CALIFORNIA POWER PLANTS

"California Dreaming": A nightmare for workers inside the state's asbestos-laden power plants

Despite California’s colorful reputation for sun, surf and music, an independent study has categorized California as the No. 1 state in the nation for asbestos-related mortalities. The state’s power plants, almost literally waxed like surfboards with asbestos, have contributed greatly to this not-so-sunny distinction.

California power plants

June 17, 2010 – California power plants, and power plants all across the nation for that matter, are dangerous places to work because they contain machinery and equipment lined and covered with asbestos, a cancer-causing material commonly used in power plants because it resists heat and fire so well, and because it is a poor conductor of electricity and, thus, a good insulation material.

Giant generators and turbines are likely to be lined with asbestos. California power plant workers who come in contact with this machinery, especially those who maintain it, run a great risk of being exposed to asbestos.

The boilers and pipes found in most power plants are insulated with asbestos, as are gaskets, seal pumps and valves. Even the floor, wall and ceiling tiles of power plants are likely to contain asbestos materials.

California power plants by name

Power plants in California known to be sites where asbestos exposure has occurred include: Diablo Canyon Power Plant, Los Angeles County Water and Electric, Pacific Gas & Electric Power Plant, P.G.E. Power Plant, Southern California Edison, and the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

Asbestos exposure occurs when California power plant workers accidentally inhale airborne asbestos fibers that have dislodged from the insulations and linings on industrial plant machinery.

Mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis are the most common illnesses associated with occupational asbestos exposure. Asbestos diseases kill at least 10,000 workers in the United States, and 90,000 people worldwide, every year.

And despite efforts in the past few decades to either remove or encapsulate asbestos-containing materials from California power plants, many plant workers are being diagnosed with mesothelioma and other fatal illnesses today. That’s because asbestos fibers can fester in lung tissue for decades before symptoms of mesothelioma emerge, or a diagnosis can be made.

Many California power plant workers diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease have contacted our firm seeking information on how filing an asbestos claim can help them and their families.

California power plant workers have options

Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of asbestos-injured workers for 25 years – longer than most law firms in the nation. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and seek FREE legal guidance and answers to your concerns, please notify us through the communication form on this page.

We will pursue your asbestos claim with vigilance and help you obtain the maximum amount of compensation you are entitled to. There is no cost to you until we obtain a settlement or a verdict in your favor.