American Vehicles Ran on Tires Made in Kentucky. Workers Who Manufactured Them Paid the Price
The rubber and plastics industry has been a significant economic force in Kentucky for decades. Unfortunately, workers in these plants brought home more than paychecks. They returned with asbestos fibers in their bodies and on their clothes. These employees and spouses developed deadly cancers due to asbestos.
Kentucky has more than 260 rubber and plastics manufacturers employing more than 31,000 people, according to the state’s Cabinet for Economic Development. Although everyone needs an income to support themselves and their families, some jobs, like those at two Kentucky tire plants, come at a very high price.
What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is the name for six naturally occurring minerals. They are fiber bundles that can be separated into thin threads. They’ve been used for centuries in thousands of products because they are light, strong, durable, and resistant to heat, fire, corrosion, chemicals, and electricity.
Why is Asbestos Dangerous?
If asbestos fibers are released into the air, anyone in the area could inhale or swallow them. The body’s immune response to destroy this foreign material will fail, and the fibers will continue to exist. The cells trying to dissolve the fibers die, which triggers scar tissue and inflammation. Over decades, cells in the area mutate and become malignant.
Several types of cancer are caused by asbestos exposure, including lung cancer and different mesotheliomas. They are fatal cancers of the lining of the lungs, heart, abdominal organs, chest, and abdominal cavities.
Can Someone Injured by Asbestos Obtain Compensation?
If you or a loved one are diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, you may be entitled to compensation for the physical, emotional, and financial harm you suffer. This may be done through a claim against a company involved with asbestos products or, if the company is bankrupt, a claim against a trust fund established to provide this compensation.
What Tire Plants in Kentucky Sickened Workers and Spouses with Asbestos?
Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorneys have represented clients injured by asbestos who worked at Kentucky tire plants and spouses of workers who were exposed to fibers on their husbands’ clothes when they returned home. The plants were in Madisonville, owned by Goodyear, and in Mayfield, owned by General Tire and Continental Tire, which bought the company in 1987. Both plants were shut down years ago.
Why Did Tire Plants Have Asbestos in Them?
Steam produced heat, which was necessary in the manufacturing process. Thanks to pipes, high-pressure steam moved through the plants and powered machinery. To protect the pipes, machinery, and employees, miles of these pipes were coated with tons of asbestos insulation material. Boilers heated water and created steam. This equipment was also insulated with asbestos.
How Were Workers Exposed to Asbestos in Tire Plants?
When these facilities were built, equipment creating, transporting, or using high-pressure steam was covered in asbestos insulation, which could be in several forms, depending on the temperatures. Installing the asbestos would be a very dusty job as asbestos-containing cement were mixed, and insulation was cut. Asbestos-containing gaskets could also be used in equipment, which could involve cutting asbestos-containing materials.
Over time, as plants changed or grew and more equipment was installed, more asbestos was used. If something needed to be repaired or renovated, old asbestos had to be removed, and new materials replaced them. These processes add more dust.
Over time, asbestos-containing products aged and deteriorated. Asbestos fibers fell off them and floated through the plants’ airspace. Workers disturbed fibers on surfaces and floors and sent them back into the air.
Who Was Exposed at Kentucky Tire Plants?
Those exposed to asbestos were outside contractors working on the equipment in the plants and company employees. They could be the following:
- Maintenance workers maintaining equipment
- Janitors cleaning the plants
- Production workers operating machinery
- Warehouse workers, management, and administrative staff who passed through production areas as part of their jobs
These people could have asbestos fibers on their clothes by the end of the day. When they came home, the fibers would come loose and float through the air in workers’ homes. Everyone living there could be exposed and potentially sickened by asbestos.
Call Satterley & Kelley, PLLC, Today For A Free Consultation
We are your boots on the ground if you or someone you love suffers from an asbestos-related illness due to exposure at a Kentucky tire plant. Call us today at 855-385-9532. You may also complete our online contact form for a free initial consultation.