Asbestos Exposure & Mesothelioma in North Carolina
With a long history of industrial activity, including paper mills, power plants, and military bases, many residents of North Carolina have been exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos. Asbestos was once used extensively in these various industries for its heat- and fire-resistant properties. This exposure to asbestos has resulted in many North Carolina workers developing the deadly disease mesothelioma—a type of cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
The experienced attorneys at MesoLawyersCare have successfully recovered significant money for workers and their family members who have developed asbestos- related illnesses including mesothelioma as a result of worksite exposure to asbestos throughout North Carolina. The following five North Carolina worksites are examples of worksites that have caused large numbers of workers to be exposed to asbestos.
1. Cowans Ford Hydroelectric Station – Huntersville, NC (Duke Energy)
The Cowans Ford Hydroelectric Station is owned and operated by Duke Energy. It is Duke Energy’s largest conventional hydro plant—the station can start generating electricity within minutes and produce enough energy to power nearly 300,000 homes. Construction on the Cowans Ford Hydroelectric Station began in 1959, and took a crew of 1,500 workers four years to complete the dam. In hydropower plants like Cowans Ford, asbestos was regularly used as insulation for generators, turbines, and piping. Because of the nature of asbestos it was often also used in concrete, gaskets, packing, ceiling insulation, and machinery brakes. In fact, the use of asbestos was so wide spread, it would have been difficult for employees regularly working at the plant to avoid coming into contact with it. However, Duke Energy (and the suppliers of the asbestos-containing products) never adequately warned employees of the harmful nature of asbestos or took the necessary precautions to keep workers safe.
2. Dan River Steam Station – Eden, NC (Duke Energy)
Though demolished in 2017, the Dan River Steam Station was once a large power plant owned by Duke Energy. Construction on the plant began in 1949 and was finished by 1950. The plant had three units and could produce 276 megawatts of electricity. As was common in power plants built before the 1980s, the Dan River Steam Station used asbestos throughout their facility. Because of the extremely high temperatures required in coal burning and energy production, asbestos was favored for its insulating and sealing properties. Workers were regularly exposed to asbestos at this Duke Energy power plant during new construction, renovation and maintenance of the facilities. Family members of Dan River employees were also put at risk of asbestos exposure when workers went home wearing dusty asbestos-laden clothing. Asbestos becomes airborne when dusty clothing contaminated with asbestos is handled or laundered.
3. Riegel Paper Mill – Riegelwood, NC
Riegelwood, North Carolina is a tiny town in Southeast North Carolina. The Riegel Paper Mill began operations in 1951 and was acquired by International Paper in 2015. The paper mill is a bleached kraft paper mill that manufactures paperboard from wood fiber. The process involves cooking wood chips with chemicals until it becomes a brown pulp. That pulp is then bleached to make paper and other products. The heat and flammable products required in the paper production process made the use of asbestos as insulation and lining common throughout paper mills. As the insulation aged and was disturbed, the asbestos flakes were often inhaled by workers. Equipment at the plant commonly used asbestos components that were disturbed during routine maintenance and repair activities. Workers exposed to asbestos are at risk for developing mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by asbestos. The attorneys from MesoLawyersCare have successfully represented workers and family members exposed to asbestos at paper mills.
4. Champion Paper – Canton, NC
The small town of Canton, North Carolina was originally settled in the 1780s. The Campion Paper pulp mill was built in 1908 and quickly became the town’s largest employer. The mill operated for over 80 years producing paper products. The Canton mill is now owned by Evergreen Packaging company. Asbestos use in paper mills was very common. Employees at paper mills like Champion Paper were exposed to asbestos in a number of ways including insulation in pipes and boilers, equipment such as drying machines, and in materials used to build the mill such as roofing, cement, and paint. Exposure to asbestos can cause serious illnesses, including mesothelioma. Through no fault of their own, many past workers and family members have been diagnosed with mesothelioma because of asbestos exposures occurring in these types of paper mills.
5. Roxboro Plant – Semora, NC (Duke Energy)
The Roxboro Plant is a coal-fired electrical plant in Semora, North Carolina owned by Duke Energy. This plant has four units and was first opened in 1966.The plant can produce 2,422 megawatts of electricity and is one of the largest power plants in the United States. As with many power plants built in the 1900s, building materials for the facility and equipment like boilers, generators, and piping were often insulated with or had parts containing asbestos. Large power companies like Duke Energy recognized the dangers of asbestos but continued to use asbestos-containing products throughout their plants. Numerous workers at these plants were exposed to dangerous amounts of asbestos that caused them to develop mesothelioma. Because it often takes many decades before symptoms appear, new claims are still being filed based on exposure at power plants throughout North Carolina.
The skilled attorneys from MesoLawyersCare have successfully represented workers exposed to asbestos throughout North Carolina and the entire United States. Our attorneys have recovered more than $10 billion dollars for people diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos related illnesses. For more information or a free consultation, fill out the website form, type into our live chat tool on this page, or call us today.
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