Standing thirty stories high, the Xerox Tower is the tallest building in Rochester, New York. The Xerox Tower is located on Clinton Avenue, between Broad and Court Streets. It was completed in 1968 to serve as Xerox Corporation’s corporate headquarters; however, in 1969, Xerox moved its corporate offices to Stamford, Connecticut. In 2021, the former Xerox Tower was redeveloped and is now used for student housing.
During the construction of the Xerox Tower, workers utilized asbestos-containing materials, including fireproof insulation, pipe covering, insulating cement and block insulation. Workers who handled materials that contained asbestos or worked in the vicinity of others who did are at high risk for developing an asbestos-related disease, such as mesothelioma.
During the building’s construction, asbestos-containing fireproof insulation was sprayed on the structural steel and deck. This material came packaged in bags, which was then dumped into a machine, mixed with water and sprayed onto the tower’s steel beams. The process of mixing and spraying the insulation produced clouds of asbestos-containing dust. In order to gain access to the structural steel, carpenters, electricians, pipefitters, sheet metal workers and other tradesmen routinely disturbed the insulation after it was applied. When workers scraped the insulation with a knife, screwdriver or other tool, asbestos fibers were emitted into the air.
Steam and hot water pipes throughout the building were insulated with asbestos-containing pipe covering. When the pipe covering was cut to smaller lengths using a hand saw, asbestos dust was emitted into the air. Pipe elbows and valves required insulating cement because of their irregular shape. Insulating cement was manufactured as a dry powder, and it was mixed with water to form a paste. Pouring and mixing the cement emitted asbestos fibers into the air. Asbestos-containing block insulation covered various parts of the boilers and related equipment. Handling, cutting or disturbing block insulation also emitted asbestos fibers into the air.
Many union and non-union laborers who worked on the construction of the Xerox Tower were employed by various contractors throughout Western New York. If you or a loved one were once employed in connection with the construction of the Xerox Tower and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer, we urge you to contact us regarding your legal rights.
We hope that you will never be diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, or suffer a catastrophic injury, but if you are, contact us at Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford so we can begin the fight.
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