Current and former Goodyear Workers may have been exposed to dangerous chemicals at the Akron, Ohio facilities, potentially leading to occupational exposure-related diseases and cancer.
Tire and rubber companies have been the target of several nationwide class action lawsuits in the last twenty years for exposing workers to perilous conditions that have resulted in many employees developing fatal diseases like angiosarcoma, glioblastoma, bladder cancer, acute myeloid Leukemia (AML), lung cancer, mesothelioma, and others cancers.
Goodyear and other Ohio corporations in the tire and rubber industry have a long history of exposing employees to chemicals at the workplace, often without proper safety warnings and basic protective equipment like gloves and masks.
Chronic inhalation of toxins like Benzene, Vinyl Chloride, Formaldehyde, Toluene and Asbestos may have devastating effects on the health of workers years after first exposure, potentially causing deadly cancers.
Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Ohio Toxic Tort attorney who has represented individuals nationwide in personal injury claims.
If you have been exposed to toxins at Goodyear or another rubber and tire plant, and have questions about your legal rights, please contact The Lyon Firm.
Tire and Rubber Health Hazards
Rubber and Tire Industry Health Risks
During the height of tire manufacturing, Akron, Ohio was known as the “Rubber Capital of the World.” Much of the northeast Ohio region led the nation’s rubber and polymer industry. Great economic success was achieved and employment in the region was high, but there were serious health pitfalls for workers which may have been hidden from the public at the time.
As a result, thousands of former Goodyear tire and rubber employees in Akron and elsewhere in Ohio were exposed to toxic chemicals at the workplace, including Vinyl Chloride (VC), Benzene, and Asbestos, each known to cause specific occupational cancers like Angiosarcoma, Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), and Mesothelioma.
Even after damaging health studies were conducted in rubber plants in the 1970s, corporations like Goodyear failed to warn employees of the severe health risks, and failed to offer workers proper protection against exposure to known carcinogens.
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Products
Goodyear has had a headquarters in Akron, Ohio for over a hundred years. They have operated several Ohio production plants since, including factories that have produced the following products:
- Automobile and Truck Tires (Eagle, Fortera, Wrangler, Integrity, Assurance)
- ATV Tires
- RV Tires
- Commercial Truck Tires
- Industrial hose
- Hydraulic products
- Conveyor belt products
- Molded transportation products
- Rubber Track
- Isoprene monomer
- Synthetic rubber for multiple applications
Goodyear Workers Cancer Risk
The production of tires and rubber products involves several hundreds of dangerous chemicals during the manufacturing processes. Work spaces can easily be contaminated with toxic dusts, gases, vapors, and fumes.
Cases of multiple forms of cancer have been reported from former Goodyear workers and workers from other rubber and tire industry workers. Rubber plant workers in Ohio regularly risked developing respiratory disease, heart disease, dermatologic diseases, and negative reproductive defects.
Exposure to harmful chemicals like Benzene, Vinyl Chloride and Asbestos in the rubber industry has been linked to the following forms of cancer:
