Related Topics ► Other TopicsTurbines
Turbines used in Navy ships, power companies, utility companies and other industrial uses were often insulated with asbestos containing materials. Those turbines are one source of asbestos fibers in the air that eventually resulted in mesothelioma for many workers who were exposed to the asbestos fibers that they generated. Those turbines are used to generate heat and to generate power for many different uses. The turbines manufactured by General Electric and other makers until the 1970s used asbestos containing materials. The companies that manufactured those turbines have been held responsible for the illness caused by asbestos by courts of law in the United States despite their efforts to eschew accountability.
One argument that has been used in cases against the manufacturers of the heavy gas turbines is that they failed to warn the US Navy and other users that the asbestos used in their products presented a hazard or danger to those who worked with and around them. For years, companies defended themselves against the argument that they failed to warn sailors of the dangers of asbestos with the response that the turbines were produced according to Navy specifications and that they had no duty to include a warning about asbestos with their products. It has been made clear in many cases that these companies were aware of the dangers of asbestos.
While many courts have accepted the contention that the manufacturers were not required to warn sailors or workers of the dangers of asbestos used in their products, a recent court ruling in the state of California may set a new precedent. In that ruling, a California judge stated that while the Navy did specify the use of asbestos in the turbines and other equipment installed on Naval ships, the Navy did not prohibit GE or any other company from including a safety warning about the asbestos contained in those products, or of including recommended safety precautions for working around the equipment.
Failure to warn is only one of the grounds under which the manufacturers of materials and equipment containing asbestos have been sued. Because the industries that used asbestos deliberately chose to hide the dangers of asbestos from the general public, thousands of people have died of mesothelioma, a deadly cancer involving the lining of the lungs. Many have also died of other rare cancers that involve the tissues around the heart (pericardial mesothelioma) and abdominal area (peritoneal mesothelioma). A simple warning could have saved thousands of those lives. The companies involved chose not to include those warnings for fear of lost revenues.
The rates of mesothelioma among those who served on Naval ships, worked in shipyards and power plants or manufactured equipment and materials made with asbestos are many times greater than the incidence of mesothelioma in the general public. Mesothelioma's long latency period can mean that there are decades between the initial exposure to asbestos fibers and the onset of symptoms and diagnosis of mesothelioma. The long latency period and the widespread use of asbestos in the building, power and shipbuilding trades can make it difficult to identify which of the 3,600+ products that contained asbestos may have caused the mesothelioma.
If you worked in the shipbuilding industry prior to 1980 and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you may have legal recourses to recover damages for your injuries. The laws for seeking compensation due to workplace exposure to asbestos varies from state to state. If you seek to recover damages for your illness, check with a knowledgeable and experienced mesothelioma lawyer in your state.
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