Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC, represents numerous former and retired laborers who were employed at the Hooker Electrochemical Company (Hooker Chemical or Hooker Niagara) located in Niagara Falls, NY. In recent years, former employees of Hooker Chemical have developed and died of mesothelioma, various cancers, and other chemical and asbestos-related diseases. Hooker Chemical’s Niagara Falls, New York, plant was located on a 115 acre site on Buffalo Avenue. Hooker Chemical was once one of the nation’s largest producers of bleaches and caustic soda. In 1968, The Occidental Chemical Company (OxyChem), purchased Hooker Chemical, and continued to manufacture polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins, chlorine and caustic soda. These items are the key building blocks for a variety of products, including plastics, pharmaceuticals and water disinfectants.
Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC has represented Hooker Chemical laborers who worked in a wide variety of trades at the plant. These trades include carpenters, millwrights, masons, maintenance men and riggers. We have also represented production workers involved in maintenance shutdowns. Periodically, Hooker Chemical ceased its operations so that pipes, vessels and gaskets could be refurbished and replaced. Laborers involved in shutdowns were exposed to asbestos-containing insulating materials. As a result of asbestos exposure, many workers may have developed mesothelioma, a cancer that is only caused by exposure to asbestos.
Aside from asbestos exposure, those who regularly came into proximity of Hooker’s Niagara Falls facilities were placed at risk for benzene and dioxin exposure. Benzene is a chemical used in the production of plastic, and dioxin is a hazardous end product developed from manufacturing plastic. Both benzene and dioxin are known carcinogens. Hooker Chemical used benzene in its plastic division, and government reports as recent as 2008, demonstrate that the ground under and around the Hooker plant contains potentially dangerous levels of dioxin.
The attorneys at Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC have gathered a vast amount of information regarding the type of chemicals used at Hooker Chemical and the potential health hazards of their use. Our clients understand the importance of securing legal representation as soon as possible after a diagnosis of mesothelioma or other chemical exposure-related conditions. If you or a loved one were once employed at Hooker Chemical’s Niagara Falls facility and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another form of cancer, we urge you to contact us regarding your legal rights.
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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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