Hazards In The Workplace
Wallace & Graham represents many individuals exposed to hazardous substances and harmful noise in the workplace. Indeed, there are many chemicals and toxic substances in the workplace that can cause serious health problems or diseases to workers. Further, the noise generated in many industries harms workers’ hearing. Wallace & Graham built its practice representing workers in both workers’ compensation and civil actions for illnesses and hearing loss resulting from occupational exposures to harmful substances and noise in the work place.
Below are some examples of potential hazards in the workplace.
Benzene
One type of chemical is Benzene, a clear, colorless, highly flammable liquid with a sweet odor. It has also been referred to as benzol, cyclohexatriene, phenyl hydride, and coal tar naptha. The Department of Health and Human Resources lists benzene as a known human carcinogen.
What is Benzene?
Benzene is used primarily to make other chemicals that are used to make plastics, resins, and nylon and synthetic fibers. Benzene is also an important ingredient in some rubbers, lubricants, dyes, detergents, pesticides, and petroleum. It also is used, though with decreasing frequency, in paints, solvents, thinners, inks, and adhesives. But while benzene’s use in paints and solvents is decreasing, traces of it may still be present as a contaminant.
How may I be exposed to Benzene?
Persons most likely exposed to benzene include workers who work in plants that manufacture benzene, workers who work in plants that use benzene, workers who work in industries that produce or utilize materials containing benzene, and people who live near plants or factories that produce or use benzene. Some examples include: solvent producers, paint and varnish producers, laboratory technicians, chemical workers, painters, and those engaged in degreasing operations.
Exposure to benzene occurs in several ways. It can be inhaled, ingested through contaminated food or water, or absorbed through the skin. In the workplace, the most likely sources of exposure are inhalation of vapors or by contact with the skin. When working with benzene or products containing benzene, workers should use personal protection equipment such as safety glasses and gloves and work in well-ventilated areas.
What are the health risks associated with over-exposure to Benzene?
Breathing benzene at high levels can cause drowsiness, dizziness, rapid heart rate, headaches, and unconsciousness. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene can cause more serious illnesses, such as aplastic anemia, a rare blood disorder marked by a reduction in white blood cells, myelofibrosis, a disorder that affects that body’s ability to form healthy blood cells, and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), a cancer of the blood forming organs resulting in the body’s failure to produce enough blood cells.
If you have been exposed to this or other harmful substances, you may have a claim. Please feel free to contact us for more information at 800-849-5291, or use this convenient form.
Coal Tar Pitch
Presently, Wallace & Graham, along with co-counsel, represents workers from several different states, including North Carolina, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. We have filed over 70 civil lawsuits in Pennsylvania against manufacturers of coal tar pitch or products that contain coal tar pitch. These manufacturers include Koppers Inc., Aristech Chemical Corporation, and U.S. Steel Corporation. Several of the lawsuits also name Alcoa, Inc. as a defendant for intentionally exposing workers to coal tar pitch fumes, vapors and dust.
We also successfully resolved workers’ compensation cases for workers suffering from lung, bladder and kidney cancers as a result of their occupational exposure to coal tar pitch.
What is Coal Tar Pitch?
Coal tar pitch, also known as creosote, is a dangerous substance found in the workplace. Coal tar, first produced in the United States in 1913, is the by-product of the carbonization of coal to produce coke and gas. Coal tars are slightly soluble in water, soluble in benzene and nitrobenzene, and partially soluble in chemicals such as acetone, carbon disulfide, chloroform, and sodium hydroxide, to name a few. Coal tars are highly flammable and corrosive. Coal tar pitch is the residue produced during the carbonization process. It is a mixture of many chemicals and appears as a thick black or dark brown liquid or semi-solid with a smoky odor. When heated, pitch releases various toxic chemical vapors, called coal tar pitch volatiles (CTPV).
Where is it used?
The majority of coal tar production occurs in the steel industry. But coal tar pitch also is used in roofing, road paving, aluminum smelting, and coking operations. In the aluminum smelting process, pitch is used primarily as a binder for aluminum smelting electrodes. Coal tar is also present in pharmaceutical products, such as creams, ointments, pastes, lotions, and some herbal remedies.
Is it hazardous to humans?
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), coal tar pitch and CTPVs are probable human carcinogens. Exposure to coal tar pitch has been linked to lung, bladder, kidney, and skin cancer.
How may I be exposed to coal tar pitch?
Most exposure to coal tar pitch occurs by inhalation, ingestion and dermal contact. Breathing coal tar pitch vapors can irritate the respiratory tract. Long-term exposure to lower levels of pitch or CTPVs, by air or skin contact, can cause skin damage, such as blistering or peeling. As noted above, excess exposure to pitch or CTPVs have also been noted to cause certain cancers, such as lung, bladder, kidney, and skin cancer. Scientific studies show an excess number of lung and bladder cancers among workers exposed to pitch fumes in aluminum production plants.
If you believe you have been exposed to coal tar pitch or CTPVs and have been diagnosed with lung, kidney, bladder or skin cancer, you may have a claim. Please feel free to contact us for more information at 1-800-849-5291 or use this convenient form.
Hearing Loss
Employers are required to screen employees exposed to excessive noise in the work-place and to maintain copies of those records. Many states provide compensation for hearing loss as a result of workplace noise. Compensation often includes the cost of hearing aids. Wallace & Graham, along with co-counsel, represents workers in North Carolina, New York and Tennessee who have suffered hearing loss as a result of their exposure to loud noise in the work-place. In North Carolina alone, we successfully resolved over 1,000 hearing loss claims filed by workers against their employers.
If you believe you have work-related hearing loss, contact us to obtain a form and questionnaire that will allow us to obtain any hearing loss records maintained by your employer. We have made a copy of the form available here. Upon receipt, we will evaluate whether you may have a compensable loss. Please feel free to contact us for more information at 1-800-849-5291 or use this convenient form.