What you can do if you were exposed to asbestos by corporations in Georgia
Your asbestos-related illness may have occurred at any one of Georgia’s many sources of asbestos exposure. As one of the main commercial and industrial centers of the American South, the state has a long history of asbestos use. A large part of this is because of the abundance of naturally occurring asbestos in areas of Georgia such as the southern Appalachian mountain region, Westpoint Lake, the South Carolina border, Atlanta, and Milledgeville.According to a US Geological Survey report, Georgia has 17 former asbestos mines and 26 former sites where asbestos was prospected, or evaluated, for possible commercial use, either by trenching and/or drilling. The report also noted nine “asbestos occurrences,” which are additional sites where asbestos was discovered. More recent cases of asbestos exposure in Atlanta, however, are connected to the state’s construction, manufacturing, and energy industries.
Weitz & Luxenberg is aware of the widespread use of asbestos in states such as Georgia and the harm that it has caused hardworking Americans like you or your family member. For over two decades we have handled numerous asbestos litigation cases, and throughout this time we have obtained a total of $3 billion in various settlements and verdicts involving clients just like you. Please continue to read more about asbestos exposure in Georgia so that we can help you hold the company who got you sick accountable.
Fatalities in Georgia due to asbestos-related diseases
Figures published by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit organization that specializes in environmental research, Georgia is ranked as number 26 in the US for deaths due to asbestos-related diseases. There have been up to 757 estimated deaths from asbestos diseases in the state since 1979. About 239 of the fatalities are from the asbestos-induced respiratory disease, asbestosis, and roughly 527 of them were caused by the deadly cancer mesothelioma.
Sources of asbestos exposure in Georgia include:
Georgia Pacific: This major manufacturing corporation, based in Atlanta, has been found liable in a large number of asbestos cases. Georgia Pacific owned and operated pulp and paper mills that used “drying felts” which frequently contained asbestos adhesive materials. In addition, Georgia-Pacific was one of the large corporations behind the ironically named FAIR (Fairness in Asbestos Injury Recovery) Act put forward by Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, which was rejected by Congress most recently in 2006. If passed, The FAIR Act would have denied asbestos victims the right to sue corporations for their injuries while shielding companies like Georgia Pacific from liability. The New York Times reported that the company also used asbestos“to make a compound used to hang wallboard” from 1965 to 1977. According to the Times article, since 2001, Georgia Pacific has had 62,000 asbestos claims filed against it.
Other possible sites of asbestos exposure:
- Johns Manville Corp. Winder, GA
- Bowen Power Plant, Bartow County, GA
- Kraft Power Plant, Port Wentworth, GA
- Savannah Machine & Foundry , Savannah, GA
- Savannah Shipyard , Savannah, GA
- Southern Railroad Warehouse , Savannah, GA
- Union Bag Paper Mill, Savannah, GA
- Georgia Power , Smyrna, GA
- Gilman Paper Co., St. Marys, GA
- American Woolen Mills, Tipton, GA
- J.P. Stevens Textiles, Tipton, GA
- Georgia Power , Waynesboro, GA
- J.P. Stevens Textiles Thomaston, GA
- US Army Base, Fort Benning, GA
If you were exposed to asbestos in Georgia, let us help
Weitz & Luxenberg is familiar with the actions of companies like the ones in Georgia that knowingly exposed individuals like you to asbestos, and we can help to make sure you get just compensation for your illness. This compensation can help cover medical bills, and other related expenses. It can also help to guarantee financial stability for you and your family.
Our firm has a team of skilled attorneys with a wealth of knowledge concerning asbestos-related illnesses. Please contact us by filling out the confidential form on this page. After sending the form, a representative from our firm will be in touch to provide you with a free legal consultation concerning your case.
Acknowledgments:
http://www.ewg.org/sites/asbestos/tables/deathdetails_state.php
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/noa/docs/gamap.pdf
If you live in Pennsylvania, you may have been exposed to asbestos