ASBESTOS METAL WORKS
Old deceptions in the metal works industry are killing retired workers today

The asbestos-laden metal works industry is one of many known to subject workers to dangerous levels of asbestos exposure. Other hazardous industries include the: automobile, construction, electrical, power plant and shipyard industries.

The metal works industry

January 7, 2010 - Like many industries throughout the 20th century, the metal works industry used asbestos abundantly for its fire-retardant properties, and completely ignored the toxic effects it had on workers.

The metal works industry has long contributed to the rising rate of asbestos-related deaths among the world's industrial plant workers. Every year, 90,000 people die worldwide from asbestos exposure, according to World Health Organization estimates.

Hazards in the metal works industry

Metal works plants that manufactured steel, aluminum and iron often used asbestos to help protect workers against the fire and extreme heat metal works facilities are known for.

Even asbestos clothing articles (such as pants, aprons, shirts, gloves, shoe covers and masks) were worn by workers in metal works facilities. And in addition to clothes, equipment such as furnaces, boilers, generators and pipes were also lined with asbestos.

Asbestos insulation probably saved a number of lives from fire. But the number of lives it saved is very small when compared to the number of lives it has taken, and continues to take. Some 3,000 Americans die every year from asbestos-related disease, and that rate is expected to peak in 2010, according to researchers at the Centers for Disease Control.

Long latency period

The insidious thing about asbestos exposure is that decades can pass before symptoms emerge and a medical diagnosis can be made. As a result, retired workers from the asbestos metal works industry (who plied their trade in aluminum plants, steel mills and iron works) are today vulnerable to developing fatal diseases that include lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma.

Company executives often defended the toxic mineral and kept silent about its hazards. Courts today recognize employers’ deceptions, and those of the asbestos product manufacturers’, and allow injured workers to seek adequate compensation for their illnesses and lost wages.

Time to seek justice

The law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of asbestos-injured workers since 1986. And in that time the firm's mesothelioma lawyers have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients injured by occupational asbestos exposure.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and seek a free case review, please notify us through the communication form on this page. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.

Please know, the firm works on a contingency basis so there is no cost to you until we obtain a verdict or reach a settlement in your favor.