Oil field workers — roughnecks, roustabouts, derrickhands, and mud engineers — were exposed to asbestos through the drilling additives, thread compounds, packing, and gaskets used on the rig. Asbestos was allegedly added to drilling muds and well cements as a fiber additive, and it was used in the pipe dope, pump packing, and gaskets that sealed the rig’s high-pressure equipment.
How Oil Field Workers Were Exposed
The mud pit was a major source. Cutting open bags of powdered asbestos mud additive and dumping them into the mixing hopper raised clouds of dry fiber that the derrickhand and mud engineer breathed. Brushing asbestos pipe dope and thread compound onto drill pipe and casing joints, and repacking the mud pumps, well pumps, and blowout preventers with asbestos rope and braided packing, released more fiber. Scraping and replacing asbestos flange and manifold gaskets on the high-pressure lines rounded out the exposure. This work ran around the clock on the rig floor and in the pump house.
The Asbestos Materials — and the Products They Came In
Exposure tracked to a handful of material types. Each links to products documented in the AsbestosIndex as allegedly asbestos-containing:
Drilling muds & well cement — cut open, dumped, and mixed:
- Baroid / NL drilling mud additives · IMCO Services drilling mud additives · Magcobar / Dresser drilling mud additives · Montello oil-field drilling additives · Halliburton well-cementing fluid additive
Pipe dope & thread compound — brushed onto pipe and casing joints:
Pump packing & seals — repacked in mud pumps, well pumps, and BOPs:
- National Oilwell Varco mud-pump piston seals · John Crane braided asbestos pump packing · Garlock asbestos rope packing · Cameron BOP ram seals · EMSCO/Continental drawworks brake bands
Gaskets — scraped and replaced on flanges and manifolds:
Browse the full Drilling Fluids, Gaskets & Packing, and Pump Equipment categories for more.
Take-Home Risk to Families
Like other dusty trades, oil field workers carried asbestos fibers home on their clothing, skin, and tools — exposing spouses and children who never worked with asbestos. See take-home asbestos exposure.
If you worked as an oil field worker and were diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease after exposure to asbestos on the job, you may have a legal claim.
Product references reflect allegations documented in publicly filed asbestos litigation. This information is published by an independent media organization — not a law firm — and is educational only. It does not constitute legal advice or provide legal services.