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Alcoa Aluminum

In business for more than 120 years, Alcoa is the largest producer of fabricated and primary aluminum in the world. The company is also the world's largest miner of refiner of alumina and bauxite. Originally known as the Aluminum Company of America, Alcoa maintains a presence in 31 countries with approximately 60,000 employees. In 2010, the company reported more than $20 billion in sales.

The products made in Alcoa's many plants include flat-rolled aluminum, fastening systems, hard alloy extrusions, forgings, business systems, Alcoa® wheels and precision and investment castings. These products are used in a variety of industries and capacities, including aerospace, automotive and commercial transportation, building and construction, consumer electronics and packaging.

Throughout the years since the company's founding in 1888, Alcoa products were used for many important endeavors including in the Wright Brothers first airplane, in mess kits, canteens, and helmets during World War I, in ships during subsequent wars, in literally hundreds of common household products like beverage cans, pots and pans and much more. Alcoa obtained the patents for many unique items during their most prolific years of the mid-20th century and the company's name has long been a household word.

Alcoa Aluminum and Asbestos

Alcoa has enjoyed great success in its more than 120 years of being one of the top aluminum producers in the world. The company has changed with the times, keeping on top of current trends in the industry and developing new products and processes. Attention to employee safety has changed as well. Today, while working in an aluminum plant is still somewhat dangerous, employees are safer than ever thanks to OSHA guidelines governing work practices.

However, that wasn't always the case. During some of the company's busiest times – namely from World War II until the 1970s – Alcoa made abundant use of toxic asbestos inside their plants. Those who operated furnaces, ovens, mills, and boilers that were lined with asbestos insulation were most likely exposed to the material on a daily basis. Furthermore, employees who were made to wear protective asbestos-containing clothing to protect them from burns probably suffered first-hand exposure as well. For decades, exposure was almost unavoidable if you were an employee directly involved in production. As a result, many Alcoa workers who were employed during the era of asbestos use have developed severe lung problems including diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Alcoa Aluminum and Asbestos Litigation

For much of the 20th century, companies that used asbestos materials inside their plants, mills, and factories covered up the fact that the mineral was hazardous. In many cases, records released years later revealed memos from company doctors to company executives warning them that asbestos was likely the cause of the pulmonary problems from which many employees were suffering. When the truth came to light in the late 1970s and the hazards of asbestos were revealed to the general public, many individuals exercised their right to sue companies like Alcoa for compensation for their injuries.

In addition to suits brought forth on behalf of sick Alcoa employees, who numbered in the thousands, lawsuits were also being filed on behalf of family members of Alcoa workers who were getting sick due to second-hand exposure. This means that fibers brought home on the clothes or body of the employee were being inhaled by spouses, children, and others who came in contact.

In 2008 in Blount County, Tennessee, for example, the adult daughter of a former Alcoa employee died of mesothelioma. She filed suit against the company when she learned the cause of her disease. A multi-million dollar settlement was awarded to the woman's family. Similarly, a $20 million settlement was awarded to another Alcoa family who lost their wife and mother due to second-hand exposure.

Such suits helped establish an employer's “duty of care,” that is, the employer had the responsibility to tell employees about the hazards they faced on a daily basis. In the case of Alcoa and the aforementioned Tennessee suit, the Supreme Court decision in favor of the plaintiff was largely based on the fact that the company chose to ignore a 1972 OSHA regulation that prohibited employees from taking their clothes home to be laundered. Hence, the employee in question exposed his premature baby daughter to the toxic fibers that would later kill her.

Resources for Metal Workers

Tens of thousands of individuals have worked at Alcoa Aluminum plants throughout the world. While not everyone who worked for the company during the time it used asbestos will develop asbestos-related cancer, many will. Because mesothelioma is such a hard cancer to detect and because it has a long latency period, those who are candidates for developing this cancer should be diligent about receiving regular medical examinations and chest x-rays. Though it's difficult to diagnose mesothelioma in its early stages, it's still necessary to catch it as soon as possible.

If you think you may have an asbestos-related disease, we can assist you in finding a location for testing. Please fill out the form on this page for further information. If you or a loved one has already been diagnosed with meso, our Patient Advocate can help you find a specialist that can offer the best in treatment for this form of cancer. For more information, call (800) 615-2270.

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