Pennsylvania Mesothelioma Lawyers

The mesothelioma lawyers at the Simmons firm represent victims of mesothelioma cancer throughout the United States, including the state of Pennsylvania. We provide legal representation and counsel to families pursuing or considering the pursuit of mesothelioma litigation. Pennsylvanians concerned about their exposure to asbestos can find valuable mesothelioma information and resources on this site.

• CDC statistics show Pennsylvania's age-adjusted death rate for malignant mesothelioma to be between 11.5 and 23 deaths per million per year.¹
• The National Cancer Institute and CDC's state cancer profiles show Pennsylvania's 2006 annual incidence rate for lung and bronchus cancers was 70 deaths per 100,000, a figure 5% higher than the 66.8 U.S. rate for the same period.²
• The majority of individuals who have been exposed to asbestos find it at their workplaces, often due to a lack of safety precautions by the employer.
• Asbestos exposure can also be found in some areas as a result from breathing contaminated air near an asbestos site. Close proximity to workers who have taken the fibers home with them on their clothing may also lead to exposure and contamination.

Asbestos Exposure in Pennsylvania

Geological Survey

According to a 2008 United States Geological Survey report (PDF), there are 37 reported natural occurrences of asbestos and 4 former asbestos mines in Pennsylvania. All 41 locations are concentrated in the southeast corner of the state, not far from neighboring Delaware and New Jersey.³ In the early 20th century, there was small-scale mining of unspecified amphibole asbestos in Pennsylvania. All of these mines contained serpentine along with other forms of associated minerals.

The four former Pennsylvania amphibole asbestos mines are:

• Village Green (Hannum) asbestos pits
• Rockdale (Jacob Side's) pits
• Smedley's asbestos mine
• Gladwyne quarries

EPA Superfund Cleanup

The U.S. EPA has cited three Pennsylvania locations for asbestos contamination in its Superfund program for hazardous waste cleanup:

Ambler Asbestos Piles (Ambler)

• 25 acres of "three asbestos-containing waste piles and a series of filter bed lagoons"⁴
• early 1930's-1974: asbestos-containing waste dumped on site
• total volume of asbestos-contaminated waste in the piles =>1^1/2 million cubic yards
• asbestos contamination in sediment, soil, solid waste, surface water
• 6,000 people living within half-mile; nearest residence within 200 feet
• 1986: "final listing" on EPA's "National Priorities List" of the most hazardous sites⁶
• 1993: clean-up completed
• 1996: deleted from EPA's "National Priorities List" of most hazardous sites
• current human exposures under control

Publicker Industries Inc. (Philadelphia)

• 40-acre site produced liquor and industrial alcohols (1912-1985)
• stored petroleum products and chemicals (late 1970's-1980's)
• 100,000 people living within two miles
• 1987: EPA discovery
• threats/contaminants on site: "large tanks, storage drums, product stock, chemical laboratories, production buildings, warehouses, a power plant, and several hundred miles of aboveground and underground process lines"
• 1989: "final listing" on EPA's "National Priorities List" of the most hazardous sites
• May 1995: removal of pipes insulated with asbestos required; abatement work completed⁷
• 1997: clean-up completed
• 2000: deleted from EPA's "National Priorities List" of most hazardous sites
• current human exposures under control

Revere Chemical Co. (Nockamixon Township)

• 113-acre acid, metal, and plating waste processing operation
• asbestos solid waste removal required⁸
• stored on site in unlined earthen lagoons: "wastes containing chromic acid, copper sulfate, and other heavy metals, as well as sulfuric acid and ammonia"⁹
• 650+ private wells within three miles
• 1969: facility ordered to close by U.S. District Court for causing contamination of a tributary of Rapp Creek
• 1970: first clean-up, Pennsylvania Department of Health
• 1987: "final listing" on EPA's "National Priorities List" of the most hazardous sites
• current human exposures under control

Occupational Exposure

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pennsylvania's largest employment category is "education and health services," in which there were 1.1 million jobs in Sept. 2009, a number increasing steadily every year since 1999. Statistics from 2006 show 51,900 Pennsylvanians employed as elementary or secondary school teachers, excluding special education. CDC statistics have documented increased mortality from malignant mesothelioma in certain industries and occupations, and elementary school teachers are among them.¹⁰ Also at greater occupational risk are the estimated 261,560 Pennsylvanians working in construction trades in 2006, with 267,400 projected for 2016.¹¹ The 1,577 plumber and pipefitter jobs within the construction industry are at an even higher risk.

Proportionate mortality ratios represent the likelihood a worker in a given occupation has of developing mesothelioma compared to the average occupation. The following chart shows the higher-risk occupations for malignant mesothelioma mortality along with their corresponding Pennsylvania employment numbers.

Mesothelioma Lawyers with Experience

At the Simmons firm, our mesothelioma lawyers have been working with clients suffering from diseases associated with asbestos exposure for more than ten years. Our experience, resources and dedication to personal client service have helped us recover over $3 billion in verdicts and settlements for thousands of families dealing with mesothelioma in its various forms.*

The Simmons firm is one of the nation's leading supporters of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation and has pledged $10 million to support cancer research at the SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute at Southern Illinois University.

If you believe you may have contracted mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure, please contact our Pennsylvania mesothelioma lawyers for a free case evaluation.

Learn More About Mesothelioma:

» Types of Mesothelioma

» Mesothelioma Diagnosis Information

» Filing a Mesothelioma Lawsuit

» Contact Asbestos Lawyers

^{* Please note that recovery results vary per client. The recovery amounts in each case reflect the specific facts of that case. Further, recovery amounts in past cases are not a guarantee of future results}

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