Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) is a utility company that supplies natural gas and electricity to consumers throughout a 2,700 square mile area surrounding Rochester, NY.  But if you worked at a Rochester Gas & Electric station in Rochester, New York, you may have been exposed to asbestos and could be at risk for developing mesothelioma or lung cancer. 

The boilers and turbines at RG&E’s Russell and Beebe coal stations, located in Rochester, New York, and its Ginna Nuclear Station, located in Ontario, New York, were once covered in asbestos-containing thermal block insulation and were a significant source of asbestos exposure. Laborers employed at these stations regularly came into contact with asbestos-containing block insulation, cement, pipe covering, gaskets, packing material and pumps. Until the mid-1970s, asbestos-containing materials were utilized as efficient insulation for intensely heated equipment, such as pipes, boilers and turbines and other equipment throughout RG&E powerhouses and substations. Even those who were not in direct contact with asbestos materials remain at risk.

During annual maintenance shut downs, worn asbestos insulation was removed by sawing insulation off of pipes and flat surfaces, filling the work atmospheres with asbestos dust and fibers.

The attorneys at Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford, LLC have gathered a vast amount of information concerning the type and variety of asbestos-containing products at RG&E power stations.  If you or a loved one were once employed at an RG&E power station and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer, we urge you to contact us regarding your legal rights.