American Can Company

American Can Company employees exposed to asbestos

During the last century, at least 70 different industries made use of tremendous amounts of asbestos, as the mineral has plenty of desirable properties, the most notable being fire resistance. Because extreme temperatures were present in aluminum plants such as those owned by the American Can Company, asbestos was essential to prevent burns, fires, and explosions.

The employees of this company would come in contact with asbestos from multiple sources, such as the building materials in the facilities they worked in, the machinery and equipment used to manufacture and refine aluminum, and the safety gear, such as gloves and aprons, they had to wear in close proximity of objects and places with intense heat.

These are the workers who were inevitably exposed to asbestos by American Can Company between the 1920s and the 1980s, either directly or indirectly:

• factory workers
• insulators
• welders
• boiler workers
• metalsmiths
• pipefitters

The process of manufacturing tin cans would entail asbestos use during many steps, such as:

• smelting pots insulated with asbestos were used to melt alumina and bauxite
• the aluminum smelting pots usually required relining, which involved removing old asbestos insulation with jackhammers and replacing it
• after the smelting pots, the molten metal was transferred to crucibles lined with refractory brick and insulated with asbestos

Since the air in the aluminum facilities, which already had poor ventilation, was often clouded with asbestos dust, exposure was unavoidable, and employees would inhale and ingest carcinogenic fibers. If you worked at American Can Company during the last century and now struggle with a disease that has a connection with occupational asbestos exposure, our attorneys are ready to provide you with the legal assistance you need.

Secondary asbestos exposure, a serious concern for the family members of American Can Company workers

Ever since the beginning of the last century, asbestos companies have gone to incredible lengths to keep the health dangers of asbestos exposure hidden from workers and the general population. This was because asbestos was easy to work with, cheap, and widely available. Companies went as far as bribing medical researchers to make them alter the results of their studies on asbestos toxicity. A consequence of this conspiracy was secondary asbestos exposure, which was very common in the families of American Can Company workers.

Because employees were not wearing protective equipment against exposure to asbestos and were not required to change their work clothes at the end of the day either, they would bring home asbestos dust. While their wives would often inhale asbestos fibers when laundering their work clothes, their children would come in contact with the mineral when greeting their fathers. If you lived in the same house as a worker of American Can Company and received a diagnosis that seems related to asbestos exposure, we advise you to get in touch with us, as you may be eligible to file a claim for compensation as well.

Legal assistance in wrongful death asbestos exposure cases for family members

Many victims of workplace asbestos exposure pass away without having benefited from the financial compensation they deserved for their pain and suffering. Therefore, their surviving family members, such as siblings, children, or spouses, can now file a wrongful death claim on their behalf to recover the money they would have been entitled to. Although you will receive less compensation, as the injured person is no longer alive, the money can still help you with costs such as the funeral expenses and the past medical expenses of your departed loved one.

Filing a wrongful death claim is quite easy, as you only have to contact our legal team, explain your situation in detail, and then send our experts the employment and medical records of your deceased family member and their death certificate. Our lawyers will carefully assess your case, and if they find you eligible to file a claim, they will begin working on it as soon as possible. Your participation in the legal process will be minimal, and you will not have to pay us unless we obtain money for you. In the end, if you choose to work with our law firm, you are bound to get only favorable results for your case.