If you are diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and worked with or around annealing furnaces, you may obtain compensation for the harm you suffered. This specialized equipment operated at extremely high heat. Asbestos-containing refractory insulation was used to keep them running. If that insulation became loose and asbestos fibers entered the air, they endangered those working there.

Satterley & Kelley, PLLC represents clients injured by asbestos and family members of those killed by asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma. If your work history involves asbestos exposure and you’re dealing with asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma, contact us at 855-385-9532.

What is an Annealing Furnace?

Annealing is a heat treatment process altering the physical properties of a metal or glass to allow it to be stretched, spun into wire, or easier to work with. It can change the material’s physical or chemical structure.

High heat modifies the material’s strength and hardness to allow it to be machined into a product or reduce internal stresses. The process varies based on the material and what it’ll be used for.

Annealing is used in many metalworking industries, including sheet metal manufacturing, steel production, aluminum mills, and jewelry making. Manufacturers use large annealing furnaces, while jewelers use smaller annealing ovens. Smaller furnaces are also used in industrial laboratories.

How Was Asbestos Used With Annealing Furnaces?

Asbestos-containing insulation, including refractory insulation and fire bricks, could be used in the furnace’s walls, ceilings, and floors between an outer steel wall and an inner steel plate. It may also have asbestos insulation on the furnace’s exterior walls.

Asbestos refractory materials, including block insulation, were used in annealing furnaces. Refractory material is an insulation capable of resisting high temperatures, potentially up to 3,000 degrees. Asbestos was an ideal ingredient in refractory materials because it was fire, heat, and chemical resistant.

Refractory materials are used in almost all industrial processes involving high temperatures or corrosive environments. Industries that use it include:

• Iron
• Steel
• Glass
• Aluminum
• Copper
• Cement
• Electricity generation
• Waste treatment
• Petrochemicals

They insulate and protect annealing furnaces from the damage this extreme heat can cause. If this equipment broke down, production lines could stop, costing facilities substantial amounts of money in equipment repair and lost productivity.

Why is Asbestos Dangerous?

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that is dangerous when released into the air, inhaled, and ingested by those in the area. Fibers can become stuck in the lungs and abdominal organs. Fibers also become stuck in the linings of the lungs, the heart, the chest cavity, and the abdominal cavity.

Asbestos causes many severe and deadly health conditions, including lung cancer, asbestosis, and different types of mesothelioma: 

• Asbestosis is a chronic lung condition that scars lung tissue, leading to breathing problems and decreased lung function
• Lung cancer occurs when asbestos fibers cause genetic mutations in lung cells
• Mesothelioma, a particularly aggressive cancer, affects the lining of the lungs, heart, or abdomen 

Symptoms of asbestos-related conditions may not show up until decades after the initial exposure and the disease has advanced, significantly reducing treatment options, making effective treatment more complex, and survival less likely.

Why Should I Contact Satterley & Kelley, PLLC, if I’m Diagnosed With an Asbestos-Related Disease?

We are known for handling complex injury and wrongful death cases, including those involving asbestos exposure, that other Kentucky law firms lack the ability, desire, experience, or resources, to pursue.

Our lawyers pursue justice for those who cannot and should not do so alone. Our mission is to provide the best representation for those diagnosed with mesothelioma and other conditions caused by asbestos exposure. We exceed client expectations by delivering ethical, creative, innovative, and successful legal representation.

Satterley & Kelley, PLLC lawyers will be passionately committed to advocating for you and your family and maintaining the highest professional standards of the legal profession. 

You can expect from Satterley & Kelley, PLLC attorneys:

• Experience — Our lawyers have more than 30 years of collective experience successfully handling cases involving mesothelioma, exposure to asbestos and toxic chemicals
• Personal Service — We will treat you with respect and care. Satterley & Kelley, PLLC is fighting for our clients and their families for their right to compensation following an injury suffered through no fault of their own. 
• Results — Our lawyers have obtained tens of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for our clients and their families across the US
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Call Us Today For A Free Consultation

We are your boots on the ground if you suffer an asbestos-related injury and live in Kentucky. Our office is in Louisville, and we handle cases throughout the state. Call 855-385-9532 or complete our contact form for a free initial consultation.