VIRGINIA: Mesothelioma Lawyers Help VA Asbestos Victims

RICHMOND, Virginia – Mesothelioma lawyers from the national asbestos litigation firm of Levy Konigsberg LLP (“LK”) are continuing to help Virginia 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 Virginia. Even more are diagnosed with lung cancer and asbestosis. According to statistics compiled by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, Virginia ranks thirteenth in the nation in mortality for 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 sprawling shipyards and numerous power plants, automotive plants, oil refineries other industrial employers throughout Virginia, mill workers, powerhouse employees, insulators, 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. Mesothelioma lawyers at LK have extensive experience in investigating these occupational exposures:

Shipbuilding in Virginia

Considered the center of the U.S. shipbuilding industry, Virginia has an extensive history of shipyard activities. Due to the coastal properties of the state and its near-centric position on the east coast, Virginia’s shipbuilding industry has been critical to the successes of the U.S. Navy. As the largest industry in Virginia, thousands of shipyard employees, independent contractors and military personnel were present at these shipyard locations. Mesothelioma attorneys at LK have extensive experience investigating asbestos exposures suffered at Virginia shipyards.

Newport News Shipbuilding

Originally established in 1886 as the Chesapeake Dry Dock and Construction Company, the Newport News Shipyard has employed thousands of Virginia residents for over a century. Located along Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay, Newport News Shipbuilding employed individuals and independent contractors throughout 500 acres of land. As Virginia’s largest industrial employer, Newport News Shipbuilding employees built U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, submarines and commercial ships. Employees at this shipyard regularly maintained and repaired these ships when they returned to dock for weeks or months for critical repairs.

Norfolk Naval Shipyard

Located in Portsmouth Virginia, the Norfolk Shipyard is the oldest industrial facility in the United States under the control of the U.S. Navy. Originally utilized as a shipbuilding location, the Norfolk Naval Ship gradually transitioned to a location utilized mainly for vessel repair and overhaul. During World War II, employees of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard built approximately thirty major vessels and repaired 6,850 Allied ships. As the Korean War carried on, employees at the shipyard overhauled more than 1,250 ships. Between the 1940s and 1980s, thousands of overhaul and repair projects were undertaken by shipyard employees, independent contractors and military personnel.

Shipyard Exposure – Vessel building, repair and overhaul work performed at Virginia’s shipyards typically occurred in cramped spaces with poor ventilation systems resulting in regular exposure to high levels of asbestos dust. Individuals at these shipyards regularly worked with and around equipment and machinery which required asbestos-containing materials. Workers at these Virginia shipyards frequently used or were exposed to asbestos dust from gaskets, packing, raw asbestos, insulation, and other asbestos-containing materials throughout their time at these shipyards. Mesothelioma lawyers at LK are experienced in identifying the unique asbestos exposures suffered by individuals who were employed at Virginia’s shipyards. Despite your job responsibilities at a Virginia shipyard, there are many areas of asbestos exposure which an LK attorney will investigate.

Virginia Power Plants

Spread across Virginia, companies including Dominion Power, Old Dominion Electric Cooperative and Virginia Electric & Power Company established coal-fired plants and other power-generating stations dating back to pre-colonial times. These power plants employed thousands of Virginia citizens throughout the state. LK mesothelioma attorneys have extensive experience investigating asbestos exposures at power plants.

The generation of power in Virginia 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 Virginia power plants were exposed to high levels of asbestos dust from their work with or around these products.

Power Plant Construction

Between the 1930s and 1980s, construction of power plants, rail yards, generating sites and other locations for equipment were undertaken throughout Virginia. For example, five generators were built along the Potomac River between 1949 and 1957. Stacks, rail lines, buildings, warehouses and other structures were planned and constructed by the owners of these Virginia power plants. Independent contractors, construction crews and powerhouse employees were present while these locations were constructed. Many of the materials used or installed at these power plant construction sites contained asbestos.

Powerhouse Exposure

Mesothelioma lawyers at LK are experienced in investigating powerhouse worksites. Due to the presence of various pieces of equipment and machinery throughout a power plant, there are many sources of exposure which must be investigated. During your free consultation with an LK lawyer, we will explain the traditional and unique exposures suffered by individuals present at a powerhouse.

Virginia Auto Plants – At one time, many automotive plants were operated throughout Virginia. Companies such as Ford, Volvo, General Motors, ABEX, and Firestone operated manufacturing plants throughout the state, producing different pieces of equipment or components incorporated into automobiles. Individuals present at these worksites were potentially exposed to high levels of asbestos dust on a regular basis. Machinery and products installed throughout these plants commonly contained asbestos. Mesothelioma attorneys at LK will investigate all possible asbestos exposures you or your loved one suffered at a Virginia auto plant.

ABEX Plant, Winchester, VA

For decades, ABEX, a manufacturer of consumer and commercial brakes, operated a production facility in Winchester, VA manufacturing brake linings. Employees, independent contractors and other visitors of ABEX’s Winchester plant were potentially exposed to large amounts of asbestos dust. As late as 1977, asbestos was still present at ABEX’s Winchester plant. That year, F.W. Knoch, the former medical director of the ABEX Corporation visited the Winchester location. Upon returning to his office, F.W. Knoch authored a memorandum to the manager of the Winchester plant, stating “There is no doubt in any of our minds that asbestos is a carcinogen,” instructing the manager that smoking in areas of the plant “where asbestos was present in excess of the Threshold Limit Value” should be discouraged. ABEX’s medical director further commented that drinking and eating should be regulated. An Appellate Court hearing an appeal concerning employment at the ABEX Winchester plant wrote that “the jury could have inferred that asbestos was floating around in the air inside the factory, or else there would have been no need to worry about ingesting it with food or drink.” LK mesothelioma lawyers have the expertise necessary to investigate claims of asbestos exposure at the ABEX Winchester worksite.

Other Industry in Virginia

Due to the presence of numerous industrial employers throughout Virginia, insulators, plumbers, electricians, pipefitters, chemical operators, machinists, powerhouse workers, boilermakers, engineers and many other trades were routinely exposed to asbestos. Each year, approximately three thousand men and women across the country, including many in Virginia, are diagnosed with mesothelioma, an aggressive asbestos cancer, due to their work with or around asbestos-containing products. Many tradespeople employed at factories, warehouses, manufacturing facilities and other industrial buildings commonly worked with and around asbestos-containing materials. During your free consultation, an LK attorney will review your employment history and discuss the investigation of asbestos exposure at your worksites.

Individual Case Review

In Virginia, 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 lawyer will assist your family in determining all possible sources of your exposure to asbestos dust.

Virginia worksites where asbestos exposure was common include:

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

• ABEX (Winchester, VA)
• Allied Chemical (Hopewell, VA)
• Allied Signal (Hopewell, VA)
• AMOCO (Yorktown, VA)
• Appalachian Power (Glen Lyn, VA)
• Banister Pipeline (Farmville, VA)
• Burlington Industries (Glasgow, VA)
• Chesterfield Power Plant (Chesterfield, VA)
• CSX (Clifton Force, VA)
• Dominion Power (Statewide, VA)
• DuPont (Martinsville, VA)
• Dutch Gap Power Plant (Statewide, VA)
• Firestone Plant (Hopewell, VA)
• Ford (Norfolk, VA)
• Franklin Printing Company (Newport News, VA)
• General Electric Company (Staunton, VA)
• General Motors (Fredericksburg, VA)
• Georgia Pacific (Milford, VA)
• Grinnel Corporation (Yorktown, VA)
• Hampton Road Shipyard (Hampton, VA)
• Hercules (Hopewell, VA)
• Hoechst Celanese (Narrows, VA)
• Horne Brothers Shipyard (Newport News, VA)
• International Paper Company (Franklin, VA)
• Little Creek Naval Base (Norfolk, VA)
• NASA Langley Research Center (Hampton, VA)
• Newport News Shipbuilding (Newport News, VA)
• Norfolk Naval Base (Norfolk, VA)
• Norfolk Naval Shipyard (Norfolk, VA)
• Norfolk Ship Building & Dry Dock (Norfolk, VA)
• Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (Statewide, VA)
• Parsons Piping Company (Yorktown, VA)
• Phillip Morris Plant (Statewide, VA)
• Point Express (Roanoke, VA)
• Riverside Hospital (Newport News, VA)
• Spruance Textiles (Richmond, VA)
• Standard Oil Refinery (Richmand, VA)
• Stone & Webster Corp. (Yorktown, VA)
• Thurston Motors (Roanoke, VA)
• Union Camp Papermill (Franklin, VA)
• University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA)
• U.S. Naval Amphibious Base (Little Creek, VA)
• Virginia Chemical Plant (Axis, VA)
• Virginia Electric Power Plant (Statewide, VA)
• Virginia Hot Springs, Inc. (Hot Springs, VA)
• Volvo (Chesapeake, VA)
• Wallace Piping & Supply Company (Norfolk, VA)
• Westvaco Paper Mill (Covington, VA)
• W.V. Pulp & Paper (Covington, VA)

If you or your loved one are a Virginia resident or were exposed to asbestos in Virginia, and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, please call (800) 315-3806 or submit an online inquiry 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: We have offices located in New York, New Jersey, California, Georgia, Washington, and Maryland. 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.

Virginia Mesothelioma FAQ

Many thousands of people in the U.S. have died from mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Despite regulations against asbestos use, the number of mesothelioma deaths annually remains substantial, as reported by the CDC. People in Virginia need to know about asbestos exposure and the risk of mesothelioma. We provide answers to some frequently asked questions below.

What Types of Materials May Contain Asbestos?

Until the mid-1970s, most insulation materials and many other construction materials contained asbestos. Common sources of exposure include:

• Vehicle brakes and clutches
• Roof, floor, and ceiling tiles
• Boiler insulation
• Transite siding
• Pipe insulation
• Fireproofing spray insulation
• Insulating joint compounds, plaster and cements (products that came in powder form and created dust until completely mixed with water)
• Gunite and fire brick used for internal insulation in boilers, furnaces, etc.

What Workplaces in Virginia May Be Locations for Asbestos Exposure?

Many people in Virginia have been exposed to asbestos in the workplace. Exposure has occurred in shipyards, power plants, oil refineries, automotive plants, and through other industrial employers. Shipbuilding is the largest industry in Virginia. Thousands of shipyard employees, independent contractors, and military personnel have been exposed to asbestos in shipyards. Virginia workplace locations where asbestos exposure may have occurred include:

• Newport News Shipyard
• Norfolk Naval Shipyard
• Dominion Power Plant
• Virginia Electric and Power Company
• Old Dominion Electric Cooperative
• ABEX plant, Winchester
• Ford, Volvo, General Motors, and Firestone manufacturing plants

What Trades Have a High Risk of Exposure to Asbestos?

With the presence of numerous industrial employers statewide, Virginia workers in many different trades have suffered harmful asbestos exposure, including:

• Plumbers
• Electricians
• Insulators
• Pipefitters
• Machinists
• Chemical operators
• Boilermakers
• Powerhouse workers
• Engineers

Should I Seek Compensation for Asbestos Exposure?

Compensation in a mesothelioma case can be significant. Recoverable damages may be enough to provide for the victim’s surviving family members for many years to come. Companies that manufactured products containing asbestos knew of the dangers but failed to warn others until the 1970s. Many companies are now willing to negotiate settlements that provide financial security and peace of mind for survivors of mesothelioma victims.

What Determines the Value of Your Claim?

The potential value of a claim for mesothelioma will depend on the particular circumstances of your case. Factors that can affect your settlement or award may include:

• Severity of your injuries
• Medical evidence that confirms your diagnosis
• Your actual and potential losses
• Strength of identification of the products you were exposed to
• Companies that made the products that caused your toxic exposure
• Financial resources (including insurance coverage) of responsible parties

What Are the Advantages of Pursuing a Claim Now Rather than Later?

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, your case may settle faster and for more money if you file a claim now rather than later. Cases involving a plaintiff who is alive are given a higher priority. There are time limits imposed by law on how long you must file a claim after diagnosis. In addition, if you have mesothelioma, you are likely the best person to establish the facts of your case.

Why Choose Levy Konigsberg for a Mesothelioma Claim?

If you are pursuing a mesothelioma case, you need attorneys with experience in asbestos litigation and a history of success for their clients. At Levy Konigsberg, we have been advocating for the rights of individuals and families for nearly 40 years. Our firm has been nationally recognized for winning some of the toughest, most high-profile cases. We have taken on powerful entities, scoring victories for our clients and for public health.

Call us at (800) 315-3806 to schedule a consultation with a Virginia mesothelioma lawyer.