Asbestos in Chemical Plants

Chemical plants are part of the fabric of modern America. They manufacture products that are essential to everyday living, from detergents that help us clean our clothing, to petroleum products that make our automobiles run smoothly.

It takes tens of thousands of employees to run America's chemical plants, and in many cases, these workers put their lives on the line each day. Working in a chemical production facility can be quite dangerous. A simple glance at a chemical plant, with its gleaming tanks and hissing smokestacks, makes it clear that working at such a location brings with it many hazards, including the potential for inhaling toxic fumes and the possibility of fires or explosions that cause serious injury and even death.

In decades past, chemical plant workers were regularly exposed to toxic asbestos materials. From the 1940s through the end of the 1970s, asbestos was considered one of the best insulators available on the market. It was highly resistant to heat and fire and was often used to line high-temperature equipment such as ovens, tanks, pipes, boilers and pumps. Asbestos also lined work benches and tables and was even found in the clothing chemical workers wore to protect themselves from burns and fire. Some employees may have even donned asbestos-containing face masks.

Asbestos was used so frequently in industrial settings due to its low cost. Even when doctors began warning of cancer and other risks of exposure to the mineral as early as the 1930s, owners of chemical plants continued using it, even though safer, but more expensive, insulation materials were available at that time.

Dangers of Asbestos in Chemical Plants

Asbestos is especially toxic when it is cut, grinded, sawed or simply worn or damaged due to age or overuse. In a less-than-perfect state, tiny asbestos fibers are introduced into the air and anyone working close by is likely to inhale the fibers, which then can imbed themselves in the chest area and cause pulmonary damage. The eventual result is chest pain, breathing difficulties, cough and a variety of other painful symptoms. Some patients may develop cancerous tumors or a rare but cancer known as mesothelioma.

The tragedy of asbestos exposure lies in the fact that – in many instances – it could have been avoided. Plant owners were often warned of the hazards of the mineral, especially by company doctors who were observing similar signs of pulmonary distress in workers who encountered asbestos daily. Unfortunately, nothing was done to protect workers from the dangers of airborne asbestos or inform the workers of these hazards. This negligence resulted in generations of chemical plant workers developing asbestos-related cancers and other pulmonary conditions.

If you are a former chemical plant worker who has been diagnosed with mesothelioma due to the negligence of your employer, you may have a right to compensation for medical bills, loss of income and other expenses associated with the disease. For more information, please complete the form on this page or call one of our Patient Advocates at (800) 615-2270.