiosis, or
black lung disease, which is cause by long-term exposure to coal dust. According
to the National Institutes of Health, one’s “risk of getting coal worker’s
pneumoconiosis depends on how long [they] have been around coal dust.” The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that between 1968 and 2006,
coal worker’s pneumoconiosis was the cause of death for 28,912 people aged 25
and older.

7. Welders

• 
  Risk: manganism
• 
  Cause: manganese
• 
  Median annual wage: $35,450

The fumes produced by welding metal often contain small amounts of manganese.
Prolonged exposure to these fumes can lead to a “Parkinsonian syndrome” called
manganism. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms
“may include tremors, slowness of movement, muscle rigidity and poor balance.”
The disease can also occur in those who work around “dry-cell batteries,
anti-knock gasoline additives, pesticides, pigments, dyes, inks and incendiary
devices.”

By 24/7 Wall St.,