Articles Posted in Asbestos Exposure

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention has highlighted more than two dozen factories throughout the country that processed vermiculite that was tainted with asbestos.

The plants ceased in 1990 or earlier after it was discovered that the vermiculite, a natural mineral, was contaminated with asbestos, which can lead to life-threatening illnesses, including mesothelioma in Boston and throughout New England. Boston Mesothelioma Attorneys know that many people were unknowingly exposed to asbestos either through work at factories or older buildings. And it’s that exposure that can lead to a diagnosis of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses.

Entire towns could have been exposed to asbestos as the tainted vermiculite was shipped from 1920 to 1990 throughout the country. Asbestos was a popular insulator because of its fire-resistant abilities and so it was used in the building of houses as well as in the manufacturing of other products, such as brake pads, cement, generators and all other sorts of commonly purchased goods.

Exposure to asbestos can go largely unnoticed for years and sometimes decades. Research has shown that these microscopic flakes can be inhaled and travel through the blood stream until they rest on major organs, including the lungs, heart or liver. They can stay for up to 30 or 40 years undetected before a person has the symptoms common of mesothelioma, such as coughing, fluid build up and chest pain. Once a person is diagnosed with mesothelioma, they have, on average, a year to live.

There is no cure to this form of cancer and the effects can be devastating to a family. A life can be cut short because a former employer denied to improve upon the safety of their workers by allowing a building to be tainted with asbestos, despite knowing the problems of the material.

In our latest blog in a series about sites detailed by the CDC, Boston Mesothelioma Lawyers hit the west coast, with three plants that processed tainted vermiculite in California.

Mesothelioma in Santa Ana: This W.R. Grace & Company plant in Southern California processed vermiculite from a mine in Libby from 1972 to 1993.
During that time, workers at the plant processed more than 400,000 tons of vermiculite and in 1990, when the plant was still operating, about 35,000 people lived within a mile of the plant.

Asbestos in Los Angeles: This plant processed vermiculite from 1950 to 1977, processing more than 120,000 tons of the natural mineral. It’s unclear for what purpose the vermiculite was processed at this plant.

Mesothelioma Diagnosis in Newark: This W.R. Grace plant operated from 1966 to 1993 and workers, those who lived with them or lived near the plant may have been exposed to asbestos.

In the 27 years the plant operated, it processed about 300,000 tons of vermiculite from the mine in Libby. This plant is located about 30 miles south of San Francisco in a mixed commercial, industrial and residential use area.
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Boston Mesothelioma Lawyers have spent months documenting the cities across the country that have been exposed to asbestos-laced vermiculite due to mining and processing procedures.

Vermiculite was mined mainly in Libby, Montana, which produced 70 percent of the country’s supply the natural mineral from the early 20th Century until 1990. Much of the vermiculite was tainted with asbestos, which has been linked to illnesses, including mesothelioma, a deadly and incurable cancer.

Asbestos has never officially been banned in the United States, but companies have curtailed its use due to the clear link to illnesses and cancer. When ingested, those exposed to asbestos don’t realize it. The microscopic flakes travel through the blood system and land on the lining of major organs, such as the lungs and heart. They can stay, largely unnoticed, for years and sometimes up to 30 or 40 years before a mesothelioma diagnosis is made. Once diagnosed, the average life span is 12 months.

This debilitating cancer, and other asbestos-related illnesses like it, were largely preventable. Because of its ability to insulate and help buildings be fire-retardant, it was a popular product. It was used not only as insulation, but also to manufacture ceiling and floor tiles and peat moss, among other products. But as workers in mines and older buildings along with U.S. Navy seamen and other military personnel where it was used began falling ill, companies who knew of its dangerousness should have stopped using it. Many did not.

This series looks at the processing plants in cities where asbestos-laced vermiculite was shipped and a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which did testing on the sites to determine the amount of exposure and the amount of asbestos there today, some two decades after the Libby mine stopped shipping vermiculite across the country.

Mesothelioma in Denver: This Western Minerals Company plant operated from around 1967 to 1990. The plant processed vermiculite contaminated with asbestos. More than 100,000 tons of vermiculite was processed at the plant.

Since 1990, the site has been occupied by Minnesota Corn Processors, a corn syrup manufacturer. In 1990, while the plant was still operating, about 13,000 people lived within one mile of the site, according to U.S. Census data. Soil sampling showed that asbestos was still in the ground to this day.

Mesothelioma in Phoenix: This W.R. Grace/Solomon’s Mines company plant operated from 1964 until 1992.

The CDC reports that the mine processed more than 100,000 tons of vermiculite in the nearly 40 years it operated. The plant continues to process vermiculite, but from safer sources, the CDC reports.

Mesothelioma in Glendale: The Ari-Zonolite Company plant processed vermiculite from Libby between 1951 and 1964. Plant workers processed more than 100,000 tons of the mineral.

As with all sites, workers, those who lived with workers and those who lived near the site may have been exposed to asbestos. A checkup with a doctor may be appropriate.
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For the last several weeks, Boston Mesothelioma Lawyers have detailed on our blog more than two dozen sites across the country, including in Massachusetts, that were used for years to process vermiculite, a natural mineral that can contain asbestos.

Asbestos was used throughout the 20th Century to insulate houses and businesses and make floor and ceiling tiles and other products. It was also used in shipyards, on military ships and in automobile brake pads, shoes and clutch discs.

But while its use hasn’t been banned in the United States, the manufacture of products containing asbestos has severely declined in recent years because of the discovery of, and attention to, asbestos-related illnesses. That includes mesothelioma in Boston and elsewhere.

Mesothelioma is a fatal and incurable form of cancer linked to asbestos exposure. And the median survival rate after a diagnosis of mesothelioma is less than a year. Many people aren’t diagnosed for 30 or 40 years because microscopic asbestos fibers lay unnoticed in the walls of major organs, such as the heart and lungs, while the cancer develops. It isn’t until other symptoms persist that people tend to get checked and the cancer is discovered.

From 1919 to 1990, a vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana produced some 70 percent of the vermiculite used throughout the country. Much of the vermiculite was contaminated with asbestos. Millions of tons of vermiculite was shipped to plants throughout the country, including in Massachusetts, where workers heated it to manufacture products.

While the Libby mine closed in 1990, the federal government is still helping the people there, many of whom have fallen ill or died. The government in recent years dedicated more than $100 million to cleanup the area and provide healthcare for people exposed. Federal researchers believe people who lived near the mine or the plants and those who lived with employees of the vermiculite companies are at risk for mesothelioma and other diseases related to asbestos exposure.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently produced a website dedicated to providing information about more than two dozen plants that imported and processed the vermiculite.

Mesothelioma in St. Louis: This Zonolite Company site operated from the late 1940s to 1998 and produced nearly 140,000 tons of vermiculite, which was shipped in from Libby.

The CDC warns that not only workers and their families, but the more than 13,000 people who lived within a mile of the plant, including an elementary school, could have been exposed to asbestos and should be checked by a doctor.

Mesothelioma in New Orleans: This Zonolite Company plant processed about 148,000 tons of vermiculite from Libby. The CDC reports that much of the vermiculite contained asbestos.

The plant operated from 1965 to 1989 and sat in a mixed residential, commercial and industrial part of the city. Based on 1990 U.S. Census data, more than 5,000 people lived within a mile of the site.

Mesothelioma in Minneapolis: According to research on this Zonolite plant, which operated from 1938 to 1989, about 93,000 tons of vermiculite from Libby was processed here.

Some of the ore was left behind after it was heated and left outside the plant, where citizens would pick it up and use it in their yards, gardens, driveways, barbecues and other construction products.
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The estate of a man who died after a battle with mesothelioma has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in New Orleans against some of the nation’s biggest companies, including Viacom, Inc., General Electric Co., Uniroyal, Inc. and others.

Boston Mesothelioma Attorneys are available to represent clients from throughout New England who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses. Mesothelioma in Boston is an incurable and fatal cancer that usually takes 30 to 40 years before a diagnosis is made.

That’s because people have ingested the microscopic fibers, which travel through the blood stream and attach to the walls of major organs, such as the lungs and heart. They stay for years and sometimes decades before people experience symptoms and are diagnosed.

Some common symptoms, according to the Mesothelioma Cancer Network:

• Persistent dry cough without phlegm
• Plueral effusions (typically containing blood)
• Blood in the sputum (fluid) or coughing up blood
• Difficulty swallowing
• Inexplicable weight loss
• Fatigue
• Sweating or fever
• Persistent chest or rib area pain, painful breathing
• Inexplicable shortness of breath
• Development of lumps under the skin on the chest

In the case in New Orleans, the man was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2010, the article reports. And the lawsuit alleges he was exposed to asbestos while he was aboard United States Navy vessels from 1966 to the late 1970s. The lawsuit states that exposure was a result of asbestos dust emanating throughout the USS Rehoboth, the USNS Albert J. Meyer, the USNS Flyer, the USNS Wyman, the USNS Kingsport and the Sgt. Alfred Shoup.

The lawsuit alleges the companies produced an unreasonably dangerous product, didn’t warn the public, of defective design, strict products liability and breach of implied and expressed warranties.

The United States military was one of the largest consumers of asbestos in the early and mid 20th century. The military used it on Navy ships, Army barracks, U.S. Air Force planes and other products. And 70 percent of the vermiculite, a natural mineral that contains asbestos, was mined in Libby Montana and shipped to plants across the country to be exfoliated.

Asbestos was used for insulation, to create floor and ceiling tiles, peat moss, gardening and landscaping products and other uses. While it has never officially been banned in the United States, it’s use has been severely curtailed in the last two decades because of its effects.

Many companies knew of the effects or at some point discovered the problems asbestos can cause but did nothing to protect workers. And many Americans were wrongfully exposed to asbestos, which can cause mesothelioma and other fatal diseases. Those who were wrongly exposed years ago should seek justice. First, see a doctor that specializes in asbestos-related illnesses and then call our law firm to discuss your rights.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researched more than two dozen plants and a mine that processed vermiculite, a natural mineral that can contain asbestos. And, as research has shown, exposure to asbestos can cause mesothelioma in Boston, a fatal and incurable form of cancer.

Boston Personal Injury Lawyers have represented clients who have been wrongfully exposed to asbestos and who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases and illnesses. We are committed to helping those who have been injured by seeking help with medical bills and damages resulting from this debilitating illness.

More than 70 percent of the asbestos in the United States came from a vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana that operated from 1919 to 1990. The mine pumped out millions of tons of the natural mineral. The mined vermiculite was then shipped to plants throughout the country, including in Massachusetts, and workers there exfoliated the vermiculite to manufacture everything from peat moss to floor and ceiling tiles to insulation.

But as the people of Libby have sadly discovered, the dust that coated the town contained microscopic asbestos fibers that, when ingested, attached to the walls of major organs, such as the heart and lungs. And after a 30- to 40-year incubation period, can lead to a diagnosis of mesothelioma, which has no cure. Thousands of people in Libby have been diagnosed with illnesses and several hundred have died. The federal government has dedicated more than $100 million to cleanup and health-related efforts in Libby even today, some two decades after the mine shut down.

And while workers are certainly affected, their families, those who drove in their cars and washed their clothes are also affected. And even people who lived in a town or city or near a plant are at risk for exposure. And because it can take so long for a diagnosis to be made, it’s important to seek medical care as soon as possible if you may have lived near one of the plants or the Libby mine. A diagnosis may be devastating, but our firm will work to help you recover funds if you were unjustly exposed.

Mesothelioma in Kentucky: This W.R. Grace plant operated from 1952 to 1992, when it was shut down. It received Libby vermiculite during those four decades and exfoliated more than 220,000 tons.
In 1990, the U.S. Census reported that about 9,000 people lived within one mile of the site.

Mesothelioma in Michigan: This Zonolite Company and W.R. Grace plant operated from the 1940s to 1989. The plant exfoliated about 206,000 tons of vermiculite from Libby.

Mesothelioma in Chicago:The W.R. Grace & Company facility operated from 1974 to the 1990s in West Chicago, processing more than 273,000 tons of vermiculite. the facility closed in 1996 and the company sold the property.
Census data shows that more than 3,000 people lived within a mile of the site in 1990.
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