Over the last twenty years, several former John Deere & Company employees have alleged exposure to asbestos that originated from third-party component manufacturers. The plaintiffs in these cases claim that the toxins at the workplace caused them to develop lung cancer and other related illnesses.
According to one complaint, a plaintiff alleged that he was exposed to asbestos-containing products manufactured or sold by John Deere during from 1959 to 1993. As a result, the plaintiff alleges he developed lung cancer, a disease closely linked to exposure to industrial toxins.
In such cases, plaintiffs can sue defendants for allegedly negligently using asbestos in their products when safer substitutes were available. Former workers can also take legal action if their employers fail to properly warn them of the risks of the job, fail to provide safety gear, and repeatedly violate OSHA safety standards.
Understanding John Deere Worker Asbestos Exposure
When older asbestos materials are disturbed or handled, they can break down and a fine toxic dust can easily be inhaled or ingested by anyone in the area. Workers or mechanics who worked with older Deere tractors may have been at risk of exposure.
Deere & Company, operating out of Moline, Illinois, used asbestos components in its tractors and other farming machinery products. The hazardous components included asbestos gaskets and brake linings, either installed on its stock machinery or sold as replacement parts through the Deere network of dealers. According to court documents, Dana Companies manufactured and supplied asbestos gaskets to Deere & Company. Tractor models 1010, 2010 and 3010, and others may have contained asbestos components. Asbestos gaskets and clutch facings were installed on Deere & Company tractors for heat resistance and smooth braking, endangering mechanics and farmers alike.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have listed asbestos a cancer-causing substance.
Mesothelioma has long been linked to asbestos exposure in medical literature with a latency period of 20-50 years after being first exposed.
