Early Asbestos Litigation

The use of asbestos dates back thousands of years, but it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that asbestos use become widespread. With production in steel mills, chemical plants, paper mills, power plants, etc., on the rise, asbestos-containing products and equipment became standard in the industry. Its heat resistance made it useful in the lining of equipment such as blast furnaces, coke ovens, basic oxygen furnaces, continuous rolling mills, electric arc furnaces, and open hearth furnaces. The shipyard industry, which boomed around that time period, used asbestos and asbestos containing products throughout almost all aspects of the ships; insulation on pipes,...

29 May

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Asbestos Victims’ Privacy in Danger if FACT Act 2017 Passes

Posted by Goldberg, Persky & White P.C.

in Asbestos & Mesothelioma News

A new bill was approved by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee earlier this month that could damage the asbestos claims process and prevent victims of asbestos-related diseases from ever seeing any sort of monetary compensation before they pass. The Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency (FACT) Act of 2017 is not a new proposal, and for years those advocating for victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases have been successful in stopping this bill in its tracks. If this bill is passed, asbestos trusts would be required to file quarterly reports for each payout. Personal information from those seeking compensation would be available...

29 May

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Asbestos and Wheeling-Pitt Steel Corporation

Posted by Goldberg, Persky & White P.C.

in Asbestos & Mesothelioma News

Wheeling Steel Corporation (Wheeling) was founded June 21, 1920 by combining three separate companies: LaBelle Iron Works, Whitaker-Glessner Company, and Wheeling Steel & Iron Company. Throughout the 1920s, Wheeling expanded, acquiring new properties and modernizing their current facilities and by 1956, Wheeling stretched for 30 miles along the Ohio River from Steubenville, Ohio to Benwood, West Virginia. It was a major producer of hot and cold rolled sheets, galvanized sheets and roofing, black plate and tinplate, cut nails, continuous weld pipes, raw steel, coils, sheet metal, coke, bridge building and more. In the 1960s, Wheeling Steel Corporation underwent a massive $200...

29 May

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Asbestos in Shipyards

Posted by Goldberg, Persky & White P.C.

in Asbestos & Mesothelioma News

Shipyard workers have a high rate of asbestos exposure and ultimately asbestos-related illnesses when compared to other tradesmen, steelworkers, and chemical plant workers. This is because asbestos use among shipyards and throughout the navy was seen as a critical part to the industry. In an industry where fires are detrimental, the heat resistant qualities of asbestos were useful; its insulating abilities, the fact it would not corrode easily, and its abundance made asbestos desirable and ultimately used in nearly every part of ships. Hundreds of asbestos-containing products and parts were used on ships until the 1970s; decades after the dangers...

29 May

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Asbestos – A Better Understanding of the Carcinogen

Posted by Goldberg, Persky & White P.C.

in Asbestos & Mesothelioma News

There are six different types of asbestos that occur naturally throughout the world. Asbestos is actually the generic name given and is not a mineralogical definition. A mineral product that is flexible, possesses high tensile strength, is heat resistant, resistant to chemical degradation, and can be woven into fabric, is commercially designated as “asbestos.” Asbestos is divided into two groups: serpentine and amphibole which is determined by the chemical compounds the mineral. Overall, asbestos is made up of silicon, oxygen, hydrogen, and other various metals. Serpentine is a variety of asbestos thats structure is layered with curly fibers. Amphibole asbestos has...