NEW YORK MESOTHELIOMA LAWYERS

Since the country’s founding, New York has been at the epicenter of United States commerce and industry. If New York were an independent nation, it would rank as the 15th largest economy in the world. New York City is the most populous city in the United States. As a result of its centuries old standing as the nation’s economic powerhouse, New York has a large number of high-risk industries for asbestos-related diseases. Asbestos was widely used at shipyards, railways, construction sites, oil and chemical refineries, foundries, and power plants. Asbestos products were extensively used for insulation and fire proofing purposes at these work sites.

The Empire State is considered by many to be the birthplace of the asbestos industry. H.W. Johns Manufacturing Company, which later became the Johns-Manville Company, was founded in New York and became the world’s largest producer of asbestos products. For over one century, until its bankruptcy in 1982, Johns-Manville mined and produced asbestos. The naturally occurring asbestos deposits in Jefferson County, located in the northeastern part of the state, were mined by Johns-Manville. Jefferson County had the highest rate of mesothelioma in the United States prior to 1980. H.W. Jones, the founder of the asbestos industry, died from asbestosis.

Workers in the energy industry, such as Con-Edison workers, are particularly susceptible to asbestos diseases. In the large power plants, asbestos products were used as insulation for boilers, steam pipes, furnaces and hot water pipes. Asbestos was also used as the fireproofing agent on ships. Shipyard workers, such as those at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, have also been disproportionately afflicted with mesothelioma.

Tradesmen in the construction sector have experienced high rates of asbestos-related diseases. Asbestos is widespread in New York’s many fine public and private buildings Construction workers were unaware of the dangers of asbestos dust during the construction of these buildings or at large projects, such as JFK Airport. If the asbestos materials used in construction are sealed and remain in an undisturbed state there is little danger. This is why there is always a need for an asbestos abatement program when asbestos is discovered.

The World Trade Center’s Twin Towers used hundreds of tons of asbestos-containing material during its construction between 1968 and 1972. The devastation of September 11, 2001, which blanketed several square miles of New York City with fine powder, has already generated grave health problems. The tragic event underscores the disastrous fact that asbestos dust does not only harm asbestos workers. Throughout New York and the nation, family members have also died as a result of breathing asbestos dust brought home on the clothing and hair of their loved ones.

OCCUPATIONS AT RISK

Below is a list of occupations that put New York workers at a known risk of asbestos exposure. If you worked in one of these occupation in the 1980’s or earlier, there is a good chance you were exposed to asbestos:

Aircraft Mechanics & Repairmen
Automobile Mechanics
Boilermakers
Brick and Stone Masons
Carpenters
Chemical Plant Workers
Chemical Technicians
Construction Workers
Crane and Hoist Men
Drill Press Operators
Drywall Tapers
Electric Power Linemen & Cable Men
Electricians
Engineers
Firefighters
Foundry Workers
Freight and Material Handlers
Furnace Men, Smelter-Men & Pourers
Garage Workers
Grinding Machine Operators
Heavy Equipment Mechanics
HVAC Workers
Industrial Engineers
Industrial Plant Workers
Insulators
Iron Workers
Laborers
Locomotive Engineers
Longshoremen and Stevedores
Machine Operators
Machinists
Merchant Marines
Metal Lathers
Millwrights & Mill Workers
Mixing Operators
Molders
Oil Refinery Workers
Painters
Pipefitters
Plasterers
Plumbers
Power Plant Workers
Railroad Workers
Roofers and Slaters
Sheetmetal Workers
Shipyard Workers
Steamfitters
Textile Operators
Tile Setters
U.S. Navy Veterans
Welders

JOB SITES WITH KNOWN ASBESTOS EXPOSURE

The following is a list of some of the New York 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 one of our mesothelioma attorneys for more information. The sites include:

Shipyards

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Caddell Dry Dock
GMD Shipyard
Todd Shipyards Brooklyn

Power Plants

Central Hudson Gas & Electric
Charles Poletti Power Plant
Con-Edison Powerhouses
Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant
Flynn Power Plant
Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant
Long Island Lighting Co. (LILCO) Powerhouses
Niagra Mohawk Stations
Nine Mile Point 1 & II
Robert E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant
Rochester Gas & Electric

Metal Works

Alcoa
Bethlehem Steel
Crucible Materials
Jones and Laughlin Steel
Phelps Dodge
Revere Smelting
Reynolds Metals
Rome Strip Steel

Manufacturing Plants

BASF
Borg Warner
Corning
Dupont
Eastman-Kodak
Esso Research & Engine Co.
Ford Motor Company
Foster Wheeler
General Electric
Georgia Pacific
Grumman Aircraft Engineering Co.
Grumman Aerospace Corp.
Hercules Powder
International Paper
Kimberly Clark
Kraft Foods
Lookheed Martin
Nabisco
Nestle Foods
Northrop Grumman
Owens-Corning
Republican Aviation Corp.
Xerox

Oil and Refineries

Ashland Oil
Mobil

Other sites

Board of Education, Long Island
Bristol Lab
Brookhaven National Labs
Department of Sanitation Storeroom, NY, NY
E.I. Dupont De Nemours & Co.
Fairchild-Hiller Corp.
Grand Central Station
JFK Airport
Long Island City Depository
New York Air Brake Co.
New York Transit Authority
Ottis Elevator Company
Penn NY Central Transportation Co.
Proctor & Gamble Mfg. Co.
World Trade Center

MESOTHELIOMA IN NEW YORK

Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive and deadly cancer that occurs in the thin layer of tissue that covers the majority of the body’s internal organs. It most often affects the tissue that surrounds the lungs. New York’s industrial workers suffer among the highest malignant mesothelioma mortality rates in the nation. According to the Centers for Disease Control, New York ranks 4th among the states in the number of mesothelioma deaths. Rensselaer County has the nation’s 10th highest mortality rate per population.

Mesothelioma has a lengthy latency period. This means that a person develops mesothelioma long after the initial exposure to asbestos. This period ranges from 10 to 50 years after contact with the asbestos product. As a result, the disproportionate number of mesothelioma deaths in New York will sadly continue.

NEW YORK MESOTHELIOMA LAWYER

Our firm has decades of experience in helping workers recover just compensation for their mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure. We have a lengthy track record of recovering millions in verdicts and settlements for deserving victims and their families.

We urge you to immediately contact one of our mesothelioma attorneys for a free consultation. We can assist you by investigating the sources of your asbestos exposure and determining what companies were responsible.