Chase Tower

Construction of the Lincoln First Bank Tower (Lincoln Tower) was completed in 1973. The twenty seven story building is one of Rochester, New York’s tallest skyscrapers, and it is located on the corner of Main and Huron Streets in Rochester, New York. In 1996, Lincoln Tower was renamed Chase Tower, and it currently serves as JP Morgan Chase’s upstate New York headquarters.

Workers who assisted in the construction of the Lincoln Tower have developed and died of mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases. Even though the dangers of asbestos were well-known and documented in the medical and scientific communities by the 1930’s, asbestos-containing products were still used in construction materials until the late 1970’s. Workers who assisted in the construction of the Lincoln Tower were exposed to high heat temperature materials, including asbestos-containing pipe covering and spray applied fireproofing.

Asbestos-containing fireproofing materials covered nearly every structural beam throughout the Lincoln Tower. Fireproof insulation is a mix of asbestos, cement and waste materials from linen mills. This material came packaged in bags, which was then dumped into a machine where it was mixed with water and sprayed onto the tower’s steel beams. During the application process, large clouds of dust and fibers were emitted into the air where the material was being applied. Electricians, iron workers, plumbers, pipefitters and plasterers who also worked in the vicinity where the fireproof material was applied, were also put at risk for exposure to asbestos fibers and dust.

Asbestos-containing pipe insulation was also applied on steam and water lines that ran throughout the tower’s basement. Workers who cut, sawed and applied asbestos pipe insulation were likely exposed to airborne asbestos dust and fibers.

Many union and non-union laborers who worked on the construction of Lincoln Tower were employed by various contractors throughout Western New York. In the process of representing workers and their families, our attorneys have gathered a vast amount of information regarding the types and varieties of asbestos-containing products to which our clients were exposed. If you or a loved one were once employed as a laborer at the Lincoln Tower and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer, we urge you to contact us regarding your legal rights.