Pennsylvania Mesothelioma Lawyers Fight for Rights of Asbestos Victims & Their Families

Pennsylvania mesothelioma lawyers from the national asbestos litigation firm of Levy Konigsberg LLP (“LK”) are currently working on behalf of mesothelioma victims across the state that contracted the cancer as a result of their exposures to asbestos, most notably in the workplace.

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, January 28, 2015 – John Paul Guinan, a Pennsylvania-licensed attorney and partner at LK who has battled for those affected by asbestos exposure throughout his career, leads a team of dedicated lawyers who understand the importance of achieving justice and recovering financial damages for mesothelioma victims and their families.

Mesothelioma claimed the lives of over 2,500 people in the United States in 2010 and continues to present substantial risks via the 3,000 new cases that are identified on an annual basis. The cancer is a known killer in Pennsylvania, as the state ranks third in the nation for the number of deaths due to asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma. An invisible and odorless dust, asbestos fibers are most commonly released into the air at jobsites in the mechanical, automotive, construction, and shipbuilding fields of labor. However non-occupational and secondary exposures can occur at residential locations when hobbyists perform maintenance on their personal vehicles or family members handle the clothing of a loved one who has been exposed through their profession.

Embodying a rich tradition of steel manufacturing and mining, the industries that have fueled Pennsylvania’s growth also opened the door for asbestos exposure amongst a significant portion of the state’s blue-collar population. Due to its unique ability to withstand extremely high temperatures, the use of asbestos was widespread in the steel manufacturing process as a fire retardant for materials and equipment that came into contact with excessive heat. Consequently, workers who handled these asbestos-containing products, and those who were in the vicinity, became exposed to the dangerous fibers that occupied the air. The uniforms worn by many steel workers even contained asbestos as a method for protecting them from these high temperatures, though ultimately posed other formidable risks.

Another workplace containing high temperature processes that can be found throughout the state of Pennsylvania is oil refineries. Pumps, boilers, furnaces, and other equipment vital to the refining methods were wrapped predominately with asbestos prior to the late 1970s, ultimately endangering the workers in charge of repairing and/or manipulating these machines and their asbestos-containing insulation. Due to its long latency period, cases of mesothelioma discovered today are often rooted in exposures dating back more than forty years for men and fifty years for women.

Asbestos also worked its way into Pennsylvania from 1948 to 1993 via shipments of vermiculite, a mineral that often contains asbestos and can be used for the production of insulation, among other products. These shipments came from Libby, Montana, a small town with infamous vermiculite mines that have led to numerous mesothelioma cases amongst its workers and residents. According to the Environmental Working Group, at least 4,394 shipments were transported from Libby to at least 10 locations in Pennsylvania, where the mineral then yielded asbestos-containing products that were produced and dispersed within the state.

Pennsylvania asbestos sites include:

• LTV Steel;
• Penn Shipbuilding;
• Alcoa Aluminum;
• Philadelphia Naval Shipyard;
• Bethlehem Steel Shipyard;
• USX Corporation;
• Bethlehem Steel;
• Key Highway Shipyard;
• Electralloy;
• Pennsylvania Shipyard (Beaumont);
• Sun Shipbuilding.

If you or your loved one are a PA resident or were exposed to asbestos in Pennsylvania, and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, please call (800) 315-3806 or contact us electronically through this website to receive a FREE consultation with experienced Pennsylvania mesothelioma lawyers at Levy Konigsberg LLP.