Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel/Severstal North America Corp

Based in Wheeling, West Virginia, Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel was founded in 1991 for the sole purpose of manufacturing steel products. These products include, but are not limited to, various types of fabricated and galvanized steel, sheet products, automotive parts and pre-engineered building systems. Wheeling Pittsburgh currently has facilities in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The company merged with Esmark Corporation in 2007. A year later, in August 2008, Esmark was purchased by Severstal North America. The merger extended Wheeling-Pittsburgh's reach into the international steel markets, supplying products to the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Italy, France, United Kingdom and Africa.

Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Plants and the EPA

Like many mining and steel manufacturing plants, Wheeling-Pittsburgh has had various issues concerning governmental agency regulations and the health and safety of workers. One instance involved the company's Follansbee-based plant. In operation since 1917, the plant rests on 588 acres and primarily produces the metallurgical-grade coke needed for steel production. The EPA found that the steel mill created dangerous levels of benzene, toluene, phenol, naphthalene, benz(a)anthracene, benzo(a)pyrene and chrysene.

Wheeling-Pittsburgh Response

The Wheeling-Pittsburgh/Severstal company officially declares their worksites to be safe.  Wheeling-Pittsburgh, also known as Severstal North America, is said to not only comply with federal and state safety standards, they declare a firm desire to hear from workers and managers to improve safety conditions. This type of open business environment can result in real and lasting improvements for steel workers, who have a hands-on knowledge of what needs to be done to correct potentially dangerous work environments.

Hurt by the Recession

In early May 2009, Severstal lnternational announced that it would idle its mills in Ohio and West Virginia in response to the continuing slowdown in the steel industry. Over 3,000 workers were affected by the decision. The cut to all remaining work at Wheeling follows earlier moves to temporarily shut down of hot-rolling operations at Wheeling plants and galvanizing at Warren facilities.

In June 2009, Severstal reported that it was selling its steel sheet finishing mill in Allenport, Pennsylvania, to California-based North American Trading Co. The mill had been idled since the sale of Esmark to Severstal in August of the previous year.

Asbestos Risks

With its resistance to heat, flame and electrical current, the naturally occurring, fibrous mineral known as asbestos was often used throughout almost all factories, mills, power plants and worksites across the country, including Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel. Even though asbestos' strength as an insulator undoubtedly protected people and property in the short term, the unexpected results of using it were devastating, as numerous laborers contracted serious illness due to asbestos exposure. The illnesses associated with asbestos exposure include asbestosis and cancer of the lungs; the largest chance of contracting these conditions happens when asbestos-containing products become friable, releasing particles into the air where they are easy to inhale or ingest. The most serious of the asbestos-caused diseases is mesothelioma, which is a cancer that involves the cells lining the chest cavity; it is a disease that usually kills within two years of diagnosis.

Because researchers have demonstrated the relationship between being exposed to asbestos and diseases like mesothelioma, today's workers are protected by health and safety statutes that control how asbestos is used. Even as late as the 1970s, however, laborers without proper safety gear often toiled in places where asbestos dust filled the air. If workplaces failed to provide decontamination methods, workers inadvertently transported asbestos fibers home in their clothes and hair, which exposed spouses and children to the risk of asbestos-related diseases.

Asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma can take many years to appear, and the signs of these illnesses can be mistaken for those of less serious conditions; therefore, men and women who worked at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel in the past, as well as their partners and children, should talk with their doctors about their history of asbestos exposure. To learn more about the diagnostic process, available treatment options and financial assistance to help pay for medical costs, please click here to receive a comprehensive packet in the mail.

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