Asbestos-Covered Equipment Helped Create M&T Chemicals’ Products

M&T Chemicals Carrollton, Kentucky, chemical plant started in 1958. For decades, the employees and contractors working there were exposed to cancer-causing asbestos, which was widely used by the chemical industry. If you worked at the plant and are diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, you may be entitled to compensation.

Satterley & Kelley, PLLC lawyers represent people diagnosed with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases who seek compensation for the harm they suffer. If this is your situation, contact us at 855-385-9532 to learn more about how we can help you obtain compensation for your injury.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a group of mineral fibers resistant to fire, heat, electricity, chemicals, and corrosion. Asbestos has been used in about 3,000 products, including pipe insulation, building materials, floor tiles, cigarette filters, vehicle brakes, and clutches. These fibers are strong, durable, light, and microscopic.

Why is Asbestos Dangerous?

Asbestos was used in thousands of products because its fibers are tiny, light, strong, and durable. Those same qualities make them incredibly hazardous to the human body. The fibers won’t immediately cause a deadly reaction in people who inhale or swallow them. It may take years or decades for the damage caused by asbestos to become known.

Fibers become stuck in human tissue. The immune system tries to get rid of them, but the fibers destroy the cells meant to dissolve them instead. This results in scar tissue, inflammation, and, over time, severe breathing problems and genetic cell mutations that result in cancer tumors.

Asbestos causes or increases the risk of several cancers, including lung cancer and mesothelioma, an aggressive and deadly cancer that can affect several parts of the body. It can involve the linings covering organs (including the heart and lungs) and the chest and abdominal cavities.

What was M&T Chemicals?

This business was a chemical company in Carrollton, Kentucky. It started as a joint venture of two earlier companies and was later sold and became part of other corporations. According to Arkema:

The American Can Company and Th. Goldschmidt of Germany formed a joint venture, Goldschmidt Detinning Company, in 1908
The Goldschmidt Company sold its US ownership in the business, which became Metal & Thermit in 1918
The Carrollton plant opened in 1958
In 1962, Metal & Thermit became M&T Chemicals, Inc., an American Can Company subsidiary
The French company Elf Aquitaine bought M&T Chemicals Inc. in 1977
It formed Atochem, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, in 1984
In 1992, Atochem North America, Inc., became Elf Atochem North America, Inc.
TotalFina S.A. bought 95% of Elf Aquitaine in 1999
The following year, Elf Atochem North America became Atofina Chemicals, Inc.
That business was renamed Arkema in 2004
In 2012, Arkema sold its Carrollton operation to PMC Group, Inc., the facility’s current owner

M&T Chemicals produced specialty chemicals used in electroplating.

Why Did M&T Chemicals Use Asbestos?

Chemical companies used asbestos because it’s resistant to chemicals, extreme temperatures, and fire. Until the early 1980s, asbestos-containing insulation products, gaskets, and packing materials were extensively used in industrial operations, refineries, chemical plants, naval ships, and energy plants.

Asbestos was in or on the following:

Boilers
Boiler valves and pumps
Heat exchangers
Gaskets sealing chemical-carrying pipes
Steam pipe insulation
Laboratory equipment
Electrical equipment
Insulation on machinery generating heat for chemical reactions

Asbestos-containing products were in office floor and ceiling tiles. Safety equipment and clothing meant to shield employees from high heat contained asbestos.

Which Workers Would Be Exposed to Asbestos Fibers?

The greatest danger from asbestos comes when materials are applied, torn, cut, drilled into, or removed because that’s when fibers can be liberated and sent into the air, where they can be inhaled or swallowed. Fibers can also come loose if the equipment the product’s on vibrates or through age and deterioration.

The closer and more frequently someone worked with asbestos-containing products, the greater the threat they posed. This includes employees and contractors who worked in the plant. Even those present in the plant who do not handle or come into contact with asbestos products may inhale fibers. This is especially true when equipment was maintained or repaired because asbestos-containing products were removed and replaced.

Family members of employees and contractors were also at risk. Those working with asbestos would return home in clothes covered in microscopic fibers that could drift through the household, where they could be inhaled or swallowed.

Why Should I Contact Satterley & Kelley, PLLC?

If you or a family member is diagnosed with an asbestos-related cancer, you may be entitled to compensation for what you’ve endured. Depending on the circumstances, compensation may be received for the following:

Pain and suffering
Lost income and illness-related costs and expenses
Past and future medical treatment
The negative effects on relationships

If you have an asbestos-related condition due to asbestos exposure at the M&T Chemicals plant in Carrollton or elsewhere, improve your chances of a successful claim by retaining a lawyer with the following:

Knowledge of Kentucky and federal asbestos laws, deadlines, court procedures, and jury dynamics
Access to historical industrial and asbestos litigation records
Experience in mesothelioma litigation
Resources to secure experts who can show asbestos caused your illness, where it came from, and the harm you suffer due to your illness
The ability to tailor strategies for your unique situation

Given the complexity and stakes of your case, you should discuss with a Satterley & Kelley, PLLC lawyer how we can help.

Call Us Today for A Free Consultation

If you or a family member in Kentucky suffers from an asbestos-related condition, Satterley & Kelley PLLC is the law firm you can trust. Call our Louisville office at 855-385-9532, locally 502-589-5600, or complete our online contact form to schedule a free consultation.