The asbestos dust rose into the atmosphere when the ash was removed via a suction hose. At the end of the shift, the maintenance crew would sweep the place releasing more toxic dust into the air. Steelworkers also wore heat-resistant clothing, which was usually made from asbestos cloth.
Throughout steel mills, steam lines were located. These steam and pipelines were also insulated with asbestos-coating. This insulation needed to be cut down to fit individual pipes because it would come pre-formed. This was another activity that produced dangerous amounts of asbestos dust.
These people working in steel factories were at a high risk of developing asbestos-related diseases. The symptoms of illnesses like mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis fail to show up immediately. A long period of 10 to 40 years will pass until symptoms begin to surface.
Relevant job titles
- burner
- caster
- compact operator
- flame cutter
- forgeman
- furnace operator
- galvanizer
- hot top maker
- metal pourer
- blacksmith
- smelter
- gear machinist
- mechanical technician
- press operator
- slitter assistant
- slitter operator
Asbestos-related cancer eligible for filing a claim
If you developed one of the following cancers as a result of occupational exposure, you are eligible for compensation. If you are too ill, a family member can help you with the legal process. In the unfortunate event that you pass away before recovering compensation, your surviving family members will receive compensation on your behalf.
If, however, you struggle with non-cancerous pleural diseases such as asbestosis, pulmonary fibrosis, pleural plaques, pleural effusion, diffuse pleural thickening, COPD (emphysema & chronic bronchitis), pleurisy, lung nodules, lung spots, asthma, pneumonitis, tuberculosis, rounded atelectasis or lung scarring, please seek a second or even a third opinion as the rate of misdiagnosis is very high among the victims of asbestos exposure.
Companies that exposed steelworkers to asbestos
- Flexitallic Gasket Company
- Halliburton Company
- NARCO
- A.W. Chesterton Company
- Tyler Pipe Foundry
- U.S. Pipe and Foundry
- Continental Steel Corporation
- American Crane Corporation
- Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co.
- AK Steel
- U.S. Steel Corp.
- USX Corporation
- Porter Hayden Company
- LTV Steel
- Weirton Steel
- Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp.
- Birmingham Steel Corporation
- Bethlehem Steel Corporation
- Ameristeel
- Bayou Steel Corporation
- Titan Steel Corporation
- Sheffield Steel Corporation
- ARMCO. Inc.
Click on the dropdown below and choose your state to see company names.
Labor union members are also eligible
Asbestos products handled by steelworkers
Steel manufacturing involves extremely high temperatures. Furnaces, rolling mills, ovens, hot blast stoves, tanks, steam pipes, and other equipment prone to overheating require plenty of insulation. The protective clothing steelworkers needed to wear on the job - aprons, coveralls, leggings, and gloves - also contained asbestos, since the mineral had a remarkable resistance to heat. Moreover, workers who did not manufacture steel, per se, were also exposed to considerable levels of asbestos by interacting with refractory materials such as bricks, liner boards, ceiling boards, and asbestos blankets.