Kansas: Mesothelioma Law Firm Fights for the Rights of KS Asbestos Victims

TOPEKA, KANSAS, JUNE 22, 2015 – MESOTHELIOMA LAWYERS FROM THE NATIONAL ASBESTOS LITIGATION FIRM OF LEVY KONIGSBERG LLP (“LK”) ARE CONTINUING TO HELP KANSAS MESOTHELIOMA PATIENTS AND FAMILIES OBTAIN LEGAL COMPENSATION FROM COMPANIES WHO MANUFACTURED, SOLD OR USED ASBESTOS-CONTAINING PRODUCTS.

Every year, thousands of men and women across the country are diagnosed with mesothelioma, including many in Kansas. Even more are diagnosed with lung cancer and asbestosis. All of these asbestos-related diseases could have been prevented if workers had been properly protected from exposure to asbestos. Unlike many other states, Kansas is a state with a unique history of commercial, industrial and agriculture success. Aviation giants, chemical companies and independent and corporate farms thrived for decades.

AVIATION INDUSTRY

BOEING: There is a reason why Wichita, Kansas was known as the “Air Capital of the World.” For nearly ninety years, Boeing was the largest private employer in Kansas. Private citizen employees, independent contractors and military personnel alike performed the backbreaking work necessary to make Boeing an international powerhouse. Unfortunately, Boeing and many of its suppliers failed to take precautions, which would have adequately protected employees and visitors from exposure to vast amounts of asbestos dust.

The Boeing facility in Wichita undertook many operations, including the assembly of aircraft, the fabrication and installation of various aircraft parts, the maintenance and overhaul of civilian and military aircraft and the operation of aviation activities. Much of the aircraft equipment which contained asbestos, including brakes, electrical insulation, cockpit heating systems, engine heat shields, torque valves, and gaskets, were installed, removed, replaced and handled at this facility. For decades, employees tirelessly assembled and maintained aircraft, routinely working with and around asbestos-containing equipment.

Operations at Boeing also required the installation and maintenance of asbestos-containing equipment. Stretching over 325 acres, the Boeing facilities employed numerous trades, including electricians, pipefitters, insulators, boilermakers, and laborers. Critical equipment supporting Boeing operations, including boilers, furnaces, pumps, valves, motors, generators and valves were installed and maintained on a regular basis. Employees who worked with or around this equipment were at risk of being exposed to high levels of asbestos dust.

OTHER AVIATION EMPLOYERS: Other aviation worksites in Kansas include Cessna Aircraft and Bombardier.

CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

HACROS CHEMICAL: Originally known as Thompson-Hayward Chemical, this specialty chemical company has been in existence since 1917. With locations in Kansas City and Wichita, manufacturing, shipping, logistics and administration operations were undertaken. Thousands of individuals in Kansas were employed at these worksites, often working in dangerous and dusty conditions.

The manufacture and storage of industrial chemicals required the use of large, high-temperature equipment. Boilers, furnaces, turbines, cooling towers and ovens were installed, maintained and repaired at these power plants. This equipment required large amounts of asbestos-containing products to properly function. Other products, including pumps, valves, motors, wire, cable, heaters, air conditioning units, gaskets, packing, chillers, and steam traps were necessary to allow the manufacturing equipment to properly function. Individuals working at this facility were exposed to high levels of asbestos dust from their work with or around these products. An experienced LK attorney will investigate all possible sources of your asbestos exposure at these Hacros Chemical worksites.

AGRICULTURE

An often-celebrated fact about Kansas is that an established agriculture tradition predates statehood. Today, Kansas is a recognized leader in wheat, beef and grain production. Although rarely discussed, owners and employees of the agricultural industry were routinely exposed to asbestos-containing products.

Generations of families in Kansas have farmed land and livestock. In Kansas, there are over 65,000 independent farms. LK admires the independent attitude and work ethic of farming families. We are proud to represent farmers and their families throughout the country. Common sources of asbestos exposures suffered by farmers and their employees include farming equipment and building materials:

Agriculture Machinery – Much of the equipment used by farmers and their employees required brakes, clutches and other automotive components, including gaskets, seals, flanges and manifolds. Farming equipment, including tractors, cultivators, seeders, layers, planters, spreaders, sorters, fertilizing equipment, balers, mowers, toppers, backhoes, loaders, cutters, traction engines, threshing machines hog oilers as well as trucks and cars, were routinely used on Kansas farms. Many farmers personally maintained this equipment; regularly performing required maintenance, including brake and clutch replacements as well as removal and installation of gaskets and seals. Although manufacturers of automotive components were aware of the dangers associated with exposure to asbestos as far back as the 1930s and 1940s, much of this automotive equipment incorporated asbestos through to the 1990s. Farmers and other employees were regularly exposed to asbestos while maintaining equipment critical to their operations.

Farm Buildings – Between the 1930s and 1970s, many of the materials used in construction and repair of buildings and other structures contained asbestos. Joint compounds, floor tiles, ceiling tiles, wallboard, paint and other products contained asbestos, which became airborne upon use. Farmers and other employees who built, maintained or repaired structures on their property may have been exposed to asbestos while working with or around these products. Mesothelioma attorneys at LK are experienced in identifying asbestos exposures suffered by individuals who built or repaired such structures.

Other Worksites

Regardless of where you worked, mesothelioma attorneys at LK will assist your family in identifying the unique asbestos exposures you suffered at your worksite. If you worked at a power plant, oil refinery, manufacturing facility, auto garage, railroad, or delivery service, our attorneys and investigators will work tirelessly to identify each manufacturer and each product that exposed you to asbestos.

Individual Case Review – In Kansas, and across the country, many people also developed mesothelioma from non-occupational asbestos exposures, such as automotive work, home renovations and other hobbies, or from “second-hand asbestos exposure,” which occurred when work clothes contaminated with asbestos were worn home. An experienced LK attorney will assist your family in determining all possible sources of your exposure to asbestos dust.

Kansas worksites where asbestos exposure was common include:

Figure 1. Map of the most common asbestos exposure worksites in the State of Kansas.

• Acme Brick Company (Wichita)
• American Cornice Works (Wichita)
• Armco Steel (Kansas City)
• Beech Craft Plant (Wichita)
• Bendix Aviation (Kansas City)
• Boeing (Wichita)
• Boeing Powerhouse (Wichita)
• Buckley Construction Industries (Wichita)
• Burn Zol Company (Kansas City)
• Cessna Aircraft Corp. (Wichita)
• Cities Service Oil Company (Wichita)
• Co-Op Refinery (Coffeyville)
• Colgate Palmolive (Kansas City)
• Construction Plastics (Kansas)
• Corn Products Refining (Kansas)
• Derby Oil Refinery (Wichita)
• Edison Light & Power Company (Wichita)
• Erman Corporation (Kansas City)
• Fairbanks More & Company (Kansas City)
• Farm Belt Fertilizer Company (Kansas City)
• Forbes Air Force Base (Topeka)
• Frontier Refinery (El Dorado)
• General Motors Corp. (Kansas City)
• Goodyear Tire & Rubber Plant (Topeka)
• Griffin Wheel Company (Kansas City)

• Harley Industries (Wichita)
• Hawker Beechcraft Corp. (Wichita)
• Insulation Industries, Inc. (Wichita)
• Kansas City Public Utilities (Kanas City)
• Kansas Gas & Electric (Wichita)
• Kansas Milling Company (Wichita)
• Kaw Power Station (Kansas City)
• National Zinc Company (Kansas City)
• Olin Corporation (Kansas City)
• Owens-Corning Fiberglass (Kansas City)
• Pawnee Plant (Wichita)
• Perk Foods (Kansas City)
• Phillips Refinery (Kansas City)
• Power & Light (Coffeyville)
• Proctor & Gamble (Kansas City)
• Quindaro Power Plant (Kansas City)
• Red Star Milling (Wichita)
• Roxana Petroleum Corp. (Kansas City)
• Schnyder Industrial Supply (Wichita)
• Skelly Refinery (El Dorado)
• Texaco Refinery (El Dorado)
• Vulcan Materials Company (Wichita)
• Wichita Railway (Wichita)
• Wichita Water Company (Wichita)

If you or your loved one are a Kansas resident or were exposed to asbestos in Kansas, and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, please call (800) 315-3806 or submit an email inquiry to receive a FREE consultation with an attorney at Levy Konigsberg LLP.

ATTENTION: Mesothelioma has no known cure and often causes severe pain, suffering, and other types of damage, such as loss of consortium, and loss of income. Additionally, due to the exceedingly high cost of mesothelioma treatments, many families exhaust savings and accumulate financial debt in order to pay for the medical expenses of their family member.

Under the law of most states, pain and suffering from mesothelioma may be compensated through the award of money damages, usually obtained with the help of experienced mesothelioma attorneys. In some states other types of damages may also be recovered.

Asbestos litigation affords mesothelioma victims the opportunity to receive financial compensation and hold accountable the companies that caused their asbestos exposure.

IMPORTANT: If you or your family member has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, you should get in touch with a mesothelioma lawyer as early as possible to determine if you have a mesothelioma case and to:

• Preserve your rights to bring a legal action against the responsible parties within the limited time frame allowed by law, known as statute of limitations;
• Obtain maximum compensation in your case by being able to:
  • Preserve evidence and establish facts of the asbestos exposure while the claimant is still alive and able to provide information;
  • File and resolve a lawsuit against the responsible parties before they file for bankruptcy or, if they already have, to obtain compensation before their bankruptcy trust funds run out of money;
• Expedite your case, as courts tend to give higher priority to mesothelioma lawsuits where the claimant is still alive.

Find out whether you have a case by speaking to one of our experienced mesothelioma lawyers via our 24/7 toll-free hotline at (800) 315-3806 or submit an email inquiry. Our attorneys will be quick to respond to you and happy to answer all of your questions.

NOTE: While our offices are located in the states of New York, New Jersey, and Georgia, many of our mesothelioma lawyers are licensed to practice law in a number of U.S. states and have the capability and extensive experience of representing mesothelioma clients throughout the United States. You are encouraged to contact us with any questions.