NORTH CAROLINA: Mesothelioma Lawyers Help NC Asbestos Victims

RALEIGH, North Carolina – Mesothelioma lawyers from the national asbestos litigation firm of Levy Konigsberg LLP (“LK”) are continuing to help NC 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 North Carolina. Even more are diagnosed with lung cancer and asbestosis. According to statistics compiled by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, North Carolina is ranked sixteenth in the country for number of deaths from mesothelioma. All of these asbestos-related diseases could have been prevented if workers had been properly protected from exposure to asbestos.

Due to the presence of numerous power plants and industrial employers throughout North Carolina, powerhouse workers, insulators, steel workers, plumbers, laborers, electricians, pipefitters, chemical operators, machinist, boilermakers, engineers and many other trades were routinely exposed to asbestos on a daily basis at their places of employment.

Duke Energy

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Duke Energy is the nation’s largest electric power company. For several decades, Duke Energy operated fourteen coal-fired power plants throughout North Carolina. Major operations at Duke Energy’s coal-fired power plants began as early in 1940, with the opening of the Cliffside Steam Station, located in Cleveland and Rutherford Counties, North Carolina. Duke Energy also operated seven nuclear plants throughout North Carolina. Other Duke Energy plants employing individuals throughout North Carolina include oil and gas-fired plants and hydroelectric plants.

The generation of power at Duke Energy power plants 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 powerhouses to properly function. Individuals working at these North Carolina power plants 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 Duke Energy worksites.

North Carolina Industry

During the economic boon of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, North Carolina was home to a diverse mixture of industry which manufactured, processed, and used asbestos and asbestos products. Hundreds of jobsites in North Carolina cities such as Raleigh, Durham, Winston-Salem, Wilmington and Charlotte have exposed thousands of workers to the hazards of asbestos. North Carolina industry of these time periods included boiler manufacturers, electrical component manufacturers, beverage producers, and makers of industrial and consumer products. Individuals in North Carolina employed at these worksites performed the work necessary to make these companies successful without knowledge of the serious health hazards created by exposure to asbestos at these worksites. Mesothelioma lawyers at LK have the expertise necessary to carefully analyze your work history to identify the unique asbestos exposures that were present at your previous places of employment.

North Carolina Mines

Due to an abundance of naturally occurring asbestos, several companies purchased large tracts of land for purposes of mining and processing raw asbestos and talc. To support such large ventures, independent contractors, general laborers, railway personnel, architects, engineers, construction crews, surveyors and packing and shipping personnel were required. Individuals present at these North Carolina mine locations were exposed to vast amounts of raw asbestos processed from the land.

Scientific research has shown that talc, a mineral mined from rock ore which is processed and refined into household cosmetic products, may contain asbestos. Many of North Carolina’s active mines, such as Willow Creek mine, which extracted talc for large companies, were contaminated with asbestos fibers. Women, men and children of all ages were possibly exposed to large amounts of asbestos fibers from use of popular cosmetic talc and powders. Today, diagnoses of mesothelioma linked to exposure to these cosmetic products have increased. Although preventable, major manufacturers of cosmetic products distributed their products without warning consumers of the serious hazards of exposure to asbestos-laced talc products. Mesothelioma lawyers at LK are experienced in investigating exposures to these cosmetic products which were sold throughout the country.

Individual Case Review

In North Carolina, 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.

North Carolina worksites where asbestos exposure was common include:

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

• Allen Steam Station (Duke Energy)
• Asheville Plant (Duke Energy)
• Babcock & Wilcox Boiler Plant (Wilmington)
• BASF (Charlotte)
• Belews Creek Steam Station (Duke Energy)
• Bowater Paper Mill (Rock Hill)
• Buck Steam Plant (Salisbury)
• Burlington Industries (Greensboro)
• Burroughs Chemical (Greenville)
• Carolina Power & Light (Georgetown)
• Celanese Chemical Plant (Rock Hill)
• Coca-Cola (Greensboro)
• Dewey Brother Refinery (Goldsboro)
• Duke Energy (Statewide)
• Fort Bragg (Fayetteville)
• Hoechst Celanese (Salisbury)
• Kelly Springfield Tire (Fayetteville)
• Lance Plant (Charlotte)
• Liggett Myers Tobacco Factory
• Marshall Steam Station (Duke Energy)
• Mayo Plant (Duke Energy)
• Mundy Chemical Plant (Wilmington)
• North Carolina State College (Raleigh)
• Owens Illinois (Salisbury)
• Porter Hayden (Salibury)
• Presnell Insulation (Rock Hill)
• Pullman Power Plant (Georgetown)
• Quaker Neck Power Plant (Goldsboro)
• Queensboro Steel (Wilmington)
• Raleigh Chemical Plant (Raleigh)
• River Bend Steam Plant (Charlotte)
• R.J. Reynolds (Winstom-Salem)
• R&W Inc. (Asheville)
• Roxboro Steam Plant (Duke Energy)
• Salem College (Winston-Salem)
• Southern Asbestos (Charlotte)
• Square D Company (Asheville)
• Starr Davis Company (Charlotte)
• Sutton Steam Station (Wilmington)
• Thurston Motors (Charlotte)
• Union Bleachery (Greenville)
• VAMC (Salisbury)
• Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem)
• Watson Electric (Greenville)
• Western Electric (Greensboro)
• Westinghouse (Charlotte)
• Wilmington Shipyard (Wilmington)

North Carolina asbestos mines include:

Figure 2. Map of North Carolina’s asbestos mines.

• Addie Olivine Mine
• Alders Mine
• Bad Creek Prospect
• Blue Rock Mine
• Brockton Mine
• Burleson Mine
• Coldsides Mountain Mine
• Corbin Knob Mine
• Elk Mountain
• Frank Mine
• Hanshaw Mountain
• Harris Prospect
• Johns River Mine
• Kilpatrick Mine
• Manus Mine
• Newdale Mine
• Round Mountain Mine
• Sapphire Mine
• Walnut Cove Mine
• Willow Creek Mine

If you or your loved one are a North Carolina resident or were exposed to asbestos in North Carolina, and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, please call (800) 315-3806 or contact us electronically on this website to receive a FREE consultation with mesothelioma lawyers 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 by submitting an email inquiry (see form above). 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.