Former employees of Dayton, Ohio’s Howard Paper Company are at serious risk of developing asbestos-related diseases such as cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls mesothelioma “a fatal cancer primarily associated with exposure to asbestos.”
Howard Paper Company was not alone in endangering workers. Thousands of workers in Ohio’s paper industry could have been at risk for asbestos exposure. Like many factories built and until the 1970s, paper mills regularly used asbestos in building materials as well as in basic mill machinery.
Because many of Howard Paper’s milling operations such as pulping involved extreme temperatures, asbestos was used to insulate many areas in the workplace.
Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Cincinnati asbestos lawyer and Ohio personal injury attorney representing plaintiffs nationwide in a wide variety of toxic tort and mesothelioma claims.
Ohio Paper Industry Workers Exposed
Paper mills were constructed with industrial materials such as adhesives, piping, ceiling and floor tiles and cement that contained asbestos. As a result, toxic asbestos dust collected in the air, which exposed almost any worker in the plant.
When workers inhale asbestos for long periods of time, the fibers may become lodged in the tissue surrounding the lungs, causing inflammation and scarring, and lead to asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma.
When symptoms of mesothelioma present themselves, the disease is usually in its later stages. Some signs present as the following:
• Pain in the side of the chest or back
• Shortness of breath
• Persistent cough
• Fever
• Excessive sweating
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Trouble swallowing
• Swelling of the face and arms
Paper Mill Workers Risk Asbestos Exposure
Paper mill workers may have been exposed to asbestos during different stages in the manufacturing process, including the following:
• Machine setters
• Machine tenders and operators
• Truck and tractor operators
• Printing machine operators
• Screen printers
• System operators
• Assemblers and fabricators
• Boiler workers
• Maintenance workers
Maintenance staff at paper mills faced some of the highest risk of toxic exposure. One study found that among paper industry employees, the majority of fatal asbestos exposure occurred in maintenance workers.
Howard Paper Asbestos Exposure
• Paper cutting, sawing and slicing
• Banding, wrapping, boxing, stitching, or sealing paper or paperboard sheets
• Transporting raw materials (wood, pulp, etc.)
• Inspecting machines
• Repairing machines
• Handling talc and sanding paper
• Working on piping and boilers
Paper Mill Hazards and Mesothelioma
The American Journal of Epidemiology published a serious study that found mill workers were “at increased risk of dying from lung cancer and mesothelioma, probably due to exposure to asbestos.”
A Swedish study in 2001 also showed an increased risk of mesothelioma among paper mill workers. Over 70 percent of the victims had been exposed to asbestos, the majority working as maintenance workers in the factories
Compensation for Mesothelioma Victims
Ohio asbestos attorneys have filed claims against several Ohio paper mills, stating they provided dangerous products, and endangered thousands of workers.
Any former employee of Howard Paper may have been exposed to toxins in an unsafe work environment. Attorneys in Ohio claim some paper companies have been negligent for the following:
• Failing to warn employees of the presence of asbestos fibers on their premises
• Failing to comply with state and federal safety regulations
• Failing to take measures to protect employees from airborne asbestos exposure
• Failing to implement precautions and provide necessary safety equipment
