Ohio Chrysler Plant: Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos Cancer Lawyers

Representing Chrysler Plant Workers in Mesothelioma & Lung Cancer Claims

Former employees in Ohio’s Chrysler factories are at risk of developing asbestos-related diseases. Most Mesothelioma Cancer with known asbestos faced a dangerous occupational exposure. Many work sites were built with asbestos bricks, drywall, and included asbestos insulation on heating and water piping.

Since the 1980s Chrysler has been a defendant in thousands of claims because it used, manufactured, and sold automobile parts containing asbestos. When inhaled and ingested, asbestos may become lodged in tissues surrounding the lungs, causing scarring and disease. The embedded fibers can develop into asbestosis and increase the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Workers at the highest health risk directly handled clutches and installed brake linings. Any worker that packed, unpacked, installed, sanded, polished, ground, and drilled parts for installation assumed serious exposure risks. However, Chrysler plant employees were not warned of these risks, and the company failed to take the proper precautions to protect workers from asbestos and other handled toxins.

In a telling study published almost 40 years ago by the Journal of Occupational Medicine, researchers concluded that employees of automobile manufacturers have an increased risk of cancer. Yet, with this knowledge that auto workers faced health hazards, Chrysler continued manufacturing dangerous products, and failed to warn employees of the risks.

Nearly any worker in an Ohio auto plant could be at risk of developing serious health issues, including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Asbestos lawyer and personal injury lawyer representing plaintiffs nationwide in a wide variety of toxic tort and mesothelioma claims.

Chrysler Plant Asbestos Risk

Auto parts are manufactured with asbestos because of its heat-resistant qualities. However, when these parts begin to break down over time, toxic asbestos fibers fill the workspaces of auto plants. Reports from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) advise mechanics and auto factory workers to assume all brake mechanisms are made with asbestos.

When asbestos fibers become airborne, they can be inhaled, ingested or stuck to workers’ person and clothes. Thus, asbestos can be carried home, exposing entire families to the same hazards as the workplace. The following auto plant positions are considered very high-risk:

• Insulators
• Auto mechanics
• Brake and Clutch assemblers
• Boiler workers
• Welders
• Machinists
• Warehouse part pickers
• Lathe operators
• Drill press operators
• Grinding operators—workers polishing product surfaces
• Assembly line workers—belts and belt drives were often reinforced with asbestos fibers
• Maintenance Crews

Auto Parts Containing Asbestos

Auto parts that commonly pose a threat include:

• Adhesives
• Automatic Transmissions
• Manual Transmissions
• Brake Linings
• Disc Brakes
• Drum Brakes
• Engine housings
• Hoodliners
• Clutches
• Gaskets
• Heat Seals
• Valve Rings

Chrysler Plant Locations in Ohio

Chrysler plant employees may have been exposed to asbestos products at several Ohio manufacturers. Some of the notable Chrysler plants and subsidiaries include:

• Toledo Machining—Perrysburg, Ohio
• Toledo North Assembly—Toledo, Ohio
• Toledo Supplier Park—Toledo, Ohio
• Twinsburg Stamping—Twinsburg, Ohio

Symptoms of Asbestos-Related Illness

Asbestos-related diseases and cancers may lay dormant for decades, and many workers may not be diagnosed for up to 40 years after exposure.
Symptoms of lung diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma may include:

• Chest Pain
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Trouble swallowing
• Swelling of the abdomen

Chrysler Asbestos Lawsuits

In New York, a jury awarded $25 million to a victim diagnosed with mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos from Chrysler brakes. The plaintiff worked at a New York brake shop and stripped linings from old brakes and replaced them for over 20 years.

Chrysler has been targeted in many recent major injury lawsuits, many as a result of their asbestos-containing brake linings and clutch facings. The company also knowingly purchased parts containing asbestos from third-party companies, further exposing consumers and employees to the dangerous products.

Chrysler manufactured brake drum linings and sold parts like clutches, brake shoes and support plates since the 1950s. Evidence has been presented in court that shows Chrysler knew about the dangers of asbestos and it failed to place warnings on its products.