Asbestos was Common at Goodyear’s Plant in Madisonville
When most of us think of asbestos dangers, we may picture shipyards or power plants. But some of the most dangerous exposure sites were tire plants, including the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company plant in Madisonville, Kentucky.
If you or a loved one worked at Goodyear or another Kentucky factory and are diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, learn about your legal rights and how Satterley & Kelley, PLLC can help by calling our Louisville office at or locally at 502-589-5600.
What is Asbestos?
Asbestos is the name for a group of mineral fibers that, after being mined and processed, are extremely light, strong, and durable. Individual fibers are too small to be seen with the eye and so light that they easily float through the air. Asbestos is also resistant to fire, heat, chemicals, and electricity, which is why it was used in thousands of products over centuries.
Why is Asbestos Dangerous?
Because they’re so light, fibers are easy to inhale or swallow if they’re near you. Once in the body, because they’re so strong and durable, they may stay there for the rest of your life. Your immune response is to try to destroy them, but fibers withstand this attack. The result is scar tissue, inflammation, and, over time, genetic mutations that transform what should be healthy tissue into malignant tumors.
Asbestos fibers can cause many types of cancer in different parts of the body, one of them is mesothelioma, which can affect the linings of the lungs, heart, abdominal organs, and the chest and abdominal cavities. Mesothelioma is a fatal cancer that killed at least 54,905 Americans from 1999 to 2020, according to medical researchers.
Why Was Asbestos Used at Goodyear’s Plant in Madisonville?
Goodyear’s Madisonville facility was built in 1967 to manufacture rubber shoe soles. About five years later, operations pivoted to tire production, which required substantial changes in the plant. It remained in operation until the 1990s.
During the transition to tire production, systems, presses, and other machinery powered by steam were installed. High-pressure steam is extremely hot and moved through the plant through pipes. Asbestos products were used to insulate pipes that passed throughout the facility. At least 35% of the plant contained asbestos.
Goodyear removed some of the asbestos in the late 1980s and closed the facility in the 1990s. Another company bought the plant, removed the remaining asbestos, and demolished some of the buildings in 2014. The federal Environmental Protection Agency considered the site an asbestos “hot spot.”
How Were Workers and Their Families Exposed to Asbestos?
Asbestos permeated nearly every facility function, including the following:
- Insulators and contractors: These workers directly handled insulation. They cut, mixed, applied, removed, and repaired it, releasing clouds of asbestos into the air
- Maintenance workers, pipefitters, electricians, millwrights: When steam lines or equipment needed service, these tradesmen often removed or worked with asbestos-containing insulation. They tore out or disturbed the insulation to perform their tasks
- General plant workers and supervisors: Insulation would deteriorate over time, shed fibers, settle on surfaces, and migrate through ventilation. Even employees not assigned to “dusty” jobs could walk through or near work zones and inhale or swallow airborne asbestos
- Office personnel and visitors: Though “office jobs” may seem safer, many people had to walk through the plant floor or corridors where airborne dust circulated
- Secondary exposure: Workers’ clothing, tools, boots, or hair could carry asbestos fibers home, exposing spouses or children. Even if a family member never went into the plant, they might inhale fibers from contaminated clothing
Asbestos fibers didn’t discriminate based on job title, function, or whether or not the person exposed was a Goodyear employee.
Why Should I Contact Satterley & Kelley, PLLC if I Worked at Goodyear and Have an Asbestos-Related Disease?
By retaining Satterley & Kelly, PLLC, you benefit from attorneys who have represented other Goodyear workers, so we’re familiar with the plant, the asbestos products used, and how people were exposed. We also have the following:
- Advanced knowledge of the plant’s history and hazards
- Access to substantial evidence about the company and the facility, including internal Goodyear documents, employee testimony, and prior case files
- The ability to anticipate defense arguments and counter them
- State and federal law experience
- Substantial knowledge of the diseases asbestos causes and how they affect former Goodyear workers
We know what’s at stake in these cases and work hard to obtain the most compensation possible for clients who are usually very ill with families to support.
Get the Legal Team You Need to Guide Your Case
Those who worked at the Goodyear plant and their families need not fight this battle alone. If you or a family members have an asbestos-related, life-threatening disease, you deserve justice. Those responsible should be held accountable.
To get help now, contact the experienced asbestos lawyers at Satterley and Kelley, PLLC. Backed with more than 30 years of experience, we have a proven track record of successful advocacy for asbestos victims. To learn more, contact us or call us at 855-385-9532 to schedule a free consultation and explore your options.