Thousands of retired workers at General Motors Auto and Truck Assembly facilities are at risk of developing dangerous health issues as a result of asbestos exposure.
A landslide of occupational cancer litigation caused GM to file for bankruptcy in 2009. A trust fund then began processing claims in with an estimated $625 million to compensate cancer victims.
For over 60 years, several thousand GM plant employees were hired and subsequently exposed to asbestos in the production facilities, as well as different types of toxic auto parts.
For much of that time, health professionals warned employers and workers about the dangers of auto plant exposure, though many companies, including General Motors, failed to heed the warnings and properly protect their employees.
A study published nearly 40 years ago by the Journal of Occupational Medicine concluded automobile manufacturing employees have an increased risk of lung cancer.
With this knowledge that workers were facing dire health hazards, corporations like GM carried on manufacturing and chose not to warn employees of the risks.
Nearly any worker at a GM Assembly plant could be at risk of developing serious health issues, including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.
Joe Lyon is a highly-rated personal injury lawyer representing plaintiffs nationwide in a wide variety of toxic tort and mesothelioma claims.
General Motors Plant Cancer Risk
The majority of General Motor major injury lawsuits implicates the company’s asbestos-containing brake linings and clutch facings. Any person handling these products, or facing direct exposure, is at risk of developing a future illness, including factory line workers, brake and clutch assemblers, and warehouse employees.
Many factory workers at GM plants faced an occupational exposure. These production sites were built with asbestos bricks, drywall, and heating and water pipes. And some employees were even at a higher risk. The General Motors occupations most endangered by asbestos include the following:
- Brake and Clutch assemblers
- Boiler workers
- Lathe operators
- Drill press operators
- Grinding operators—any workers polishing product surfaces
- Assembly line workers
- Maintenance Crews
- Welders
- Machinists
- Warehouse workers
Auto Industry Asbestos Exposure
GM and other auto companies used asbestos in auto parts and buildings because of its heat-resistant quality. But when these auto parts begin to break down through friction, toxic dust can fill factory floors and warehouses.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) warns that dust and fibers can spread far and wide, up to 75 feet from the point of initial disruption.
As of the 1990’s General Motors still used asbestos some capacity in brake systems. Toxic linings are also still used in certain imports models. Other common auto parts that may pose a health risk include the following:
- Adhesives
- Transmissions—manual and automatic
- Clutch Linings
- Brake Linings
- Engine housing
- Gaskets
- Disc brakes
- Drum Brakes
St. Louis Assembly Asbestos
When inhaled, asbestos fibers can become lodged in the tissue surrounding the lungs and cause permanent scarring. The embedded fibers can later cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Related diseases may present with a variety of symptoms, and may not show until many years after exposure. Due to a long latency period, many former GM workers may not be diagnosed for up to decades after exposure. Signs and symptoms of lung cancer and mesothelioma typically include:
- Chest Pain
- Cough
- Persistent fatigue
- Trouble swallowing and breathing
- Swelling of the abdomen
Legal Action for General Motors Workers
The majority of the numerous lawsuits filed against GM involve the use of asbestos in its brakes, clutches, transmissions and factory building materials. Brake linings may have contained up to 40 to 60 percent asbestos fibers. The linings were often ground and sanded, causing asbestos fibers to enter the air where it was inhaled by employees.
Employees of GM plants who have been exposed to an unsafe work environment may have been put at risk with various dangerous products.
If former or current workers in GM plants have been ill and diagnosed with lung conditions, it may be a result of occupational asbestos exposure. Affected employees have a valid claim against their employers, and should consider seeking experienced legal assistance.
