GTE Sylvania was an electronic equipment manufacturing company located in Seneca Falls, New York.  Although the manufacturing plant changed ownership, it is most commonly known as the manufacturing plant for GTE Sylvania. Following GTE’s sale to Philips in 1980, the plant expanded to manufacturing lighting devices, vacuum tubes and electronic devices.   Through the Seneca Falls manufacturing complex the company continued to employ over 2,000 workers through 1986 when the company shut down the Seneca Falls plant.

As an electronics manufacturing company, GTE Sylvania was contracted by other businesses to create electrical components for many commonly used household items.  Many of the electronic components manufactured by GTE Sylvania at the Seneca Falls Plant used asbestos-containing products and were distributed to companies around the country including many local manufacturing companies.

The GTE Sylvania complex, originally built by the Rumsey Pump company, was made up of several interconnected buildings. The company primarily used the buildings for production, storage and shipping.  Unfortunately, asbestos was incorporated into the materials and equipment used by workers at the GTE Sylvania plant. Employees were exposed to asbestos during the heating processes, forming, molding, and fitting of the components of the various devices manufactured at the plant.

Employees at GTE Sylvania may have been exposed to asbestos products during their years of work at the GTE Sylvania plant. Asbestos materials and insulation were used throughout the plant. During plant maintenance and repair procedure processes, asbestos-containing dust was released into the air, exposing workers to asbestos dust via inhalation.

Inhaling dust and airborne particles from asbestos put workers at risk of developing mesothelioma or lung cancer. GTE Sylvania workers were not warned of the hazards of exposure to asbestos when they performed their job duties and were not advised to wear masks or protective gear.  Even workers who were not in direct contact with raw asbestos materials may be at risk for developing an asbestos-related disease.

Since 1995, our attorneys at Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC have conducted research, extensive document discovery, and obtained deposition testimony to seek justice for workers exposed to asbestos. If you or a loved one worked at GTE Sylvania and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer, please contact us regarding your legal rights.