Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma in South Carolina
The state of South Carolina is known for its beautiful beaches and southern charm. The Palmetto State is full of history that dates back to the late 1600s. The state also has a rich history of industry, from textiles to shipbuilding, to air plane manufacturing and electricity. As was common in many industries up until the 1990s, asbestos was often used throughout South Carolina at various worksites. Exposure to asbestos left many people at risk of developing mesothelioma and other serious life-threatening illness, which often don’t manifest themselves until years after the initial exposure.
If you have suffered a workplace illness such as mesothelioma from exposure to asbestos, even if the exposure was several decades ago, you are likely entitled to compensation. The attorneys at MesoLawyersCare have recovered large awards for workers and their families who have been injured by worksite exposure to asbestos throughout South Carolina and the United States. The following five worksites present some of the most elevated risks for asbestos exposure to past and present workers in South Carolina.
1) Westinghouse Electric – Hampton, SC
Westinghouse Electric Company was originally founded in 1886. The company expanded throughout the 1900s and built several power plants and other electric projects to produce alternating electrical current. The company was eventually bought by the Japanese company Toshiba in 2006. A number of Westinghouse Electric plants have been blamed for dangerous levels of asbestos exposure, which is common in power plants built and operated in the 20th century. Power plant construction and maintenance left many workers exposed to asbestos fibers that were used to insulate machinery used in the production of electricity. The equipment associated with power generation historically utilized asbestos as a sealant and insulating material. Workers were often exposed to asbestos when maintaining and repairing equipment that used asbestos. The asbestos dust, when inhaled or ingested, put workers and their family members at risk for developing mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases.
2) Charleston Naval Shipyard – Charleston, SC
The Charleston Naval Shipyard was a naval base located on the west bank of the Cooper River that operated for nearly 100 years. From the time the shipyard opened in 1901, to its closing in 1996, it was a location for decommissioning and storing ships as well as constructing and repairing ships and submarines. At its peak during WWII, the Charleston Naval Shipyard employed over 25,000 civilian workers. Prior new safety guidelines implemented in recent decades, a substantial amount of asbestos was utilized in ships for sealing and insulating purposes and to allow for top functioning of the high-heat equipment used to power the ships. Asbestos was used in boilers, engines, pumps, valves, blower, gaskets, packing and insulation for pipes. Civilian workers and enlisted military service members and their families, that worked and lived in the immediate vicinity of the shipyard, were often exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos. Asbestos exposure often occurred at the shipyard during the construction, overhaul, renovation and repair of Navy ships that utilized asbestos.
3) South Carolina Industries – Florence, SC
The South Carolina Industries paper mill in Florence, South Carolina specialized in producing kraft linerboard, used to make boxes and packaging. In the 1960s, Stone Container Corporation spent millions of dollars to purchase a 65% of South Carolina Industries, and expand the mill to produce all of the linerboard Stone Container required. The mill could produce more than 400 tons of board a day. As was common in 20th century paper mills, South Carolina Industries used asbestos throughout the mill. Machinery and piping was insulated with asbestos for the high-heat equipment to function properly. As the asbestos aged and was disturbed, particles often became airborne, leaving mill employees to breath in toxic air. Airborne asbestos dust exposure is dangerous and can result in illnesses, including mesothelioma. Workers were put at risk because of inadequate warnings and families were also endangered when workers wore dusty work clothes home.
4) Nylon Industries – Greenville, SC
The textile industry has been a part of South Carolina’s history since the early 1700s. Greenville, South Carolina is often referred to as the “Textile Center of the World” and is well known specifically for its nylon production. Nylon is a nonwoven textile which requires a significant amount of machinery to produce. Textile companies that produced Nylon used pipes, gaskets, pumps, and other machinery in the nylon making process, all that were insulated with asbestos. Asbestos may have also been mixed in with synthetic Nylon fibers or woven with nylon yarn to make it more durable and fire resistant. By the 1980s, the use of asbestos began to be phased out in many industries, but for many textile workers it was too late. Inhaling asbestos fibers during nylon production or while working with nylon machinery, left many employees at risk of developing asbestos related diseases later in life. The companies involved did not provide adequate warnings about asbestos to workers.
5) Westvaco Corporation – Charleston, SC
The Westvaco Corporation is a large paper company that started in 1846 as the Mead Paper Company. For decades the paper mill produced many different types of specialty papers, envelopes, packaging, and other consumer office products. Employees at paper mills like Westvaco Corporation 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. Westvaco Corporation also produced an auto-transmission friction paper that contained asbestos. Over the years, Westvaco has been named in hundreds of asbestos related cases. Through no fault of their own, past workers and family members of Westvaco Corporation were exposed to asbestos and have been diagnosed with asbestos related illnesses.
The attorneys from MesoLawyersCare have recovered more than $10 billion dollars for people who have developed mesothelioma. Our group has successfully represented workers exposed to asbestos at worksites in South Carlina and throughout the nation. For more information or a free consultation, complete the form on this page, have a live chat now with one of our representatives, or call us now.
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