A Buffalo resident who worked in the Coke Oven Division at Bethlehem Steel Corporation for over thirty years and is suffering from lung cancer is suing asbestos companies and the companies that built, designed and maintained the coke ovens. As far as we have been able to determine, this is the first lawsuit in the Western New York area to seek damages from the coke oven companies, not only for their reckless use of asbestos but also for their failure to contain the harmful gases emitted by the coking process.

Workers who worked on top of or alongside the coke oven batteries are at a substantially increased risk for developing lung cancer and other cancers. The coke industry should have known about the hazards at the time our client went to work at the steel plant, or well before. The chemical substances causing these cancers were known as carcinogens more than two hundred years ago when a London surgeon discovered that chimney sweeps were afflicted with high rates of cancer.

If you or any of your family members worked at any of the various coke oven operations around the area, including Bethlehem Steel, Republic Steel, Tonawanda Coke or Donner Hanna, and if you are suffering from lung or other cancers, please call Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford to discuss a potential legal claim. Our services include lawsuits against manufacturers and claims under the New York State Workers’ Compensation Law.