West Valley Reprocessing Plant
You may be entitled to receive compensation. Mesothelioma and lung cancer victims & their families have been awarded over $1 million+ from easy access to funds. Call us today to apply.
Over the past 20 years, we've helped 1,000s of families claim the compensation they deserve with no upfront costs to them.
The West Valley Reprocessing Plant was in operation from 1966 to 1977. It was a nuclear facility that rested on 200 acres of land in Ashford, New York and its sole purpose was to reprocess nuclear fuel rods. The plant consisted of a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant; a spent fuel storage facility; a fifteen-acre area for low level radioactive waste; and a five-acre area for high level radioactive waste. In 1980, the Federal Government enacted the West Valley Demonstration Project Act, which sought out to decontaminate the West Valley Reprocessing Plant area and to remove high level radioactive waste. The Department of Energy now states that 98% of the plant’s high-level liquid radioactive waste has been removed from the West Valley Processing Plant.
Unfortunately, many of our clients who worked at the West Valley Processing Plant are now being diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer. Asbestos was used in the maintenance and construction of the plant, which used a system of temperature sensitive steam, acid pipes, and gaskets to reprocess nuclear fuel rods.
Asbestos gaskets were used because they could withstand acid in the lines and tanks located throughout the plant. Asbestos covering coated pipes and was cut to length using a handsaw. The pipe covering and gaskets at the West Valley Processing Plant were frequently removed and replaced.
Carpenters, maintenance men, and plasterers used asbestos joint compound to construct the buildings at the plant. Joint compound covered the gaps between sheets of drywall, and a minimum of three coats was applied. The joint compound was then sanded down, a process that caused asbestos fibers to be emitted into the air and inhaled by laborers.
Asbestos is dangerous because its fibers are extremely fragile and break easily into tiny particles that your body’s air filtration system can’t trap and expel. When asbestos gets into your lungs and stays there, it can cause mesothelioma or lung cancer. Risk of diagnosis increases with the length of time that a person has been exposed although even short exposures can cause mesothelioma or lung cancer. The most common causes of asbestos exposure are in the workplace or from products in the home. Spouses and family members of workers can also be exposed to asbestos dust and fibers from the clothing the workers wore home from job sites like West Valley Reprocessing Plant.
Mesothelioma is a rare disease that is diagnosed between 2,500 and 3,000 times each year. Anyone who has been exposed to asbestos is at risk for developing mesothelioma or lung cancer. Although most companies knew that asbestos was dangerous, they continued to allow their employees to work with and around asbestos without protective gear until the late 1970s.
At Belluck & Fox, our nationally recognized asbestos attorneys have extensive experience fighting for families and workers exposed to asbestos. We are proud to have secured more than $1 billion so far for asbestos victims and their families.
We are ready to help you. Contact us today to set up a free consultation, where we will review your claim and discuss all your legal options. Our law firm does not charge any legal fees upfront and we do not get paid unless and until we secure compensation for you.
