GEORGIA MESOTHELIOMA LAWYERS
Naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) is found in various parts of the state of Georgia. In 1902, the New York Times reported that the Pine Mountain Mica and Asbestos Mining Company would be expanding its operations to include asbestos mining in Georgia.
In the 1914 Report On the Asbestos, Talc and Soapstone Deposits of Georgia by S.W. McCallie, State of Georgia geologist, asbestos deposits were found in Habersham County and Jackson County. In addition, soapstone that was used for tombstones, fireplaces, and chimneys was found to be contaminated with tremolite and anthophyllite. The report further indicates that talc mined in Georgia contained the amphibole asbestos anthophyllite.
Asbestos exposure in the state of Georgia extends far beyond naturally occurring asbestos and the mining industry. The Georgia textile industry used a great deal of asbestos to insulate machinery and equipment exposing textile workers and the contractors who came into the mills to service the machinery and equipment. Refineries in Georgia similarly used asbestos in all aspects of the oil refining process.
Georgia’s shipping industry along the Atlantic coastline further exposed shipyard workers, who ripped out old asbestos insulation off pipes, boilers, pumps, valves, and turbines on board ships, then replaced it with new insulation. Prior to the mid-1970s the new insulation usually contained even more asbestos.
One of the defendants that is frequently named in asbestos personal injury lawsuits across the country is the Atlanta based company Georgia-Pacific. Georgia-Pacific incorporated asbestos in dry wall joint compounds and various other construction products exposing not only the workers involved in the manufacturing process, but also construction workers who used Georgia-Pacific’s asbestos-containing products.
OCCUPATIONS AT RISK
Below is a list of occupations that put Georgia workers at a known risk of asbestos exposure. If you worked in one of these occupations in the 1980s or earlier, there is a good chance that you were exposed to asbestos:
- Aircraft Mechanics & Repairmen
- Automobile Mechanics
- Boilermakers
- Chemical Plant Workers
- Construction Workers
- Electricians
- Foundry Workers
- Industrial Plant Workers
- Insulators
- Longshoremen and Stevedores
- Oil Refinery Workers
- Pipefitters
- Plasterers
- Power Plant Workers
- Railroad Workers
- Sheetmetal Workers
- Shipyard Workers
- U.S. Navy Veterans
- Welders
JOB SITES WITH KNOWN ASBESTOS EXPOSURE
The following is a list of some of the Georgia job sites where there is a documented use of asbestos products. If you or a family member worked at one of these places, you may be at a heightened risk of asbestos disease.
If you believe that you may have been exposed to asbestos at your own job, please contact a mesothelioma attorney for more information. There are many other job sites in Georgia where asbestos was used.
Shipyards
- Brunswick Shipyard
- Savannah Shipyard
- J.A. Jones Shipyard
- Civilian Shipyard
Oil and Refineries
- Hercules Refinery
- Texaco Bulk Storage
- Chevron Bulk Storage
- Chevron Plant
- Mobil Bulk Storage Plant
- Shell Plant
Paper and Textile Mills
- Brunswick Pulp & Paper Mill
- Buckeye Paper Mill
- Coats & Clark Textil Mill
- Coats & Clark Thread Company
- Continental Can Paper Mill
- Federal Paper Mill
- Fulton Cotton Mill
- Georgia Pacific Paper Mill
- Great Southern Paper Mill
- Gilman Paper Company
- International Paper Company
- Interstate Paper Mill
- J.P. Stevens Textile Mill
- Mead Paper Mill
- Northern Paper Mill
- Rayonier Paper Mill
- Regal Textile
- Rome Craft Paper Mill
- Southeastern Papermill
- Southeastern Pulp
- Union Bag paper Mill
- West Point Pepperill Textile Mill
Power Plants
- Achinson Power Plant
- Arkwright Power Plant
- Atkinson Power Plant
- Baxley Nuclear Plant
- Carterville Power Plant
- Georgia Power & Light
- Georgia Power Plant
- Hammond Power Plant
- Harley Branch Power
- Harley Steam Plant
- Hatch Nuclear Plant
- Mcintosh Power Plant
- Plant Bowen Powerhouse
- McMannus Power Plant
- Yates Power Plant
- Scherer Power Plant
Chemical and Other Industries
- 3M Chemical Plant
- Armstrong Cork Corporation
- Babcock & Wilcox Plant
- Burns Brick Company
- Chemstrand Plant
- Chevron Chemical Co.
- Columbia Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant
- Crusable Steel Mill
- Dupont
- Firestone Tire Plant
- General Electric Plant
- General Motors Plant
- Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
- Glassrock Products, Inc.
- Hercules Inc.
- Johns-Manville Plant
- Lockheed Martin Plant
- Owens-Corning Plant
- Owens-Illinois Plant
- Savannah Sugar Plant
- Stephens Firebrick
- Swift Manufacturing
- The Cotton Producers Assoc.
- Welding Supply & Service
- Western Electric
MESOTHELIOMA IN GEORGIA
The high levels of asbestos used in Georgia industries have taken their toll on the health of Georgia workers, who have one of the highest rates of mesothelioma in the country. Mesothelioma is a deadly cancer of the lining of the lungs and abdomen, which is caused by asbestos exposure.
Like other asbestos diseases, mesothelioma has a long latency period. This means that a person usually develops mesothelioma long after the initial exposure to asbestos – usually between 10 and 50 years later. Due to this latency period, the number of Georgia mesothelioma deaths continues to rise even though asbestos is seldom used in Georgia today.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), from 1999 to 2002 Georgia had 145 deaths caused by the disease mesothelioma. This ranked Georgia 23rd in the nation among mesothelioma deaths.
GEORGIA MESOTHELIOMA LAWYER
If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, and you believe you were exposed to asbestos in Georgia, it is important that you contact a skilled attorney with experience in asbestos litigation. In addition, time is of the essence, because you have a limited amount of time to file suit.
We urge you to contact one of our mesothelioma lawyers for a free consultation. We can help you investigate the sources of your exposure, and determine what companies were responsible.