The Proctor & Gamble Company, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been a large part of the Ohio community for many decades. The company employs thousands in Cincinnati and many more in its manufacturing facilities around the country, including its fabric care plant in Lima, Ohio. The Lima, Ohio PG plant has been operating since 1968, and thousands of Ohio residents have worked on site as full-time employees or contractors.
Procter & Gamble has long been an important employer in Ohio, though in recent years many former workers have fallen ill, and filed personal injury claims against the company.
Former workers who have developed lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma allege that P&G used asbestos products throughout their Lima, Ohio manufacturing facility. Affected employees claim the occupational exposure has caused deadly asbestos-related illnesses, and are seeking compensation from the company.
Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Cincinnati asbestos lawyer and Ohio personal injury attorney representing plaintiffs nationwide in a wide variety of toxic tort and mesothelioma claims.
Procter & Gamble Asbestos
Chemical plants regularly utilize large amounts of industrial machinery and piping that connect work stations and buildings. This heavy machinery and piping, as well as ovens, tanks, boilers and pumps very likely contained asbestos in the Lima, Ohio plant.
Procter & Gamble’s product line, which includes several name brand chemical-based consumer products, requires heavy machinery and also huge amounts of fire-resistant insulation in production plants. There are several known health hazards associated with working in a chemical production facility like the Lima P&G plant, including inhaling asbestos fibers that may cause serious illness.
The Lima, Ohio PG plant required a large amount of heat to operate, and in the 1960s, when the plant was constructed, large on-site boilers were wrapped with asbestos to retain heat and prevent fires.
Unfortunately, asbestos was used in great quantities because it was considered the most effective industrial insulator available. As a result, many Procter & Gamble workers in Ohio were exposed to toxic asbestos, and may lead to deadly cancers like mesothelioma.
P&G Asbestos Exposure Risk
Nearly any former worker at the P&G plant in Lima, Ohio could be at risk of developing severe health issues, including asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. PG workers in Lima may have been regularly exposed to various asbestos materials used on the machines they operated, or by working near deteriorating insulation on piping and boilers.
Unfortunately, some PG workers were put at a higher risk than others for developing asbestos-related disease. Maintenance crews, boiler workers, and electricians at the Proctor & Gamble plant frequently worked with and around asbestos-containing material. Other occupations at a heightened risk may include engineers, pump system operators, pipefitters, and welders.
Symptoms of Asbestos-Related Illness
Any worker in an area exposed to loose asbestos fibers is likely to inhale the toxic particles, which can get lodged in tissue surrounding the lungs and cause long-term damage. Mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis can lay dormant for decades, and symptoms may not present themselves until many years after exposure. When they do appear, symptoms may include the following:
• Chest pain
• Pain in the lower back
• Trouble breathing
• Coughing
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Trouble swallowing
Mesothelioma & PG Plant Workers
Victims and attorneys claim that P&G plant managers took no precautions to protect workers from the possible dangers of asbestos or inform the workers of their occupational hazard. This negligence resulted in an entire generation of PG workers developing asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.
In addition to P&G management ignoring the health consequences of poor working conditions, the companies who manufactured industrial machines and components used at Proctor & Gamble’s Lima plant may have been aware of the dangers posed by exposure to the asbestos contained within.
America’s largest corporations and regional employers have a responsibility to provide employees with safe working environments. When influential companies like P&G fail to protect workers, they should compensate employees and families for the extensive damage they have caused.
