Research suggests that the dangerous and carcinogenic nature of asbestos has been known for over 100 years. In fact, workers were warned to avoid the substance as long ago as 1913, with researchers pushing for warning and education of workers as early as the 1930s. By the mid-1960s, experts had found a causal link between asbestos exposure and the deadly cancer known as mesothelioma.
Tragically, despite this, companies and manufacturers in Ohio and around the country continued to use asbestos without providing proper protection for their employees. In another state, a son has recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of his now-deceased mother, alleging asbestos exposure led to her death. Specifically, the plaintiff claims that the woman was exposed to asbestos second hand when she washed her husband’s asbestos-dust covered work clothes. She died approximately one year after being diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2013.
The husband had worked as an insulator for the defendant company, Krez, by whom he was employed from 1966 to 1976. The complaint against Krez alleges that, as the company had been doing business since 1909, the defendant knew or should have known of the health risks associated with asbestos. Additionally, it is alleged the company was aware that employees who worked with insulation would not only be exposed to asbestos but would be carrying the substance home on their clothing and thus exposing their families to the carcinogenic material.
Despite this, Krez did not provide showers for employees or lockers for them to change out of their asbestos-covered clothing. Neither did the company warn workers of the dangers of wearing this clothing home. For this alleged gross negligence, the plaintiff has not asked for a specific amount in damages, instead citing the damages, both economic and noneconomic, as vast. In Ohio, there are legal resources that focus specifically on asbestos litigation for those who have similarly lost a loved one due to cancer or other illnesses related to asbestos exposure.
Source: madisonrecord.com, “Opening statements heard Friday for third Madison County asbestos trial this year“, Heather Isringhausen Gvillo, Oct. 13, 2017
