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Hawaii Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma in Hawaii

Hawaii Mesothelioma LawyersThe island paradise of Hawaii was not immune to the toxic use of asbestos up through the 1980s. In the Aloha State, industries including shipbuilding, power plants, and even sugar companies used building materials, machinery, and protective clothing that contained asbestos. Exposure to asbestos dust can cause serious illnesses such as mesothelioma, a deadly form of cancer. Workers in these industries throughout Hawaii may be at risk of developing these illnesses.

If you were exposed to asbestos in Hawaii, you may be eligible for financial compensation. The attorneys at MesoLawyersCare have successfully recovered money awards for workers and their families who have been injured by exposure to asbestos in Hawaii and throughout the United States. The following worksites in Hawaii are examples of locations where many people had asbestos exposure:

1. Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard – Honolulu, HI

The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard was built on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu in 1908. The station was used as a repair station and was instrumental in providing support after the attack at Pearl Harbor during World War II. After the war ended victoriously, the station’s motto became “We keep them fit to fight!” Over the years the station has grown tremendously. However, prior to new safety guidelines implemented in the 1970s and 1980s, it was common to use a substantial amount of asbestos in ship building and repairs in order to resist heat and allow for proper functioning of high-heat equipment used to power the ships. The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard was no exception to this practice. Asbestos was used in boilers, turbines, engines, pumps, valves, gaskets, and packing and insulation for steam pipes. As a result, civilian workers and enlisted military service members in the vicinity were often exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos which can cause mesothelioma, a deadly cancer.

2. Honolulu Iron Works – Honolulu, HI

Founded in the 1800s by David Weston, Honolulu Iron Works (later known as Honiron) was an industrial giant in Hawaii for over 120 years. The company began by building and manufacturing machinery for a flour mill, but quickly changed to focus on the growing sugar industry. For years, Honolulu Iron Works built and repaired all the machinery for sugar factories in Hawaii, as well as factories in Mexico, Cuba, and even the Philippines. By the 1950s, sugar plantations were doing their own repairs, making their own machinery, or buying it from other companies—by the 1990s, Honolulu Iron Works was out of business, sold in pieces to other companies. Honolulu Iron works used asbestos and asbestos materials in the building of their factories and sugar plantation machinery. Workers were also exposed to asbestos when repairing the asbestos insulated equipment, as they inhaled airborne asbestos particles.

3. Kahe Power Plant – Honolulu, HI

The Kahe Power Plant was originally built in 1963 by the Hawaiian Electric Company.
Hawaiian Electric company is the largest supplier of power in Hawaii, providing power to 95% of Hawaii’s population through its various utilities. The plant burns oil to generate the power. Like other power Stations, the Kahe Power Plant used massive pieces of high-heat, power-generating equipment that required the use of asbestos to function properly in their operations. Workers at Kahe Power Station were regularly exposed to asbestos in insulation, gaskets, packing, piping, equipment, and protective gear as asbestos was used for its insulating and sealing qualities. These workers were not warned about the dangers of asbestos and, even years after their exposure, are at risk for developing mesothelioma. Their family members were also put at risk by inhaling toxic asbestos dust workers brought home on their clothing on a daily basis.

4. Pepeekeo Sugar Co. – Hilo, HI

In 1874, the Metcalf Sugar Plantation was purchased and became home to the Pepeekeo Sugar Company. Within a matter of years, the plantation was producing over 1,800 tons of sugar. By the early 1900s, that production had increased to 9,000 tons of sugar a year, and the company employed 700 workers. However, by the 1960s, the company’s growth slowed and in 1973, it merged with several other sugar companies. The plantation ran until the 1990s. During the 20th century, asbestos was used extensively in sugar mills to insulate and seal boilers, pipes, and evaporators used to process sugar cane into raw sugar. Although Pepeekeo sugar mill workers may have been exposed to asbestos years ago, they may still be at risk as symptoms of asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma can take years to show.

5. Kekaha Sugar Co. – Kekaha, HI

The Kekaha Sugar Co., located on the island of Kauai, was founded in 1898. The mill operated for over 100 years until it closed in 2000 when the sugar industry in Hawaii collapsed. In 1954, the company built the Kekaha mill as upgrade making it the most modern sugar mill in Hawaii. The sugar mill was the center of the small town of Kekaha’s economy and employed generations of local families. Similar to other sugar mills and factories built before the 1980s, the Kekaha sugar mill commonly used asbestos in their sugar refinery equipment, including boilers, tanks, burners, pumps and valves. Exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma and other deadly diseases. Companies that owned sugar mills, like the Kekaha Sugar Co., failed to warn employees and other workers of the dangers of asbestos which left many workers exposed to hazardous asbestos.

The attorneys from MesoLawyersCare have recovered more than $10 billion dollars for people diagnosed with mesothelioma. Our firm has successfully represented workers exposed to asbestos throughout Hawaii and the United States. For more information or a free consultation, fill out our website form, have a live chat now with one of our representatives, or call the number on this page.

 

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Did You Know?

  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    The highest award of compensatory damages ever upheld on appeal in a mesothelioma case is $30.3 million.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    The largest punitive damages verdict ever upheld on appeal in a mesothelioma case is $18 million.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    There are over $30 billion in asbestos trust funds to compensate victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    There are more than 50 bankruptcy trusts accepting claims to compensate victims of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    There are many “asbestos dockets” that permit living mesothelioma patients to obtain a jury verdict in less than 1 year.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    In 2015, more than 2000 mesothelioma cases were filed in the United States.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    In some mesothelioma cases, settlements can be obtained in less than 1 year.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    Thousands of different companies have been defendants in mesothelioma cases over the past 40 years.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of 77 peritoneal mesothelioma cases, the average life expectancy (median survival period) was 75.7 months, or over 6 years.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of 77 peritoneal mesothelioma patients, 73.8% were living after 3 years, and 65.3% were living after 5 years.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of 77 peritoneal mesothelioma patients, 64% were treated with HIPEC and cytoreductive surgery.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of 303 pleural mesothelioma patients, the average life expectancy (median survival period) was 18.4 months.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    According to a 2015 study of pleural mesothelioma patients, 73.1% were still living after 1 year, and 22.9% were still living after 3 years.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    In 2015, the largest number of mesothelioma cases were filed in the following 10 courts: (1) Madison County, IL; (2) Cook County, IL; (3) St. Louis, MO; (4) Los Angeles, CA; (5) New York, NY; (6) Philadelphia, PA; (7) New Castle County, DE; (8) Middlesex County, MA; (9)Middlesex County, NJ; (10) Kanawha County, WV.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    The states with the largest number of diagnosed mesothelioma cases are: New York, New Jersey, California, Washington, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Virginia, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    There are about 3000 mesothelioma cases diagnosed in the United States each year.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    About 1 in 100,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with mesothelioma each year in the United States.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    More than 80% of all mesothelioma cases occur in the pleura (pleural mesothelioma).
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    Less than 20% of all mesothelioma cases occur in the peritoneum (peritoneal mesothelioma).
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    About 22% of all mesothelioma cases occur in women.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    A history of asbestos exposure can be found in more than 80% of mesothelioma cases.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    More than 30% of all mesothelioma patients in the United States were exposed to asbestos in the military.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma can be caused by laundering, or other household contact with, work clothing contaminated with asbestos.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma can be caused by work with (direct exposure) or around (bystander exposure) asbestos-containing products.
  • Mesothelioma Facts
    Mesothelioma Facts
    The average time between a person’s first exposure to asbestos and the development of mesothelioma (latency period) is more than 40 years.
 

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Watch the video below to learn why MesoLawyersCare is the best choice to represent you and your family after a mesothelioma diagnosis.


 

Contact MesoLawyersCare Now

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please contact us to see if we can help you get the compensation you deserve from the billions of dollars in asbestos trust funds available now for qualified asbestos victims. With just one call, you can put all our experience and success to work for you.

We have represented thousands of victims of mesothelioma and their families in virtually every State in the country and in decades of work have recovered billions of dollars in financial compensation for our clients.

Call us now at 1-888-568-1177, fill out the form on this page or chat with a live person. The consultation is free and it costs nothing upfront to hire the lawyers behind MesoLawyersCare. We only get paid if you collect a settlement or verdict and you will never receive a bill from us.

 
 

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