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TIRE WORKERS


Occupational Cancer Lawyer reviewing toxic exposure lawsuits for plaintiffs nationwide
Nationwide Success

Rubber & Tire Workers Cancer Lawsuits

investigating vinyl chloride exposure cases

Tire workers have long been at risk of developing cancer due to long-term toxic exposure at the workplace. General Tire & Rubber (GenCorp), a prominent Ohio manufacturer and employer, endangered thousands of workers at tire, rubber and plastics plants, exposing them to dangerous occupational toxins, notably vinyl chloride (VC), a cancer-causing chemical associated with angiosarcoma and other deadly cancers.

General Tire not only produced tires and rubber products for much of the twentieth century in Ohio, but also built a large polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin plant in Ashtabula, Ohio, which manufactured synthetic fibers and a variety of sheet and film products, electrical insulation, and molded extruded plastic items.

The tire, rubber, and PVC production plants were potentially quite dangerous workplaces, with harmful chemicals filling the air, and causing many employees to later develop angiosarcoma and other occupational diseases, related to inhaling vinyl chloride and other chemicals.

Until 1984, General Tire (GenCorp), based in Akron, Ohio, operated their polyvinyl chloride resin plant in Ashtabula, Ohio. During the 1980s, workers were overexposed to vinyl chloride and unprotected long after the federal government set strict VC workplace exposure limits.

A General Tire memorandum dated October, 1980, spoke of numerous equipment leaks in the facilities’ polymer building and that some vinyl chloride readings exceeded 10,000 parts per million, many times the safe limit set forth by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Many former General Tire workers in Ohio have fallen ill, and developed angiosarcoma, a cancer linked to VC Exposure.

Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Personal Injury Lawyer who has represented individuals nationwide in toxic tort claims. If you have developed angiosarcoma or another cancer due to vinyl chloride exposure at a rubber and tire plant, and have questions about your legal rights, please contact The Lyon Firm.

Vinyl Chloride & Tire Workers Angiosarcoma 

Since the 1970s, medical professionals have suspected that cases of angiosarcoma of the liver were linked to working conditions in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plants.  A study in 1974 in a polymerization section of an Ohio B.F. Goodrich plant concluded that exposure to vinyl chloride is a major risk factor for the development of angiosarcoma.

Since then, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published a study of the health dangers of chemical plastics plants. The CDC review determined vinyl chloride (VC) monomer is a causative agent of the deadly cancer angiosarcoma. VC is now considered by all major global health agencies to be a potent chemical carcinogen.

Officials from the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the National Cancer Institute have determined that workers exposed to vinyl chloride have an increased rate of angiosarcoma of the liver.

Tire Workers Cancer & VC Exposure

Vinyl chloride (VC) exposure is linked to an elevated risk of a form of liver cancer called angiosarcoma. A number of other serious conditions are associated with occupational VC exposure, including the following:

•    Angiosarcoma (liver cancer)
•    Glioblastoma (brain cancer)
•    Lung cancer
•    Lymphoma
•    Leukemia
•    Esophageal cancer
•    Kidney cancer
•    Male infertility
•    Birth Defects

Compensation & Negligent Chemical Manufacturers

Vinyl chloride (VC) is primarily manufactured to produce polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a plastic used in various industries and applications, such as construction and piping capabilities. Thousands of people still work in PVC production, and these workers may risk cancer and other illnesses associated with VC exposure.

General Tire workers, and others in the chemical plastics industry, are likely to have been exposed to harmful toxins and may have a claim against manufacturers and employers.

GenCorp, Inc., which bought General Tire in the 1980s, is still a major producer of polyvinyl chloride. The company has been named in numerous lawsuits over the years, including injury claims against dozens of vinyl chloride and PVC manufacturers. Lawyers have alleged that GenCorp and other chemical outfits have hidden evidence of vinyl chloride’s toxicity and put company profit ahead of workplace safety standards.

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ABOUT THE LYON FIRM

Joseph Lyon has 17 years of experience representing individuals in complex litigation matters. He has represented individuals in every state against many of the largest companies in the world.

The Firm focuses on single-event civil cases and class actions involving corporate neglect & fraud, toxic exposure, product defects & recalls, medical malpractice, and invasion of privacy.

NO COST UNLESS WE WIN

The Firm offers contingency fees, advancing all costs of the litigation, and accepting the full financial risk, allowing our clients full access to the legal system while reducing the financial stress while they focus on their healthcare and financial needs.

photo of attorney Joe Lyon reviewing tire workers cancer cases
A Voice for Those who have suffered 

Why are these cases important?

Toxic exposure cases help empower employees to fight for their right to be protected, satisfactorily informed, and to stay safe. They also bring awareness to challenge and higher the expectations of companies who are not serving their employees justly.

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Questions about Toxic VC Exposure

Can you file a VC Exposure Lawsuit?

If you have worked at a rubber or tire plant and later developed cancer, you may have a viable case. Contact an attorney to investigate your unique case. 

how dangerous is vinyl chloride?

VC is labeled a cancer causing agents by several international health organizations, and tire workers and other workers in the rubber industry are at increased risk of cancer. 

does rubber cause cancer?

Occupational exposures in the rubber and tire manufacturing industry have been known to cause leukemia, lymphoma, angiosarcoma and cancers of the bladder, lungs, and stomach.

Why hire the lyon firm?

The Lyon Firm is experienced in workplace exposure for workers nationwide who have developed illnesses or cancer following toxin exposure.

Our Victories

The Lyon Firm aggressively, professionally, and passionately advocates for injured individuals and families against companies due to unsafe work environments to obtain just compensation under the law. 

LEAD PAINT EXPOSURE

(Hamilton County, Ohio): Confidential Settlement. Lead Counsel in a case that involved secondary lead exposure to two children. Their father worked at a local recycling plant that routinely recycled computer equipment. The company violated numerous OSHA regulations related to providing safety equipment and clothing to prevent lead particles from being transferred home. As a result, the Plaintiffs father transferred lead dust to his children who then suffered lead poisoning. The case was covered extensively by the Cincinnati news media and referenced in peer-reviewed medical literature. The settlement will provide educational needs to the children who suffered neurological injuries due the exposure.