Thousands of former Libbey Owens Ford Glass workers in Toledo, Ohio were at high risk of severe health issues after continual asbestos exposure. Many glass factory workers faced an occupational exposure risk because the buildings themselves were built with with asbestos bricks, flooring, drywall, and insulated piping.
The Libbey Owens Ford Company (LOF) was a flat glass producer for the automotive industry–particularly Ford. The company built glass windshields and windows for new cars and replacement products. The Libbey headquarters and main facilities were located in Toledo, Ohio, with large glass plants in Rossford, Ohio, Laurinburg, North Carolina, Ottawa, Illinois, Shreveport, Louisiana, and Lathrop, California.
The company was originally formed in 1930 by merging the Libbey-Owens’ sheet-glass operation with the Edward Ford Plate Glass Company, both operating out of Toledo.
In 1922, a Libbey-Owens sheet glass plant opened in Shreveport, Louisiana, still operating to this day as Libbey Glass. Libbey-Owens was the first company to produce automotive laminated safety glass and won a contract to supply the Ford Motor Company. In April 1986, Libbey Owens sold its glass business to a multinational glass manufacturer headquartered in the UK.
When workers unknowingly inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers, the toxins became lodged in lung tissues leading to permanent scarring and a later risk for developing asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.
Toledo, Ohio Libbey Owens Ford Glass plant workers may have been at risk without their knowledge and may not have even known there were toxic materials in their work sites.
Libbey Owens Ford Asbestos Lawsuits
Asbestos dust can cause cancer, typically after prolonged occupational exposure. The auto industry was a huge offender of work safety violations, and thousands of former Ford workers have fallen ill. When victims are diagnosed with an occupational lung disease, they should contact a toxic exposure lawyer to initiate a claim that can compensate families for their losses.
Symptoms of Asbestos Lung Disease
Asbestos and other cancers have a long latency period, meaning that many former Ford and Libbey Owens workers may not be diagnosed with certain conditions until decades after first exposure. Symptoms of lung diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma may include:
• Chest Pain
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Trouble swallowing
• Swelling of the abdomen
