Former workers at Pataskala, Ohio’s Allen Refractories Co. may have been exposed to asbestos, and may develop lung diseases like asbestosis and cancers like mesothelioma.
Allen Refractories Company, founded in 1970, is one of Ohio’s leading manufacturers of refractory materials—heat-resistant materials used to line high-temperature industrial equipment such as furnaces. The company produced refractories, furnace fittings, and other potentially toxic products.
The company developed these heat-resistant products during a period when asbestos use was prevalent because of the material’s durability and fire-resistant capabilities. Unfortunately, for years this material went unregulated and posed serious risks to workers in Allen’s Ohio plants and factories throughout the country.
Joe Lyon is an experienced asbestos lawyer representing plaintiffs nationwide in a wide variety of asbestos, toxic tort and mesothelioma claims.
The Risks of Asbestos Exposure at Allen Refractories
Many former workers at asbestos manufacturers in Ohio have been diagnosed with asbestosis, mesothelioma cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases. Workers at the Columbus and Canal Winchester, Ohio Allen Refractories plants are likely to have been exposed to asbestos.
The fibers from asbestos can be lodged in the lungs, which can cause scarring and malignant tumors. Asbestos fibers can lay dormant in the lungs for decades, often causing cancer and other disorders, including mesothelioma.
Allen Refractories Asbestos Products
Many of Allen Refractories’ products were used in industrial processes and contained asbestos to resist extremely high temperatures. Allen Refractories asbestos-containing products included the following:
• Refractory brick
• Fiber
• Casting products
• Pouring pit refractories
• Precast shapes
Industries Affected by Allen Refractories Asbestos Products
Allen Refractories Company served various industries with potentially dangerous products. Some of the more common industries included:
• Incineration
• Minerals processing
• Foundries
• Aluminum
• Power generation
• Chemical and carbon processing
• Glass
• Petro-chemical
• Ferro (Iron) alloys
• Pulp and paper
Occupations at Risk at Allen Refractories
As with similar asbestos manufacturers, Pataskala, Ohio’s Allen Refractories supplied its products to numerous different companies, which in turn affected a wide variety of workers. The most likely types of workers affected by asbestos in Allen’s products include:
• Metal workers
• Engineers
• Boiler Operator
• Bricklayer
• Insulator
• Laborer
• Machinist
• Maintenance Mechanic
• Millwright
• Pipefitter
• Plumber
• Steamfitter
• Welder
Ohio Mesothelioma Lawsuits
Allen Refractories has been named as a defendant in numerous lawsuits contending workers of Allen and other companies were injured by asbestos-containing products.
Allen continues dealing with the legal consequences as lawyers contend that the products led directly to mesothelioma and related diseases in former employees. Like many other former Ohio manufacturers, Allen still faces a significant number of personal injury claims.
When Allen Refractories began using asbestos in the 1970s, there were already many medical studies which indicated asbestos was extremely toxic. Most of the warnings, however, were ignored and the company put workers at risk. Allen is likely to face additional asbestos lawsuits, as related diseases often present themselves many years after initial exposure.
Symptoms of Mesothelioma
By the time symptoms appear, mesothelioma has usually already reached an advanced stage. Symptoms of mesothelioma can be varied, and may include the following:
• Pain in the chest and rib area
• Persistent cough
• Trouble breathing
• Mysterious lumps of tissue on the chest and abdomen
• Stomach pains
• Swelling of the abdomen
• Weight loss
