Vermont: Mesothelioma Lawyers Seeking Justice for VT Asbestos Victims

MONTPELIER, VERMONT, JUNE 23, 2015 – MESOTHELIOMA LAWYERS FROM THE NATIONAL ASBESTOS LITIGATION FIRM OF LEVY KONIGSBERG LLP (“LK”) ARE CONTINUING TO HELP VERMONT 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 Vermont. Even more are diagnosed with lung cancer and asbestosis. According to statistics compiled by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, Parish County ranks in the top twenty counties across America with the highest mesothelioma death rates. All of these asbestos-related diseases could have been prevented if workers had been properly protected from exposure to asbestos.

Vermont Paper Industry

For several decades, Vermont was called home by several major paper manufacturers. These paper companies operated large mills throughout Vermont which contained large, asbestos-containing equipment and other asbestos-containing products. Employees and independent contractors were routinely exposed to asbestos while working in these Vermont paper mills. Although preventable, individuals present at these worksites were not warned about the dangers associated with exposure to asbestos dust.

Vermont Paper Mill Worksites

• Boise Cascade
• Fiber Mark
• Gilman Paper
• Green Mountain Paper
• International Paper
• White Mountain Paper

In 2002, an article was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, investigating lung and pleural diseases of 62,937 males who worked for at least one year in the paper and pulp industry between the years 1945 and 1966. The study found that at least thirty-six percent of paper and pulp employees were exposed to asbestos while employed at a paper and pulp mill. Many of the paper and pulp employees who developed a lung or pleural disease performed maintenance work at the paper and pulp mill.

If you worked at a paper mill in Vermont and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, an experienced attorney at LK will investigate all possible sources of asbestos exposure you may have suffered. Individuals present at these worksites commonly worked with and around boilers, furnaces, turbines, ovens, motors and generators. Other products commonly used at paper and pulp mills include gaskets, packing, pipecovering, raw asbestos and masonry products, much of which contained asbestos.

Vermont Power Plants

Between the 1930s and 1990s, numerous powerhouses were operated throughout Vermont. Employees and independent contractors present at these worksites may have been exposed to vast amounts of asbestos dust while performing their work. Individuals of all trades, including insulators, pipefitters, electricians, plumbers, laborers and boilermakers, regularly worked with and around asbestos products. Gaskets, packing, seals, pipecovering, and raw asbestos were regularly installed and removed from the equipment installed at these worksites. Despite your job title, there are numerous areas of asbestos exposure commonly suffered by individuals present at powerhouses.

Tradesmen of various skills were exposed to asbestos at powerhouses constructed and operated throughout the nation. Jerome H. Block, an LK partner, represented a skilled tradesperson who was exposed to airborne asbestos created by the work of contractors installing various asbestos-containing products at a Long Island power plant. Employees, independent contractors and other visitors of these power plants were regularly exposed to asbestos. Attorneys at LK are skilled in identifying the asbestos exposures suffered by constructors and employees of these power plants. For more information on this LK power plant case, click here.

Marble, Granite and Slate Worksites

At one point in history, Vermont was the nation’s second largest producer of marble, granite and slate products. For decades, this industry provided thousands of jobs to Vermont citizens. Many employees and independent contractors who spent time at these worksites were exposed to asbestos dust:

Quarries and other mining worksites required the construction of facilities and other structures for operations and activities. Construction crews and employees built structures which contained asbestos components. Carpenters, masons, plumbers and electricians installed asbestos containing equipment. Between the 1940s and 1980s, work completed at new construction sites exposed individuals to large amounts of asbestos dust.

Other Industrial Worksites

Regardless of where you worked, 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 which exposed you to asbestos.

Individual Case Review – In Vermont, 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 mesothelioma attorney will assist your family in determining all possible sources of your exposure to asbestos dust.

Vermont worksites where asbestos exposure was common include:

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

• Air Route Surveillance Radar (Saint Albans)
• Barre Light & Power Company (Montpelier)
• Bennington Pottery Company (Bennington)
• Black Cat Textiles (Bennington)
• Central Vermont Railways (Saint Albans)
• Consolidated Light & Power Company (Montpelier)
• Cooperative Design (Bennington)
• Corry Deavitt Frost Electric Company (Montpelier)
• Dial Exchange Building (Rutland)
• Fall Mountain Mill (Bellows Falls)
• GMC (Rutland)

• Green Mountain Paper (Bellows Falls)
• H.E. Bradford Company (Bennington)
• Howe Scale Company (Rutland)
• International Paper Company (Bellows Falls)
• St. Albans Cooperative Creamery Company (Saint Albans)
• Vermont Electric Company (Rutland)
• Vermont Marble (Rutland)
• White Mountain Paper Company (Bellows Falls)
• Wyman Flint & Sons (Bellows Falls)

If you or your loved one are a Vermont resident or were exposed to asbestos in Vermont, and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, please call (800) 315-3806 or contact us electronically at www.levylaw.com 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 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.