Several major manufacturing companies are facing legal action brought by a couple alleging the defendants contributed to the husband developing asbestos lung disease.

The companies named in the asbestos lung disease lawsuit are General Electric Company, CBS Corporation, and Crane Company, which manufactured the parts and products that the plaintiff worked with.

The plaintiffs Ronald B. and Dorenne B. are filing the asbestos lung disease lawsuit claiming the companies knew about risks associated with asbestos exposure but failed to warn the husband about potential asbestos exposure when working with their products. According to the asbestos lung disease lawsuit, Ronald developed lung cancer due to regular occupational exposure.

Ronald did industrial work for years, in various positions which required him to use and engage with the defendant company’s products. As a result of this alleged constant exposure, Ronald alleges, he developed asbestos lung cancer and has most likely exposed his wife to asbestos lung disease, due to second-hand exposure.

Ronald says he has since been contending with the disease. He and his wife are opting to take legal action after discovering the parts and products he worked with contained asbestos.

Overview of Asbestos Lung Disease

Asbestos is a fibrous material that was commonly used for a variety of manufacturing and industrial purposes due to its fire and chemical resistant qualities. With an economical price tag, asbestos was often the primary choice for many companies to use for construction and insulation projects. Before the 1980s, asbestos was often used in a wide range of industrial applications.

Asbestos reached its peak in popularly during World War II, when numerous United States Navy ships used it for insulation piping. Additionally, asbestos was commonly used in the railroad industry and could be found essentially everywhere in the manufacturing industry.

However, in 1986, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a warning about the risk of asbestos lung disease. OSHA warned that Americans who worked with asbestos had a greater likelihood of developing lung cancer.

Asbestos lung disease kills at least 6,000 people per year in the United States, and is considered one of the most serious consequences of asbestos exposure. Asbestos exposure can occur either directly or second hand.  Second hand exposure occurs when fibers attach themselves onto the clothing of the primary person and then are inhaled by that person’s loved ones when they interact with the clothing.

When asbestos is either inhaled or swallowed, the fibers become embedded in the lungs or stomach respectively. These fibers may eventually fester into cancer cells.  Symptoms often take years to develop making early diagnosis difficult and limits a patient’s life expectancy.

This was allegedly the case for Ronald, who alleges his asbestos lung disease could have been prevented if the manufacturers had warned him about the possibility. Ronald and Dorenne are filing this asbestos lung disease lawsuit seeking damages for the defendants’ negligence and failure to warn.

This Asbestos Lung Disease Lawsuit is Case No. 4:17-cv-07150-JSW, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division.