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.