Haynes Power Plant Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos Cancer Lawyer

Representing California Steam Turbine Power Plant Workers in Mesothelioma & Lung Cancer Claims

The Haynes plant, operating since 1962, is owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). the plant has seven power generating units and generates power for about a million homes. Haynes is one of three power plants owned by the LADWP. The others include Harbor plant on Terminal Island and the Scattergood in Playa Del Rey.

Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises supplied steam boilers for the Haynes Steam Turbine Power Plant, a supplier that later faced thousands of lawsuits for toxic asbestos in their components.

Consequently, power plant asbestos exposure was likely for thousands of workers over the years, many of whom inhaled toxic dust, which can directly cause serious illness and cancers like mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Former Haynes power plant employees in Long Beach, California have filed occupational cancer claims against former employers for failing to provide a safe workplace and for failing to properly warn staff of the potential occupational health risks.

Asbestos-containing materials were frequently used in power plant equipment before the 1980s. Workers in power plants were exposed to a number of toxic products, including:

• Acoustic plaster which provided noise reduction inside power plants, and added additional fireproofing

• Asbestos blankets were used to prevent worker burn injury and prevent fires in power plants

• Asbestos Pipe Coverings with asbestos insulation used to control the heat radiating from piping

• Industrial boilers contained asbestos insulation and gaskets

• Transformer cables were wrapped in asbestos insulation

• Paneling containing asbestos was used throughout power plants as an effective form of fireproofing

• Asbestos gaskets

• Mastic, also called caulk, was used to create seals and make repairs

• Asbestos cement was used to make arc chutes, which are found in power plants

• Asbestos Firebricks

The companies that manufactured asbestos products included General Electric, Kilnoise, Babock & Wilcox, Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing, Durabla Manufacturing Company, Georgia-Pacific’s affiliate, Bestwall Gypsum Company and Johns Manville.

Power Plant Asbestos Cancer Risk

Several studies have documented increased cancer rates among power plant workers. According to the British Journal of Industrial Medicine, studies of asbestos insulation workers show a “higher than expected death rate due to malignant mesothelioma.”

Another asbestos health study published by the Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology concluded certain employees in the power generation industry have been heavily impacted.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has said that there is no safe level of asbestos exposure and that even a short duration of exposure can possibly lead to lung disease. Asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma have all been linked to handling asbestos products.

Nearly any worker in Haynes Steam power plant could have been at risk of toxic exposure and later developing serious illness.

California consistently ranks in the top ten states for new asbestos-related illnesses. Many of the cancer victims developed cancer after working in power plants, military bases, shipyards and manufacturing facilities.

Lawyers claim many utility corporations like Haynes knew about the health risks of asbestos materials but chose not to find an alternative to use as insulation.