Bellingham Mesothelioma Lawyer
Countless workers in numerous industries throughout the Pacific Northwest have been exposed to asbestos on the job, putting them at high risk for developing mesothelioma, a deadly type of cancer. Many workplaces and job sites in the Whatcom County area, especially refineries, metal plants, paper mills, and metal installations, have exposed employees to asbestos. If you’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness, speak with a Bellingham mesothelioma lawyer today for free at Bergman Oslund Udo Little.
Chandler H. Udo, Partner, Bergman Oslund Udo Little Last Updated: November 22, 2024
- Asbestos exposure and mesothelioma are common for industrial workers, veterans, and refinery employees in Bellingham and Whatcom County.
- Specific job sites, such as former Bechtel Corp. plants in Ferndale and ARCO refineries in Ferndale and Bellingham, are known sources of occupational asbestos exposure.
- Our attorneys have deep experience in asbestos and mesothelioma cases and will fight tirelessly to pursue the compensation you deserve for mesothelioma.
Asbestos Law Firm Serving Bellingham & Whatcom County
We’re the Pacific Northwest’s premier mesothelioma law firm. Our experience makes all the difference when you are facing a devastating diagnosis like mesothelioma and must take on powerful companies to get the justice you deserve.
Since 1995, we’ve recovered more than $1 billion in compensation for mesothelioma victims and their families. Our office has proudly represented asbestos victims from Bellingham and all over Whatcom County, including Lynden, Ferndale, Sedro-Woolley, Birch Bay, Sudden Valley, and more.
Helping Mesothelioma Victims in Whatcom County Is Personal for Us
BOUL partner Chandler Udo grew up in Ferndale, WA, near Bellingham. He has witnessed firsthand how devastating the diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma can be, and he has dedicated his career to defending the rights of asbestos exposure victims across the state of Washington.
The attorneys at BOUL truly care about our clients. We’re committed to providing personalized service and treating each one with respect and compassion. Each client works closely with a small team of professionals. We take the time to understand the impact of your diagnosis and build a personalized strategy to hold wrongdoers accountable—for us, it’s personal.
Asbestos Exposure in Whatcom County, Washington
Whatcom County is home to several oil refineries and various types of industrial factories, as well as to hundreds of individual blue-collar trade workers in fields such as plumbing, construction, and electrical wiring. The Bellingham area also has a significant veteran community. Many of these veterans are former U.S. Air Force service members who were stationed near Bellingham at Blaine Air Force Station between 1951 and 1979.
Unfortunately, all of these occupations and job sites have commonly resulted in asbestos exposure for workers. Bellingham was also the site of a manufacturing plant producing asbestos products owned by the Bechtel Corporation, which led to a heightened risk of exposure for Bechtel employees.
Products, occupations, and job sites that have commonly resulted in occupational asbestos exposure in Whatcom County include the following:
Asbestos Products
The Bechtel Corporation is a global engineering, construction, and project management company. It undertook significant jobs in Ferndale, where asbestos products were used and specified. These sites also used asbestos in building materials, machinery, insulation, and similar places where workers and contractors would have been exposed to it on a daily basis while completing their work.
Bechtel has been sued in multiple states over occupational asbestos exposure that led to mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Occupations
- Construction workers – A wide variety of workers can be found at any given commercial construction site, including bricklayers, carpenters, roofers, boilermakers, and insulation workers, among others. No matter the role, construction workers are often at risk of exposure to asbestos through numerous sources on the job sites, depending on the project and its building materials.
- Electricians – Electrical work is statistically among the occupations with the highest risk of asbestos exposure. Electricians work with asbestos-containing materials daily, such as those used in electrical wiring, cable boxes, and construction projects.
- Industrial workers – Industrial workers of all types are commonly exposed to asbestos in machinery components, building materials such as insulation, and many other places, depending on the nature of the industry.
- Metal workers – For many years, asbestos was one of the cheapest materials for fireproofing and protection against heart and chemicals, so it was commonly used in many types of insulators metal workers interact with every day. Foundry and smelter employees may be at particular risk of exposure, especially when using older protective equipment and working around aging furnaces, boilers, and tanks.
- Pipefitters – A wide array of plumbing and pipefitting products, including pipe insulation, gaskets, pipe cement, joint compounds, adhesives, faucet washers, and valves, have historically been manufactured with asbestos. Plumbers and pipefitters may regularly encounter asbestos at work, particularly when operating in older buildings.
- Military Veterans – Veterans put their lives on the line to honorably serve their country. Unfortunately, asbestos was commonly used to construct military vehicles, vessels, bases, and installations throughout the 20th century, causing many veterans to develop mesothelioma years after their service.
- Refinery workers – Oil companies formerly relied on asbestos as a cheap way of mitigating the risks of the high temperatures and chemical fires inherent to the refinery business. Thus, oil refinery workers have commonly been exposed to asbestos, especially at older refineries.
Job Sites
The state of Washington has hosted hundreds of job sites that exposed workers to asbestos. Oil refineries comprise a significant portion of locations where employees have suffered from asbestos exposure, including many specific refineries in the Whatcom County area. These have included T Mobil in Ferndale and ARCO in Cherry Point, all of which have been revealed as significant sources of asbestos exposure.
The Atlantic Richfield Company, commonly known as ARCO and now owned by BP, is known to have used asbestos in its Ferndale and Cherry Point refineries in the forms of insulation, ceiling tiles, floor tiles, drywall, cement, mastic, gaskets, pumps, and fire-resistant clothing. Any time these products were disturbed, moved, or degraded, asbestos fibers could be released into the air, where workers could inhale or ingest them. Thus, many have developed mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Take Action Now. Get Legal Help From a Bellingham Mesothelioma Attorney Today.
Over the years, hundreds of workers in Bellingham and the greater Whatcom County area have suffered as a result of asbestos exposure. Blue-collar workers have been particularly vulnerable to exposure and development of diseases such as mesothelioma, as asbestos was widely used in industrial plants, factories, commercial facilities, refineries, and military installations.
You need a knowledgeable asbestos and mesothelioma attorney when you seek legal restitution for your mesothelioma claim. Our attorneys are tenacious trial advocates with a strong track record of negotiating favorable settlements and achieving multimillion-dollar verdicts for our clients in court.
We specialize in claims for asbestos exposure, mesothelioma, and asbestos-related conditions. Hundreds of mesothelioma patients have trusted our office since 1995, and we can help you fight for the compensation you deserve after asbestos exposure. We can pursue compensation from a mesothelioma lawsuit or asbestos trust fund claim. If a loved one has died from mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, you may be entitled to compensation from a wrongful death lawsuit.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another disease from asbestos exposure, don’t wait. Call Bergman Oslund Udo Little at (206) 957-9510 or contact us online today for a free consultation. We’re available 24/7 and prepared to fight for you.
Get Help with Your Mesothelioma Compensation Options
520 Pike St. #1125
Seattle, WA 98101
206-957-9510
1355 NW Everett St.
Suite 100
Portland, OR 97204
503-447-6230
