Transite Pipe - Yay

Make sure you know what you are getting into before starting a job.
I was called up to Wisconsin to a paper mill for a short shutdown. The project was to replace some 14 inch and 8 inch pipe sections.
Turns out the pipe we were removing was Transite ( asbestos ) piping - and no one bothered to tell us.

Originally Posted by RLS0812

Make sure you know what you are getting into before starting a job.
I was called up to Wisconsin to a paper mill for a short shutdown. The project was to replace some 14 inch and 8 inch pipe sections.
Turns out the pipe we were removing was Transite ( asbestos ) piping - and no one bothered to tell us.

Buddy of mine from BC is suing the Federal Government for non disclosure regarding a contract he had won to replace the toilets inside a prison the gasket material under the privy's was made from asbestos. Stuck to the floor the gaskets had to be ground off, lots of dust contamination on work clothing vehicles etc.

Asbestos dust from the job-site brought into the home wife so angered by this carelessness she divorced Don, his whole life turned upside down over one job.

I gather your a grunt on the job and not the contractor, go to your doctor and have him arrange for x-rays of your lungs, bag your work clothing and have them examined for asbestos fibers.


You may consider taking immediate legal action based against the paper mill and your employer based on previous case law. Plenty of past and current litigation regarding asbestos exposure.

Just because you feel fine right now, asbestos is a time bomb.

I had a friend whos father was a ship builder. He would come home put his clothes on the door hook when he took showered. Wife took clothes to washing machine. She got lung cancer from the asbestos and passed. Lesson learned, stay away from asbestos

Many years ago, it would've been around 1980, I did a project installing about 600 feet of Transite water main. We were used to working with ductile iron pipe, and cutting it with an abrasive cutoff saw, and then using the same saw to grind a bevel on the end to help it slip into the joint. The literature showed a drawing of a guy using a cutoff saw to cut the Transite, and it said "This practice is not recommended."

Not recommended? That's odd. Seems to work just fine.