J&L Steel
Asbestos Exposure

Was I Exposed to Asbestos in the Elyria Foundry?

The natural breakdown of asbestos products and subsequent sawing or cutting of the material creates dust and fibers that are inhaled and can lead to mesothelioma and other severe forms of lung cancer. Unlike some other ingested toxins which may be flushed from the body over time, the toxic fibers usually remain embedded in the lungs. 

When asbestos fibers are released into the air, they can be trapped in the lungs and cause scarring and inflammation. J&L, LTV and Republic Steel plants were located in the following locations:

• Canton
• Youngstown
• Cleveland
• Massillon
• Struthers
• Warren

Secondary exposure is also possible through fibers traveling on a family members clothing. Due to health concerns, all new uses of asbestos were banned in July 1989.

What is the Frequency of Asbestos Related Illness?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) all consider asbestos a known carcinogen.

Each year hundreds of Ohio men and women are diagnosed with lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis and mesothelioma—asbestos-related illnesses potentially due to past exposure. The vast majority of those who develop lung cancer and mesothelioma worked in an environment where toxins were present.

Workplaces may have been filled with toxic materials, and employers may have failed to warn of the serious health risks of the job. Examples of related illness include:

• Angiosarcoma
• Mesothelioma Cancer
• Asbestosis
• Lung Cancer
• Esophageal Cancer
• Colorectal Cancer
• Adenocarcinoma
• Pulmonary Fibrosis

Does Asbestos Cause Lung Cancer?

Although adenocarcinoma lung cancer is associated with smoking, studies indicate exposure to asbestos may cause this form of deadly cancer. Inhaling fibers at the workplace over months or years put individuals at high risk for developing adenocarcinoma lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis. In terms of duration or dose, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has concluded that there is no safe level of exposure.

Mesothelioma is a serious illness that has been linked to asbestos exposure in medical literature with a latency period of 20-50 years after being first exposed. A diagnosis of mesothelioma and lung cancer is overwhelming news for the individual and their family.

Most deaths from malignant mesothelioma in the United States are the result of exposures decades prior. However, the continuing occurrence of mesothelioma deaths among persons under the age of 55 suggests ongoing occupational and environmental exposures, despite years of action by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aimed at limiting exposure for much of the last 40 years.

To consider ways to assist in paying for medical expenses, you may talk to Attorney Joe Lyon for information on toxic exposure, treatment and compensation. Filing a toxic exposure lawsuit helps to raise the awareness of job safety, while also securing the financial compensation available to workers through multiple sources.