A worker’s family says that exposure to asbestos-based products during her employment at Schneider Electric USA caused her to develop mesothelioma.

Plaintiffs Marion R., Jennifer E., and Randy R. say Barbara R., late wife of Marion and mother of Jennifer and Randy, developed mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos-based products her employment at Schneider Electric USA, and died because of the mesothelioma.

Allegedly, Barbara worked for Schneider Electric USA between March 1971 and August 1976, and was exposed to asbestos-based products as a regular part of her job at Schneider. According to the family, Barbara was diagnosed with mesothelioma on May 6, 2016, and died of the disease on Aug. 21, 2017.

The Schneider asbestos-based products lawsuit says that Barbara worked in the Plastics Mold Clearing Department in Iowa, and that her job was to place “recently molded asbestos-containing plastic parts into a sandblasting machine.” Allegedly, the machine moved parts on a conveyer belt and sandblasted them to remove excess plastic.

According to the Schneider asbestos-based products lawsuit, Barbara’s job was to pick up each part by hand and to place them under compressed air to “blow out the remaining abrasive dust and plastic particles loosened by the sandblasting process. This material contained asbestos fibers.” Allegedly, Barbara would breathe these fibers into her lungs, and the fibers would adhere to her clothes. The family says Barbara was exposed to asbestos each time she went into work, for eight-hour shifts.

Barbara’s family claims that the company did not provide a uniform to its employees. When the fibers adhered to Barbara’s clothes, she would carry them into her car and into her home on her clothing, the family says.

Allegedly, Barbara would shake out her clothes to remove the manufacturing dust from her clothes, and would spread the asbestos fibers, breathing them in. They claim that Barbara did this for around three years during her employment at Schneider.

Barbara’s family says that she then held other jobs at Schneider that also exposed her to asbestos-based products, including operating a manual molding press to fabricate plastic molded parts for electric circuit breakers. The family claims the parts made by this press contained asbestos.

Barbara’s family aims to hold both Schneider and Barbara’s supervisor, Charles D., responsible for exposing Barbara to asbestos in the course of her employment, and for not taking measures to prevent Barbara from being harmed by the asbestos. Allegedly, both the company and Charles should have known that asbestos was dangerous, and that regular exposure to the mineral, as was the case for Barbara, was dangerous and life-threatening.

The family notes that asbestos has been associated with cancer including mesothelioma since the middle of the 20th century, so the company knew or should have known that they were exposing employees to a dangerous chemical, and should have taken reasonable measures to protect employees.

The Schneider Asbestos-Based Products Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-00095-CJW, in the Iowa District Court for Linn County.