Plant Employees Exposed to Asbestos

Article Added June 19th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story

A vermiculite processing plant in Portland, Oregon exposed employees to asbestos over almost 30 years. Employees from 1967 to 1994 are urged to receive medical testing for asbestos exposure.

A Portland area vermiculite plant that has been closed since the mid 1990s exposed a multitude of employees to asbestos during a period of almost 30 years. The vermiculite was mined in Libby, Montana and shipped to the Oregon plant for processing. From 1967 to 1994, more than 193,000 tons of the material was processed and used in soil additive and attic insulation.

Concern is growing, since family members of workers from the plant may have also been exposed through contact. The hazardous fibers can attach to clothing and hair, and then be breathed in once the employee was home. Once breathed in, the material can cause mesothelioma and other respiratory diseases. The asbestos fibers often work into the lung lining when breathed over time, killing the tissue it adheres to. The lungs are unable to receive oxygen, killing more tissue and resulting in slow suffocation for the victims. Mesothelioma can take years to form and is often untreatable at the time of detection. This is the second Oregon plant that was accused of asbestos exposure this year.

Article Added June 19th, 2006 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story