Pennsylvania (PA) Asbestos And Mesothelioma General, Medical, & Legal Resources

Pennsylvania (PA) Asbestos Resources & Information:

There are over 40 locations in the Keystone State in which asbestos exposure has been a problem. Most of these are related to industries that are known for asbestos issues--primarily power generation plants, shipyards, oil refineries and steel mills--but other businesses and even schools are represented. In addition, Pennsylvania has some naturally-occurring serpentine deposits, from which the chrysotile variety of asbestos comes. Most of these are located in regions of the state near the New Jersey and Maryland state lines.

Why All the Asbestos?

The U.S. asbestos industry got its start on the East coast shortly before the American Civil War when Henry W. Johns began his experiments with the material he believed to be the solution to an all-too-common problem in the days of wooden buildings, gaslights and other open flames.

As a result, asbestos found its way into almost every part of every building, including roofing shingles, floor tiles, ceilings, wall insulation, fire bricks and more. Later, with the development of innovations such as indoor plumbing, central heating and electrification, asbestos was applied to pipes as insulation against freezing as well as heat and electrical current.

As a result, a great many public buildings constructed prior to 1980 have asbestos in basement and foundation areas where there is access to these systems--including those listed above.

Asbestos at Sea

The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, the first naval shipyard in the U.S., was responsible for building over 50 ships and repaired nearly 600 during World War II and continued operating until 1995. Because of the need for fire protection, asbestos was widely used on sea-going vessels, and those who worked on or around the ships were often heavily exposed to friable asbestos.

A recent study carried out at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda Maryland followed the mortality of 4,700 workers at a Coast Guard facility in the community who had been employed between 1950 and 1964. The conclusion: "Employment in this Coast Guard shipyard revealed a small but significant excess mortality from all causes, lung cancer and mesothelioma, most of which is probably related to asbestos exposure".

Pennsylvania's Connection to Libby, Montana

Although the people of New Castle, Pennsylvania, are far removed geographically from the residents of Libby, Montana, they unfortunately share at least one thing in common: they were subjected to asbestos exposure from tremolite-contaminated vermiculite mined by W.R. Grace and Company.

Between 1948 and 1993, W.R. Grace sent nearly 425,000 tons of vermiculite ore from Libby to the western Pennsylvania town, where it was processed to produce attic insulation and other vermiculite products; during such processing asbestos was released into the air and exposed not only people who worked at the plant, but those who worked, went to school, or lived near it.

New Castle was not the only Pennsylvania community to receive vermiculite shipments from Libby. Ten locations in the state are on record for receiving shipments, including Philadelphia and Lancaster; all told, the state received 4,394 shipments totaling over 436,000 tons.

Power and Steel

Prior to the relatively recent, arguably short-sighted and badly-written "free trade agreements," Pennsylvania was a large part of the U.S. industrial juggernaut; a popular Pittsburgh football team's name recalls one of the state's major industries.

Steelmaking means high heat and flame, which in turn means that asbestos was used in gaskets and linings as well as ovens, ladles, boilers, and steam pipes.
Some exposure was the result of asbestos clothing that was meant to protect steelworkers from burns, such as leggings, aprons, overcoats, gloves and masks.

Specific steel mill jobs most likely to have been exposed to asbestos are pourers and casters, operators, tenders, furnace operators and inspectors, machine setters, millwrights and welders.

State Mortality Statistics

Between 1980 and 2000, over 3,000 lives in Pennsylvania were lost to asbestos diseases. Most were due to asbestosis, and were concentrated in the urban parts of the state.

Pennsylvania (PA) Legal Resources: Asbestos, Asbestos Cancer & Mesothelioma

A search through the Pennsylvania Federal District Court Cases for asbestos-related personal injury product liability lawsuits brings up an extensive list of fifty lawsuits from 2006 and 2007. Armstrong Contracting and Supply is one of the major defendants listed in these cases. Another is Amchem Products Inc.

Pennsylvania is ranked third in the U.S. for mesothelioma cases. With a mesothelioma mortality rate of 16.8 per million, Pennsylvania has a crude mortality rank of seven in the country.

There are a number of known asbestos exposed areas in the state. In Philadelphia alone, ACW Lines, America West African Line, the Arco Oil Refinery, the Gulf Oil Refinery, Moore McCormick, the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Sunoco, The Gulf Plant, United Fruit Co., the US Merchant Marine, and the US Navy Yard are all known asbestos-exposed areas. In Berwick, the Berwick Powerhouse and Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant are affected areas. Other known asbestos exposed areas in the state include American Refining in Bradford, Sun Shipbuilding in Chester, the Clairton Steel Mill, Philadelphia Electric Co. in Eddy Stone, the Holtwood Powerhouse, the Homer City Powerhouse, the Hunlock Creek Powerhouse, Sunoco and Sunoil Co. in Marcus Hook, British Petroleum in Marthas Hook, the Martins Creek Powerhouse, US Steel in Morrisville, Foster Wheeler in Mountaintop, the New Castle Powerhouse, New Jersey Zinc in Palmerton, the Peachbottom Powerplant, Philadelphia Electric Co.-Crumby Static in Phoenixville, the Armstrong Powerhouse in Reesedale, Pennzoil in Rouseville, Limerick Powerhouse-#2 in Santatoga, the Sunbury Powerhouse in Shamokin, the Bruce Mansfield Powerhouse in Shippingsport, the FR Phillips Powerhouse in South Heights, Tosco in Trainer,  United Refining in Warren, the Washingtonville Power Station, and the York Powerhouse. In addition, Pittsburgh has three known asbestos-exposed areas: Continental Can, Limbach-Home Office, and Pittsburgh Elementary School.

Individuals living or working near these areas should be checked regularly for signs of mesothelioma in order to file any lawsuits within the state's statute of limitations. While many of these sites have been inspected and some have been cleaned up, anyone who worked or lived in these areas before asbestos contamination was reported can still be affected. Also, it is important to keep in mind that these are only known asbestos sites. Other areas in the state may also contain asbestos but may not yet have been reported as such.

One key asbestos case, Georgine v. Amchem Products, Inc., which took place in Pennsylvania in 1994, involved a consortium of companies known as the Center for Claims Resolution (CCR). In 1991, all existing federal asbestos personal-injury litigation was transferred by Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Soon after, CCR attempted to negotiate a settlement of all future asbestos claims against the CCR defendants. The CCR had attempted to limit the liability of its members in cases related to asbestos, and this action was allegedly what led to the eventual class settlement lawsuit including future claims.

Those interested in filing lawsuits should know that the statute of limitations for personal injury law in Pennsylvania is two years with a discovery rule that states that this amount of time begins when the problem (in this case the mesothelioma) either was discovered or should have been discovered. Wrongful death cases have follow the same statute of limitations and discovery rule. In wrongful death cases, the statute of limitations begins when the victim, and not his representatives, could reasonably have been expected to have discovered his injury and its cause. There is no specific statute about asbestos in Pennsylvania.

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