Rubber Workers | Toxic Exposure

Rubber Workers Cancer Cases

Angiosarcoma, Myelodysplastic Syndromes & Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Claims

For decades, Akron, Ohio was known as the “Rubber Capital of the World.” The northeast Ohio region once held almost half of the state’s polymer industry, which accounted for a large part of America’s tire and rubber manufacturing.

However, one of the great downfalls of the tire and rubber industry was the fact that thousands of former tire and rubber workers in Akron and elsewhere in Ohio were exposed to toxic materials at the workplace, including Benzene, which is known to cause cancers like Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).

Benzene has been a concern for medical experts for many decades. The chemical is known to cause several forms of cancers and blood disorders in employees with chronic benzene exposure.

But even with the knowledge that their workers were exposed to toxins at Ohio tire and rubber plants, corporations continued to manufacture dangerous products, failed to warn employees of the health risks, and failed to offer workers proper protection against the cancer-causing exposure.

How Are Rubber Workers Exposed?

The production of tires and certain rubber products involves subjecting dangerous mixtures of hundreds of chemicals to heat and pressure during a variety of manufacturing processes. As a result, work environments are regularly contaminated with toxic dusts, gases, vapors, fumes, and chemical byproducts.

Exposure to Benzene in Ohio tire and rubber manufacturing remains a serious occupational health concern. Workers are exposed to Benzene by skin contact or inhalation.

Aside from several cancers, rubber manufacturing work is associated with a high prevalence of dermatologic diseases such as eczema, allergic contact dermatitis and atopic dermatitis.

Benzene causes bodily harm by damaging blood cells. The chemical can cause bone marrow not to produce enough red blood cells, which can lead to anemia. It can also damage the immune system by changing blood levels of antibodies and the loss of white blood cells. The health effects of Benzene depend on the amount, route, and duration of exposure.

Cancer cases and deaths have been reported from hundreds of former rubber and tire workers. Cancers affect the blood, bladder, stomach, lung, and other areas of the body among workers involved in the manufacture of tires and other rubber products. Rubber workers in Ohio may also risk respiratory disease, heart disease, dermatologic diseases, and negative reproductive defects.

Rubber Additives & Cancer-Causing Toxins

Many rubber production steps use heat in the process, allowing benzene and other fumes to escape from the products. Workers near the production line while rubber products or tires are being manufactured are subject to inhaling high amounts of benzene during their shifts. Some agents that may contain toxins include the following:

• Oils (process and extender)
• Antioxidants
• Accelerators
• Organic vulcanizers
• Antiozonants
• Pigment blends
• Antitack agents
• Plasticizers
• Chemical byproducts
• Reinforcing agents
• Curing fumes
• Resins
• Extenders
• Solvents
• Fillers

Ohio Tire and Rubber Companies

The following Ohio tire and rubber manufacturers may have put workers at a high risk of developing some forms of cancer like Acute Myeloid Leukemia after exposure to Benzene and other dangerous toxins:

• B.F. Goodrich
• Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
• Firestone Tire & Rubber Company
• Bridgestone Tires
• Wilson Tire Company
• Ohio Rubber Co.
• RCA Rubber Co.
• Custom Rubber Corp.
• BRP Manufacturing Co.
• Lauren Manufacturing Co.
• Universal Polymer & Rubber
• Keener Rubber

Rubber Products Contain Benzene

Employees of rubber and tire manufacturing facilities on the production line have an increased risk of developing complications and diseases from benzene exposure.

Benzene-containing products are used in numerous steps during the production of the rubber and tires, and toxins are potentially released into the air around the following product lines:

• Tires
• Inner tubes
• Rubber and plastic footwear
• Rubber and plastic hoses
• Rubber belting
• Gaskets
• Sealing devices
• Molded, extruded, and lathe-cut rubber mechanical goods
• Other fabricated rubber products