Maine Asbestos Attorneys

Maine Asbestos Attorneys
Maine Asbestos Attorneys

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Maine is a lightly populated state without a significant industrial base, but where industries did develop they followed the pattern of the state’s New England neighbors. Mills sprung up along the state’s many rivers. Pulp and paper installations were numerous because of the great forest in the state’s northern reaches. The twin cities Auburn and Lewiston both had mills along the banks of the Androscoggin River; at one time every major paper company in the country had a facility in Maine. Generations of Maine residents were exposed to asbestos diseases in these old factories.

There were also textile mills, shoe manufacturing facilities and lumber mills. Bangor was an early industrial center and also was home to the Dow Air Force Base. Military facilities built during the twentieth century, both before and after WW II, used asbestos extensively for insulation, building siding, floor tiles and roofing. Brunswick Naval Air Station has faced an asbestos cleanup issue prior to its scheduled closing in 2011. In these and other vintage Maine businesses asbestos exposure and asbestos cleanup have been ongoing issues.

In Portland, there is a power plant on Cousins Island and a couple of older technology firms (Fairchild) where asbestos exposure has been a real threat to employees. The shipbuilding industry in Maine ended, for the most part, by the beginning of the twentieth century. The exception is Bath Iron Works in the city of Bath, where Navy ships are still being built today and where dozens of ships built with asbestos insulation in the engine rooms, pipe systems and internal walls have been serviced and repaired.

Legal Rights for Maine Asbestos Victims

Maine ranks first among the fifty states for the ratio of mesothelioma deaths to the total population. That doesn’t amount to a large number of people, but it does speak to the exposure that has occurred among workers in the state. There are not a lot of people who retire to Maine.

The state has a six year statute of limitations for people with an asbestos related disease to file a liability claim. That means six years after the disease has been diagnosed. There is a two year statute of limitations on wrongful death suits, an action that would be taken by a spouse or relative of someone who succumbed to asbestosis or some form of asbestos cancer.

If you are a Maine resident suffering from an asbestos related disease you should speak with an experienced asbestos attorney who knows Maine law and the history of asbestos litigation in the state. Fill out the brief form on this page and we will be in touch immediately to review your case with you. There is no charge for our consultation services.

Maine Asbestos Attorneys