Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma in California
California ranks number one in the nation in new cases of mesothelioma diagnosed each year. The Golden State has been home to countless industries that used asbestos as a raw material in manufacturing product, as well as industries that used asbestos as part of the operation of the facility. California was also home to significant amounts of asbestos mining. Including Union Carbide and Johns Manville asbestos mines. California is home to a large number of job sites where workers were exposed to asbestos, including asbestos products manufacturing plants, shipyards, oil refineries, chemical plants and auto garages.
MesoLawyersCare attorneys have won many of the largest verdicts and settlements in mesothelioma lawsuits in California. The attorneys at MesoLawyersCare have successfully recovered money for workers and their families who have been injured by exposure to asbestos at work sites in California and across the country. While there are hundreds of job sites in California at which workers were exposed to high levels of asbestos, the following worksites are examples of location where asbestos exposure was particularly widespread:
1. Chevron Richmond Refinery
The Chevron Richmond Refinery is a large oil refinery built on the banks of the San Francisco Bay. Originally opened in 1902, the refinery quickly became one of the largest in the world producing over 25,000 barrels a day by 1906. The Richmond refinery produced petroleum products to meet the ever-growing demand for gasoline powered trucks, farm equipment, and aircraft. Asbestos exposure was widespread at this oil refinery as the result of the operation of high-heat equipment that required the use of asbestos. Materials containing asbestos at this job site include asbestos insulation, asbestos cement, asbestos electrical components, asbestos walls, asbestos wires, and asbestos gaskets. Asbestos was frequently disturbed by workers causing the toxic dust to become airborne. Chevron failed to adequately warn workers regarding the dangers of asbestos and keep the workplace safe.
2. Chevron El Segundo Refinery
The Chevron El Segundo Refinery is located in the Southern California beach city of El Segundo. The city itself was named after the refinery—El Segundo in Spanish means “The Second” and this refinery was Chevron’s (originally Standard Oil) second, built in 1911. The Chevron El Segundo refinery is still in operation today and is the largest refinery on the west coast. More than 200 thousand barrels of crude petroleum are refined daily, which become products like gasoline, jet fuel, propane, and other chemicals. This process requires high temperatures and, as with most refineries built in the early to mid 20th century, asbestos was used to insulate and seal high-heat equipment and piping systems. Workers at oil refineries like this one are at increased risk of developing mesothelioma. Often workers would unknowingly bring asbestos dust home on their clothing, resulting in asbestos exposure to family members in the home.
3. Johns Manville, Stockton, CA and Johns Manville, Long Beach, CA
Founded in 1858, Johns Manville is a construction products manufacturer and for decades was the largest producer of asbestos products in the United States. Throughout the 1900s, the company made asbestos insulation, cements, shingles, roofing materials, brake lining, cement pipe, and other asbestos products. Employees at the Stockton, California worksite were specifically exposed to large amounts of asbestos while producing asbestos cement pipe that was subsequently used to transport water. Many of these workers have developed mesothelioma, as have family members who had household contact from the asbestos dust brought home on work clothes.
4. Sea-Land, Oakland, CA and Sea-Land Long Beach, CA
Sea-Land, now owned by the Maersk Group, is a large shipping company that specializes in regional and international shipping. The founder, Malcom Mclean, revolutionized shipping in the 1950s by introducing the shipping container, which made it easier for goods to be transported quickly from a ship to a truck. This made the whole shipping process more efficient and cost effective. Sea-Land set up a large facility at the Port of Oakland with prime access to the San Francisco Bay. By the 1960s, Sea-Land shipping had established a large facility in Long Beach, California at the Port of Long Beach. Workers were unaware that the thousands of Thermo King refrigeration units (“refer units”) contained asbestos pieces like asbestos gaskets. The Thermo King gaskets contained almost 90% asbestos by weight, but asbestos was not even listed as an ingredient on the packaging. The Thermo King parts never contained the required asbestos warning labels, and Thermo King manuals concealed the fact that the parts were made of asbestos. Not surprisingly, many workers who did not even know they were working around asbestos at Sea-Land have developed cancers. Workers in the vicinity of others working with Thermo King refrigeration units were being exposed to extreme amounts of asbestos that they were not aware was in the air. Our attorneys have recovered substantial settlements on behalf of Sea-Land workers.
The attorneys from MesoLawyersCare have recovered more than $10 billion dollars for people suffering from the asbestos caused illness of mesothelioma. Our firm has successfully represented workers exposed to asbestos while working at sites throughout California. For more information or a free consultation, fill out the form on this page, have a live chat now with one of our representatives, or call us at the number on this page.
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