The Family Members of Lincoln Electric Company Workers Might Have Also Been Exposed to Asbestos

Inhabiting the same house as a Lincoln Electric Company employee implied a serious risk of indirect exposure to asbestos during the last century, as workers would unknowingly carry home toxic fibers on their clothes, which they were not required to change at the end of the day. Since company executives were not preoccupied with industrial hygiene in the slightest, asbestos would be everywhere in the facilities. Thus, not only people who partook in the manufacturing process would breathe in carcinogenic fibers, but also their families. While the higher-ups were aware of the disastrous health consequences exposure could bring about, they decided to turn a blind eye to the hazard in favor of their own financial gain and dismiss asbestos as being “just nuisance dust”.

Unaware of the danger, Lincoln Electric Company workers would often come home covered with asbestos dust, which thereby came to pollute non-industrial settings as well. Women were generally exposed while doing the laundry, as shaking clothes out was a common practice, whereas children would inhale asbestos fibers upon greeting their fathers. Asbestos fibers could also become embedded in furniture covered with fabric, such as couches and armchairs, as they are microscopic and have a rough texture, making them extremely difficult – if not impossible – to completely remove. If you shared the same building as a Lincoln Electric Company worker before 1981 and now have a diagnosis of lung cancer or asbestosis, please contact Environmental Litigation Group, P.C. at your earliest convenience. Victims of secondary asbestos exposure are also eligible for compensation and our lawyers will eagerly take over your case.