Mesothelioma Due to Asbestos Exposure at Martin Marietta Aluminum in KY

Martin Marietta was an aerospace company and aluminum manufacturer from 1961 to 1995. Now known as Martin Marietta Materials, it focuses on construction aggregates and heavy building materials, and it has 500 locations in 30 states throughout the United States.

For years, Martin Marietta had facilities in Lawrenceburg, Lewisport, and Paducah, Kentucky. Employees of these facilities were exposed to asbestos. If you or a loved one developed mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis due to asbestos exposure at this company, you may be entitled to compensation.

For decades, American corporations covered up the risks of asbestos and put employees and their families at grave risk. These companies need to be held responsible for their actions, and if you or a loved one has suffered due to their greed, you should contact us for help. At Satterley & Kelley, PLLC, we are committed to helping our clients fight for the compensation and justice they deserve.

What Is the Martin Marietta Aluminum Company?

The Martin Marietta Aluminum Company was a manufacturer of aircraft, missiles, rockets, spacecraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, monorail systems, and other metal projects. The company was founded in 1961 with the merger of the Glenn L. Martin Company and the American Marietta Corporation.

The Martin Company focused on the aerospace industry, while the Marietta Corporation made paints, dyes, metallurgical products, and construction materials. In 1995, Martin Marietta merged with Lockheed Corporation to become Lockheed Martin. The following year, Lockheed Martin spun off Martin Marietta Materials as a separate entity.

Asbestos at Martin Marietta Aluminum in Kentucky

Martin Marietta Aluminium in Kentucky used asbestos as an insulator throughout the plant. Asbestos insulation lined smelting pots, crucibles, and holding furnaces. It was also present in hot blast stoves, furnaces, rolling mills, tanks, boilers, steam pipes, and other types of equipment.

Due to the age of the factory, the facility’s building materials were also highly likely to contain asbestos. Additionally, the personal protective equipment that many employees wore contained asbestos.

Who Was Exposed to Asbestos at Martin Marietta?

Anyone who worked at Martin Marietta during the decades the company used asbestos-lined equipment was exposed to asbestos. To make aluminum products, the company’s employees poured alumina and bauxite into asbestos-lined smelting pots. Then, they transferred the molten metal to crucibles lined with refractory brick and asbestos insulation. They stored the aluminum in a holding furnace lined with asbestos, before pouring it into molds and cooling it.

Metalwork employees were exposed as they dealt with this equipment. Welders, insulators, electricians, and maintenance crews were exposed when they worked on this equipment. In particular, when the smelting pots needed to be relined, employees had to remove the asbestos lining with jackhammers and then put in new linings. This process directly exposed maintenance crews to asbestos, but it also released excessive amounts of asbestos fibers into the facility, exposing anyone who worked at the company including administrative staff and managers.

Asbestos Exposure of Martin Marietta Employees’ Families

Because the company didn’t warn its employees about the risks, employees wore their work clothes home. They unknowingly carried asbestos fibers on their clothing, shoes, hair, and skin into their homes. Once the fibers were in the house, they quickly got into the air, carpet, and laundry, exposing everyone in the home.

Tragically, people who are exposed to asbestos through secondary sources are also at a high risk of contracting mesothelioma, including the spouses, children, and other family members of Martin Marietta Aluminum Company employees in Kentucky.

What to Do If You Are Diagnosed With Mesothelioma

If you worked at Martin Marietta in Lawrenceburg, Lewisport, or Paducah, Kentucky, be aware that you have a heightened risk of mesothelioma and watch yourself for symptoms. If you have breathing problems, don’t shrug them off as a common cold. Instead, go get screened for more serious illnesses.

After receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis, you need to focus on your medical care, but you should also think about the legal aspects of this issue. A mesothelioma personal injury attorney will take care of the legal case so that you can prioritize your medical treatment and quality of life. An experienced attorney will help you identify liable parties and bring forward a legal claim. If the case goes to court, they will continue to fight for your justice and compensation.

Mesothelioma Lawsuits Against the Martin Marietta Aluminum Company

Kentucky’s workers’ compensation laws prohibit people from bringing personal injury lawsuits against their former employers. Additionally, due to the long latency period (10 to 20 years) of this disease, the vast majority of people are diagnosed long after they leave their employer, and they cannot make claims through the workers’ comp program either.

In these situations, there is often another liable party. The manufacturer of the asbestos insulation or the supplier of the asbestos, for example, may be liable. When possible, try to avoid speculating about your cause of exposure with your doctor as that can hurt your case.

Often, people are not sure where they were exposed to the asbestos. But when they contact a personal injury attorney who has experience with a large variety of local asbestos exposure sites, the attorney can help them pinpoint the exposure site.

However, the family members of Martin Marietta Aluminum employees can bring forward lawsuits against this company. When you are exposed to asbestos through secondary exposure, you are not subject to the state’s workers’ compensation limitations. Instead, you have a right to hold your family member’s employer liable for putting you at risk.

Get Help From a Mesothelioma Attorney Today

You only have a year from the date of discovery (typically the day of diagnosis) to bring forward a lawsuit. The law doesn’t offer any leniency on this deadline so you need to act quickly.

When you contact us, we’ll start with a free consultation. Then, we’ll outline the next best steps in your case. When you work with Satterley & Kelley, PLLC, you get experienced attorneys who care about your health and the outcome of your case. Don’t wait — contact us today.