A malignant mesothelioma lawsuit has been filed by a man and his wife who say he unknowingly worked in and around deadly asbestos fibers while employed as a sheet metal worker.

Plaintiff Robert O. says he was exposed to asbestos while employed as a sheet metal worker for The Boeing Company from 1956 to 1957 and between 1961 and 1995. Robert also was employed by Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. from 1959 to 1961, where he was a sheet metal worker.

Robert says he also suffered asbestos exposure while changing automotive brakes. The Boeing Company and Pep Boys are named defendants in the malignant mesothelioma lawsuit.

In 2001, Robert recalled being exposed to asbestos from overhead pipe covering while he was working at Boeing. Asbestos pipe covering allegedly was removed in his presence. In sworn recorded deposition, Robert did not recall attending any safety courses regarding exposure to hazardous materials during his time at Boeing.

In August 2015, Robert was diagnosed with mesothelioma, allegedly as a result to his exposure to asbestos-containing products.

Malignant Mesothelioma Lawsuit Alleges Negligence

Robert allegedly was exposed to asbestos fibers throughout his years of employment as a sheet metal worker. During those years, he claims he was unaware of the dangers of asbestos exposure.

Robert claims his employers failed to protect him from breathing in air contaminated with asbestos fibers. Some of the fibers could have been swallowed.

Asbestos dust floats through the air and settles upon clothing. When sheet metal workers wear their work clothing home, anyone shaking the clothing out prior to laundering would be exposed to fibers as well.

At the time of exposure, Robert was most likely asymptomatic. Asbestos mesothelioma can take years, even decades, to appear because the tiny fibers settle deep into tissue. Mesothelioma death rates have risen in recent years because it can take 20 to 50 years after exposure for the asbestos fibers’ damage to become apparent.

The malignant mesothelioma lawsuit alleges the companies that employed Robert were negligent by not warning him of the dangers of asbestos exposure and by not protecting him from such exposure.

The malignant mesothelioma lawsuit alleges Pep Boys was negligent because the brake pads it sold contained asbestos, causing Robert to sustain “non-occupational exposure to asbestos-containing consumer products while changing automotive brakes.”

Asbestos has traditionally been used in industries that need insulation that is heat resistant and fireproof. Workers employed in certain jobs usually have a greater risk of asbestos exposure. U.S. Navy, U.S. Military, shipyards workers, auto mechanics, paper mill workers, construction workers and linotype technicians could have been exposed at their workplace without being aware of the hazard material’s presence.

If you have developed mesothelioma after exposure to asbestos in your work place, you could benefit from legal representation.

The Malignant Mesothelioma Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-03982-ER in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.