Rochester New York Mesothelioma Attorneys > Job Sites > Rochester, New York > Rochester Gas & Electric > Asbestos Exposure and Rochester Gas & Electric

Asbestos Exposure and Rochester Gas & Electric

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. Throughout the later half of the twentieth century, RG&E has depended largely on the use of coal burning boilers and nuclear turbines to produce its power. 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. Workers employed at these stations regularly came into contact with asbestos-containing block insulation, cement, pipe covering, gaskets, packing material and pumps. Numerous workers who once were employed at the Russell, Beebe, and Ginna stations have developed and died of mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other asbestos related diseases.

Once a year, RG&E’s stations went into a maintenance period called "shut down" when workers were directed to dismantle asbestos insulation from power turbines, pipes and boilers. 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. This process created enormous dust clouds.

Once the worn insulation was removed, reapplication of asbestos insulation was necessary so that the pipes, boilers and turbines could effectively contain steam and other high temperature materials. During insulation reapplication, in order to prepare cement, dry asbestos cement mix was continuously dumped into water creating large clouds of asbestos dust. Most workers were completely unaware of the dangers of exposure to the asbestos dust, and performed their work without masks or protective gear.

Our attorneys have gathered a vast amount of information concerning the type and variety of asbestos containing products to which our clients were exposed. If you or a loved one once worked at a Rochester Gas & Electric facility and have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma, please contact us for a free case evaluation.