The Lyon Firm is investigating Brier Hill Works asbestos exposure claims on behalf of former Youngstown Iron Sheet Tube employees and contractors. Factories, foundries and other manufacturing facilities in Ohio were known to contain hazardous asbestos materials that may have caused cancer and other serious illness to those who spent time in the facilities.
Former workers at Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company at Ohio’s Brier Hill Works plant may have been exposed to asbestos and could possibly develop related illnesses decades later. The Youngstown, Ohio Brier Hill Works closed in 1979, though employed thousands of Ohio workers, endangering many with asbestos at the work site.
As a result of occupational exposure to asbestos, many former workers at Youngstown Sheet & Tube are filing lawsuits to compensate for their serious and deadly illnesses.
Inhaling toxic asbestos fibers for long periods can severely damage tissue surrounding the lungs. Because of the large amount of asbestos material in Ohio steel plants, Youngstown workers were at high risk of developing serious health issues.
Medical researchers have published several studies related to cases of asbestosis among steel workers. Inhaled asbestos fibers have been found in the lungs of workers up to five decades after exposure, causing cancers such as mesothelioma.
Direct handling of machinery, equipment and material at the Brier Hill Works plant in Youngstown, Ohio exposed workers to large amounts of asbestos on a daily basis—asbestos was added to hundreds of products until the 1970s, many of them used in the steel industry.
From the 1940s until Youngstown Sheet & Tube shut down, steel plants commonly used asbestos as an insulation material and were constructed with asbestos in refractory bricks, floor and ceiling tiles. Employees often wore protective asbestos clothing during production processes. Protective gloves, aprons, coveralls and facemasks all contained asbestos materials.
Contact The Lyon Firm if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer following employment at Brier Hill Works or another Ohio location infested with toxic building materials. Companies have a duty to protect their workers, and are liable for compensating them for injuries or illnesses sustained on their premises.
Brier Hill Works Injury
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that was first utilized in the early 1900s for its insulating abilities, fireproof properties, and versatility. Heavy industries in Ohio have used it in strengthening cement and plastics, as well as in insulation in piping and boilers, and foundry fireproofing.
It has been estimated that over 30 million tons of asbestos was used in the American economy in industrial yards, homes, schools, shipyards, and other workplaces. Thus, asbestos exposure was widespread.
The auto industry widely used asbestos in brake shoes and clutch pads, and construction firms have used it in roofing tiles, floor tiles, paints, and adhesives.
With all these uses, thousands of workers in Ohio were regularly exposed to the toxic material and risked developing terrible diseases like mesothelioma and adenocarcinoma lung cancer.
Brier Hill Works Asbestos Exposure
The following tasks were associated with high Youngstown asbestos exposure at the plant:
- Inspecting factory equipment
- Machining, fitting and assembling steel products
- Assembling and repairing boilers
- Operating plant machines
- Welding projects
- Tending stoves or furnaces
- Forging and heat-treating steel products
- Insulating pipe systems
- Installing floor or ceiling tiles
- Smelting and pouring materials
- Working in any enclosed space with asbestos products
The Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company and employers at the Brier Hill Works failed to meet a responsibility for maintaining a safe work environment for their employees.
Therefore, many metal and steel plant workers affected by asbestos-related diseases have filed lawsuits. Attorneys state that asbestos manufacturers and steel factory management knew about the health dangers and failed to properly warn employees.
Throughout Ohio, steel plants have been involved in asbestos litigation for exposing former workers to asbestos. As a result, Youngstown asbestos manufacturers, steel corporations and established asbestos trusts have paid billions to victims in compensation for the damage done.
There are professions that are more associated with asbestos exposure than others, generally because of the materials used in a job or where the position was located. Occupations most likely to present an occupational exposure include:
- Plumbers & Pipefitters
- Auto Mechanics
- Electricians
- Maintenance Crews
- Welders
- Machine operators
