LyondellBasell Plants
LyondellBasell is the third-largest independent chemical company in the world, with 58 manufacturing sites in 18 countries on five of the seven continents. With 14,000 employees worldwide, the company was founded as a result of the merger of the two companies that form its name – Lyondell and Basell – and is now headquartered in the Netherlands. The company is one of the world’s largest producers of gasoline blending components, polymers and chemicals. LyondellBasell is also a refiner of crude oil and is the leading developer and licensor of technologies for the production of polymers. The company owns nearly 10,000 patents.
LyondellBasell divides its business into four distinct segments: olefins and polyolefins, refining and oxyfuels, intermediates and derivatives, and technology. In the U.S., there are operations in nine different states, including Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. The bulk of U.S. operations, however, are located in Texas. LyondellBasell’s U.S. interests filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2009 and emerged from it in April 2010 after a reorganization.
LyondellBasell stresses sustainability and notes that it recognizes its responsibilities to the communities that surround its plants and refineries. The company also monitors and reports on its environmental impact and participates in workplace-related health organizations. These organizations address occupational-health issues including diseases regularly linked to those who work or have worked in chemical plants or refineries.
LyondellBasell, Heath Concerns and Asbestos
Occupational health problems are a huge issue among those who work in chemical plants. Decades ago, chemical plants were an even more dangerous place to work, particularly because Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) rules were not yet in place, but also because toxic materials were used without regard to the health of employees. One of these dangerous materials was asbestos, a naturally-occurring mineral fiber that has been shown to cause cancer in humans.
Chemical plants were regular users of asbestos insulation, especially from around 1940 until the late 1970s. This insulation, which helped prevent dangerous fires and deadly explosions, lined equipment such as steam pipes, pumps, boilers, generators, furnaces and reactors, and may have been used in protective clothing issued to employees who worked with hot liquids and were at risk for burns.
Though the asbestos often protected workers, it was also making them sick. Microscopic asbestos fibers are easy to inhale, and once they enter the body, they become imbedded in the lining of the lungs and other body organs, where they remain and cause permanent scarring and inflammation. In some instances, tumors form, and symptoms of asbestos-related diseases may not appear until 50 years after initial exposure to the material. Thus, individuals who worked at a LyondellBasell plant prior to the halting of asbestos use might still be diagnosed with the disease, even though many years have passed.
LyondellBasell and Asbestos Litigation
As a result of negligent asbestos use, LyondellBasell has been the defendant in numerous asbestos-related lawsuits around the world. Both companies, when they were separate, faced litigation as well, though the merger described the suits as having no significant impact on the future financial health of the company in general.
Nonetheless, employees of the company continue to suffer as a result of asbestos exposure and have learned in many cases that company executives or managers of LyondellBasell plants knew that asbestos was toxic but continued to use it. Viable lawsuits that can prove this negligence can mean compensation for those suffering from mesothelioma and for the families whose loved ones have already succumbed to this hard-to-treat cancer.
Resources for Chemical Plant Workers
Mesothelioma is a very unusual cancer in that it can remain essentially hidden for up to five decades during the mesothelioma latency period. Victims of the disease do not know they have it until symptoms finally begin to appear. Symptoms may include chest or abdominal pain, shortness of breath, coughing and fatigue.
If you think you have been exposed to asbestos at LyondellBasell and are experiencing any signs of a medical problem, it is important to get tested for the presence of mesothelioma or asbestos exposure.
If you have already received a mesothelioma diagnosis, you no doubt have many questions about the disease, including treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. Patients who wish to garner a better understanding of their condition and its treatment may benefit from literature that discusses general questions and answers about mesothelioma. To receive this literature, call one of our Patient Advocates at (800) 615-2270 or complete the form on this page.
-
05/18/2012 -
The Queen of Disco Donna Summer died on Thursday in her Naples, Florida, home after a quiet battle with lung cancer.
She was 63.
The five-time G ..
-
05/17/2012 -
Thoracic surgeon Robert Cameron, M.D., used his second annual Symposium for Lung-Sparing Therapies for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma last week in Los ..
-
05/17/2012 -
Researchers in Singapore have uncovered new technology for studying cancer stem cells that could spark quicker development of a more effective therapy ..
© 2012 The Mesothelioma Center |
Last Modified Thursday, February 9th, 2012 | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy |
The information provided by The Mesothelioma Center is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Sponsored by a law firm concentrating in asbestos litigation, The Peterson Firm, LLP with offices at 1350 Connecticut Ave, NW, Fifth Floor, Washington DC 20036.
