JEFFERSON COUNTY, Missouri - A pipefitter who worked in various refineries in Minnesota has filed a lawsuit naming 52 defendant companies.

Bryan Blevins, a local attorney filed the suit on behalf of Robert T. Booker on February 25 in Jefferson County District Court. The suit filed by Blevins did not indicate whether Booker is suffering from an asbestos related illness or has died of one.

Among the companies named in the suit are Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, more commonly known as 3M Corporation, A.O. Smith Corporation, Pfizer and Union Carbide Corp. The suit alleges that the 52 defendant companies knowingly and maliciously manufactured and distributed products containing asbestos throughout Jefferson County.

Like many others who worked in plumbing, construction and the steel industry, Booker worked for various area refineries as a pipefitter. During the course of his work, the suit claims, he was exposed to asbestos from products manufactured and distributed by the defendants. Unlike most suits, which rely on claiming that the defendants knew or should have known that the asbestos contained in their products could cause cancers like mesothelioma, Booker’s suit alleges that the companies were negligent in failing to adequately test their products before flooding the markets with dangerous products, and for failing to warn the public and the consumer about the dangers of asbestos exposure.

The suit claims that he suffered from industrial dust diseases caused by breathing the asbestos contained in the products. It invokes the doctrine of strict liability, and states that the products were defective and unreasonably dangerous, and that the defects were “a producing cause of the plaintiff’s injuries and/or death”.

In addition, the suit claims that 3M Corporation and American Optical Corp produced respiratory masks that were defective and did not provide respiratory protection.

Booker’s suit asks compensation for physical pain and suffering, both past and future, mental anguish in the past and future, disfigurement and physical impairment in the past and future, and lost wages, loss of earning capacity and past and future medical expenses.

The suit also asks for punitive damages to be levied against the companies to deter future similar actions by the defendants and other companies.

Booker’s suit does not specifically name the “industrial dust diseases” from which he suffers. Asbestos causes mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the linings of the organs including the lungs, heart and abdominal cavity. It also increases the risk of developing lung cancer, asbestos cancer, esophageal cancer and cancers of the digestive and reproductive systems. In addition to being carcinogenic, asbestos also causes pleural plaques and scarring that can develop into asbestosis, a progressive and invariably fatal disease that causes great pain and kills by encasing the lungs in scar tissue.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 5:34 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos Litigation, Jobsite Exposure, Missouri. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.