Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel

Wheeling Steel was founded in 1920 in Wheeling, West Virginia, part of the Greater Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area. The company was created by combining several already existing companies, namely LaBelle Iron Works, Whitaker-Glessner Company and Wheeling Steel and Iron. Wheeling eventually merged with Pittsburgh Steel Company in 1968 and received its hyphenated moniker at that time.

At one point, Wheeling-Pittsburgh operated six different plants. Raw steel, created in a variety of thicknesses, was manufactured at the Steubenville, Ohio plant while the company’s Yorkville, Ohio plant produced tin products. In Martins Ferry, Ohio, galvanized steel was produced, and in the Wheeling area, another plant manufactured steel specifically for highway and bridge construction. Finally, the Allenport, Pennsylvania location manufactured sheet steel while the Follansbee, West Virginia plant gathered the coke used in steel making.

Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel was greatly affected by competition from foreign steel makers at the end of the 20th century and was forced to declare bankruptcy in 2000. In 2005, the company was acquired by Esmark and, in turn, Esmark was acquired by Russian steel conglomerate, Severstal, in 2007. Severstal then sold the mills to the Renco Group in March 2011. The mills are beginning to prosper once again after several years of struggle in a difficult economy.

Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel and Asbestos

Once the seventh-largest steel producer in the country, Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel was highly respected for its quality products. For many decades, it was one of the major employers in the Greater Pittsburgh area, and through the years, it was typical for many generations of the same family to work at the company’s steel mills.

Unfortunately for these families, the steel mills belonging to Wheeling-Pittsburgh were making employees sick. Because asbestos was used in steel mills as a common insulation material from the 1940s through the end of the 1970s, many workers were exposed to this toxic material while performing their daily tasks. Asbestos was commonly used to insulate equipment that might have included:

• Ovens
• Furnaces
• Rolling mills
• Tanks
• Boilers
• Cranes
• Steam pipes

The asbestos insulation helped prevent fires and burns, but the fibers it released were toxic. Workers would inhale these tiny fibers, which would then become lodged in the area of the lungs, often causing scarring. In some cases, tumors would form as well and workers would eventually be diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer. Because mesothelioma has a long latency period, diagnosis would often not occur until later in life.

Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel and Asbestos Litigation

Because it has been proven in various courts of law that executives at many steel mills knew that asbestos use was dangerous yet continued it nonetheless, when the hazards of asbestos were made known to the general public, sick workers began to file suit against their employers.

Many Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel employers sought legal representation and sued the company for compensation, citing exorbitant medical bills for the treatment of their mesothelioma and loss of income due to the inability to work.  In addition, laborers, pipe fitters, electricians, insulators, and other employees have gathered together to file class action suits against the company, placing the blame for their illnesses on their employer.

Resources for Metal Workers

It’s possible for anyone who worked with asbestos to develop an asbestos disease, even if exposure was minimal. As a matter of fact, experts note that no amount of exposure to asbestos is safe. Those who worked with or around the material in the past should be sure to schedule regular doctor’s appointments to monitor pulmonary function, and should always tell their doctor about their history of exposure to asbestos.

If you’ve already been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you know how heart-wrenching the diagnosis can be and how difficult it is to gather the information you need about issues such as treatment. Our Top Mesothelioma Doctor Directory provides an expansive list of mesothelioma medical professionals located throughout the country. If you require further assistance, the Patient Advocates at the Mesothelioma Center can help. To speak to one, call (800) 615-2270.