Bethlehem Steel | Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos Lawyer

Representing Bethlehem Steel Workers with Mesothelioma & Asbestos Cancer Claims

Thousands of workers at Bethlehem Steel in Pennsylvania were likely exposed to asbestos and other toxic materials, and may develop occupational lung diseases, including mesothelioma and other cancers.

The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was a prominent steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its bankruptcy it was one of the world’s largest steel producing and shipbuilding companies. Bethlehem Steel’s headquarters and largest steel mills were based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley. In 2001, following a flood of costly litigation, Bethlehem Steel filed for bankruptcy. It became one of more than two dozen American steelmaking companies in the span of four years to file for bankruptcy protection.

Bethlehem Steel Locations:

• Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
• Johnstown, Pennsylvania
• Steelton, Pennsylvania

Former workers at Pennsylvania steel mills have been diagnosed with asbestos-related cancers, and other serious diseases. Even though the majority of former workers have already been diagnosed with cancer, it’s possible for new cancer diagnoses as the latency period for mesothelioma is quite long. Lawyers have proven in many instances that cancer cases were directly caused by toxic work sites managed by negligent employers in the steel industry.

How did this happen? It was common for the fibers from asbestos materials to get sent airborne when disturbed and were then lodged in workers’ lungs, leading to irreparable damage, and in some cases, malignant tumors. Inhaling or ingesting asbestos fibers can directly cause cancer and other lung disorders, including mesothelioma.

Nearly any worker in a Pennsylvania steel mill could have been at risk of developing serious health issues, including asbestosis, lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis and mesothelioma.

Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Asbestos Lawyer representing former Pennsylvania and Ohio steel mill workers in a wide variety of toxic tort and mesothelioma cancer claims. The Firm can investigate any toxic exposure issue for Bethlehem Steel workers and accepts cases on contingency fees.

Asbestos Exposure in Bethlehem Steel Plants

Companies used asbestos in steel plants for building and machinery insulation. The toxic material was even in much of the protective clothing workers were given. As a result, many of the former staff in the steel mills were exposed to toxic materials on a daily basis. Long term exposure was obviously quite hazardous, but even a short period of exposure could have been enough to leads to illness. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) concludes that a large percentage of occupational cancer cases each year are caused by toxic exposure at the workplace.

In many steel mills and foundries, asbestos was found in equipment and machinery that included the following:

• Ovens
• Hot blast stoves
• Furnaces
• Rolling mills
• Tanks
• Boilers
• Cranes
• Steam pipes

Ingesting or inhaling asbestos fibers could serve as the primary source for victims who develop lung cancer, asbestosis or mesothelioma.

Symptoms of Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma cancer is often diagnosed many years after a worker was first exposed. By the time symptoms appear, the cancer has most likely reached a dangerous stage.

Symptoms of mesothelioma and lung cancer include:

• Chest Pain
• Persistent cough
• Trouble breathing
• Lumps of tissue on the chest and abdomen
• Stomach pain
• Swelling of the abdomen
• Weight loss