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Dow Chemical Plant

The Dow Chemical Company is the second largest manufacturer of chemicals in the world, with headquarters in Midland, Michigan. The company produces plastics, chemicals, and agricultural products and has facilities in more than 175 countries. Dow products are sold mainly to other manufacturers, rather than to consumers.

History of Dow Chemical Plant

The Dow Chemical Company was founded in 1897 by Herbert Henry Dow, a Canadian-born chemist who invented a new method of extracting the bromine that was trapped underground at a location in Midland, Michigan.

Initially the company sold only a limited range of chemical products, including bleach and potassium bromide. For the first three decades of its existence the company battled with German chemical companies for its share of the market. Diversifying its product range and importing chemicals allowed Dow to compete successfully, and the company began producing agricultural chemicals as well as dyes and metals.

In the 1930s Dow began producing plastic resins such as ethylcellulose and polystyrene. At the start of the 1940s the company began producing magnesium, an important manufacturing part for aircraft. Eventually the company also began construction of its Freeport, Texas chemical plant, which is now the largest Dow site in the world.

After WWII, the company began to expand rapidly, with subsidiaries in several countries, and even more products added to its range.

The company underwent restructuring in the 1990s, and also acquired other major companies, including Union Carbide in 1999. Further restructuring was announced in 2006, with the company stating that it planned to close facilities in several locations around the world.

Dow is currently the largest plastics producer in the world, and with the acquisition of Union Carbide has also become an important fixture in the petrochemical industry.

Asbestos Use at Dow Chemical Plant

Dow Chemicals is one of the worst corporate polluters in the United States. In fact, Environmental Protection Agency records show that Dow is in the top ten list of companies responsible for the creation of toxic Superfund sites.

The company definitely doesn't have a good reputation when it comes to polluting the environment, with more than 700,000 tons of toxic atmospheric pollutants produced every year. What many people don't know is that the health of Dow workers may be endangered within the plant itself, from an entirely different source: asbestos.

Asbestos is highly resistant to thermal and chemical degradation. For these reasons it was highly useful in chemical laboratories, for use on bench and counter tops, certain types of lab equipment (such as Bunsen burner pads), and even for protective heat and chemical-resistant clothing.

Much of the asbestos used in chemical plants was chrysotile asbestos, which many companies claimed was harmless. However, this is unfortunately not true, and several studies have shown that chrysotile can in fact cause cancer just as other types of asbestos can. Chrysotile asbestos was often used in the form of transite, and the substance was used in many types of construction products throughout chemical plants, laboratories, and other industrial locations.

This asbestos can become more dangerous as it ages, because when asbestos becomes friable-which happens with age-it becomes more easily broken and crumbled. At this stage it is more likely to release airborne asbestos fibers that can be inhaled. Industrial facilities built prior to the 1980s may contain asbestos, because the substance was so widely used, particularly in industry.

In fact, Dow has become a commonly-named defendant in asbestos-related lawsuits. Through its subsidiary, Union Carbide, the company has also been found liable for thousands of cases of asbestos-related disease and death.

What Former and Current Workers should Know about Asbestos

Asbestos exposure is dangerous because inhalation of asbestos dust can cause serious diseases, including mesothelioma and asbestosis. Because asbestos exposure is the only known cause of both, these are known as asbestos-related diseases.

Asbestosis is a chronic lung condition that usually develops due to heavy or repeated exposure to asbestos. The root cause of the disease is chronic lung inflammation and the subsequent development of scar tissue. The result for people with asbestosis is pain and difficulty when breathing, and reduced lung function. Ceasing exposure can prevent the disease progressing but the damage is irreversible.

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that can-and often does-develop after relatively small amounts of exposure to asbestos. This disease usually develops in the lining of the lungs (known as the pleural lining or mesothelium), but around 30% of cases develop in the lining of the heart (pericardial membrane) or abdominal cavity (peritoneal membrane). All the different types of mesothelioma are difficult to diagnose and very difficult to treat successfully, and this cancer therefore has a high mortality rate.

It's also important to know that mesothelioma has a long latency period. This means that two to five decades usually elapses between initial asbestos exposure and the onset of noticeable symptoms. This means that if you're a former or current Dow chemical plant worker and you haven't been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, this is unfortunately not a guarantee you'll never develop one. If you believe asbestos exposure might have occurred during your employment, regular health check-ups are important for detection of early mesothelioma symptoms.

If the worst does happen and you are diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, seeking legal advice is an important consideration, as you may be able to win compensation to cover the costs of medical treatment and lost income.

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