These AC&S products resulted in mesothelioma cancer and other diseases for many people who worked in refineries, shipyards, factories, and other industrial settings.
Harmful Products and Health Consequences
Research shows that malignant deaths were prevalent among insulation workers and others who handled asbestosis-inducing products such as those made by AC and S prior to 1976. By the time these people reached the age of 35, their lung cancer risks were much higher than the average person. However, lung cancer is often blamed on smoking cigarettes rather than the true cause of asbestosis.
By 45, the risk of being diagnosed with asbestosis was much higher for this population. Pleural mesothelioma had the highest risk rate, but because it can take an average of 20 to 40 years from the exposure date for the effects to be identified, research shows that the true risks of exposure were not appreciated before the 1990s.
Lawsuits, Bankruptcy, and an Asbestos Trust
AC and S has paid out millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts. In one trial, several people received a forty-million verdict against AC and S and various other companies for their illnesses. In another case, AC&S Inc. was found by the courts to be twenty percent responsible for the illness of a former Navy machinist who worked with these asbestosis-inducing products. AC&S was ordered to pay more than three million dollars in damages.
The financial burdens of trying to defend the company against asbestos lawsuits led to AC&S’s bankruptcy filing in 2002. Asbestosis claims are now being handled through the AC and S Asbestos Settlement Trust, which has paid hundreds of thousands of claims thus far.
The Future of AC and S
It can take decades for the full effects of years of inhaling asbestos-laden fibers and dust to result in mesothelioma. People who worked around the materials in the 1970s and prior are being diagnosed every day due to working conditions that were prevalent but thought by employees to be relatively harmless at the time. Once diagnosed, many people decide to pursue legal action. Surviving relatives may also choose to file claims on behalf of their loved ones for their wrongful deaths.
Rae Steinbach
Lauren Weinand