There is a strong possibility that former Ohio workers in the plants of Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel, were exposed to asbestos, and may develop lung diseases, including deadly cancers such as lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Like many companies in the steel industry, Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel used asbestos as an insulator on its work site because of its fire resistibility. For many years, this material went unregulated and posed terrible risks. As asbestos-containing materials aged and were replaced, asbestos fibers often were sent airborne and inhaled by many workers in the steel mill.
Asbestos fibers can be lodged in the lungs, which can cause scarring, and in many cases, tumors. Inhaled asbestos fibers can rest in the lungs for decades, causing lung cancer and other health issues, including mesothelioma. Many former workers at Wheeling-Pittsburgh steel plants at Steubenville, OH, Yorkville, OH, Mingo Junction, OH and Martins Ferry, OH have been diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases.
Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Cincinnati asbestos lawyer and Ohio toxic tort attorney representing plaintiffs in Wheeling Pittsburgh Asbestos exposure and mesothelioma claims.
Asbestos Found in Several Locations on Plant Sites
In addition to working in the buildings themselves, steel mill workers at Wheeling Pittsburgh were likely exposed to asbestos through protective garments, including coats, leggings, gloves aprons, coveralls and facemasks that were meant to protect workers from extreme temperatures and from burns. The process of making metal products typically involves temperatures as high as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Even if they were not participating in the manufacturing of steel, workers at Wheeling-Pittsburg may have been exposed to asbestos and risked developing mesothelioma from toxic building materials such as refractory bricks, floor and ceiling tiles, and liner boards. Asbestos insulation was wrapped around hot pipes, furnaces, ovens, tanks, generators, rolling mills, cranes and boilers.
Since asbestos fibers can become attached to clothes at the workplace, there is a chance of contaminating the home, putting family members at risk.
Asbestos was used in steel plants for machinery insulation in equipment including the following:
- Ovens
- Hot blast stoves
- Furnaces
- Rolling mills
- Tanks
- Boilers
- Cranes
- Steam pipes
