Asbestos and Factory Workers

Factory workers often encountered asbestos on the job and risked harmful exposure. Numerous factories in the U.S. and across the world used asbestos in products, machinery, and equipment. Mesothelioma lawsuits filed by former factory workers are still ongoing today.

If you or a loved one were diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related cancer, you might be entitled to substantial compensation. Fill out our form to get a free Financial Compensation Packet. You’ll learn about the experienced mesothelioma lawyers in your area, how to get paid in 90 days, how to file a claim for the asbestos trust funds, and more.

Factory Workers and Occupational Exposure to Asbestos

Asbestos was once used in a number of industrial parts, supplies, and machines.

Even though today’s technology, coupled with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) strict regulations on asbestos use, now makes factory work a lot safer, there was a time in which asbestos was used in or on:

• Furnaces and furnace doors
• Tools
• Cement
• Automobile parts (some parts still contain small amounts of asbestos)
• Insulation
• Lathes
• Grinding machines
• Conveying systems and transportation belts
• Bricks, drywalls, and more

Mechanics and maintenance employees that worked in factories faced the highest risk of excessive asbestos exposure.

The workers were required to maintain and repair malfunctioning asbestos-containing machines, which required direct contact with airborne asbestos fibers.

Once the machines were ready for use, factory machinists were put at risk of asbestos exposure as soon as they started up the equipment.

Most factory workers are now safe from asbestos exposure. However, those who worked in factories before the 1980s are at a heightened risk of developing asbestos illnesses such as malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, and asbestos-related lung cancer.

Studies on Factory Workers and Asbestos

In the past, some factories, as well as asbestos manufacturers, claimed that workers were not in any danger of asbestos exposure. Yet, numerous studies have proven the claims wrong.

For example, a study published in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) described research on asbestos exposure at a factory that manufactured drying machines after 250 former employees passed away.

Dust samples and samples from the factory’s drying machines were taken and were analyzed. The results showed that asbestos was found in the drying machine samples and the dust samples. 

Out of the 250 former workers that passed away, 234 were found to have either mesothelioma or lung cancer.

Factory Workers and Mesothelioma Lawsuits

The high amount of asbestos exposure and related diseases that factory workers faced resulted in mesothelioma and asbestos-related lawsuits against the manufacturers that once supplied asbestos to companies.

In 2008, the family of Mark Buttitta, a former factory worker from Hackensack, New Jersey, filed an asbestos lawsuit in Bergen County after Buttitta passed away from mesothelioma.

Buttitta worked at General Motors (GM) in the parts warehouse in both Bloomfield and Englewood, which led to asbestos exposure and premature death at the age of 50.

According to the family attorney, Buttitta’s case was just one of the many cases in which factory workers in New Jersey were unaware of the dangers they were facing at work.

“In Bloomfield, Englewood, and all across New Jersey, men and women who wouldn’t know a brake shoe from a horseshoe can be struck down by this horrible disease decades later from simply living with someone who dealt with asbestos in his daily occupation. In Mark Buttitta’s case we were able to get justice for him and his young family.”

Buttitta’s family won over $30 million.

Manufacturers That Supplied Asbestos to Factories

There were a plethora of manufacturers that once supplied asbestos to factories across the nation, including:

• Johns Manville
• Honeywell
• Turner & Newell
• BF Goodrich
• Celotex
• Dana Corporation
• Raybestos
• Porter Hayden Co.
• John Crane Co.

Talk to an asbestos law firm if you worked in a factory during the period of heavy asbestos use. They can explain your options and help you seek compensation.

Additional Help and Resources for Factory Workers

If you’ve been injured by mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related cancer, keep in mind that there is a good chance that you’ll qualify for considerable compensation. Don’t forget to fill out our form to get our free Financial Compensation Packet, filled with information on the experienced asbestos and mesothelioma attorneys in your area.