Reynolds Aluminum Plant

The Reynolds Aluminum Plant in Longview, Washington, about 100 miles south of Seattle, opened at the start of World War II.  Like most aluminum plants during that era, this plant was integral in supplying materials for the aircraft industry, boasting customers like Boeing and other major aircraft companies.  Shipments of alumina from Australia arrived frequently at this plant on the Columbia River, where workers turned it into materials for both military and civilian use.

Aluminum smelters, like the Reynolds Plant and many others that were located throughout the Pacific Northwest, made wide use of asbestos, recognized for decades for its ability to insulate and resist fire.  Asbestos was used in the carbon bake furnaces, on the potlines, and in the casthouse as well.  You could find it in roofing and underground pipes as well.

Employees who worked with extremely hot materials had to be protected from life-threatening accidents. They wore asbestos gloves and aprons while pouring liquid aluminum alloys that measured up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit in order to keep their hands from blistering and to avoid injury from spills.  Others wore asbestos coats, and asbestos masks were used as well, meaning that workers wore the hazardous material on their faces, making it especially easy to inhale dangerous fibers. 

Millwrights were made to lie on asbestos blankets while they worked on warm pots and those who had a job in the casthouse often ripped asbestos paper from a roll and used it to protect the brick from spills of molten metal.  The act of ripping, of course, caused fibers to be released into the air, contaminating the casthouse with millions of particles of white dust. 

Over the years, many Reynolds Aluminum Plant employees have been screened for asbestos-related illness and the numbers affected have been alarmingly high, according to several reports.  Many of the sickened had toiled at the plant for decades, unaware that they were exposed to such a high level of dangerous asbestos fibers for such a long time.

If you worked at the Reynolds Aluminum Plant (or any similar operation) performing the duties described above, and you’ve been diagnosed with Mesothelioma, take time to read more about the disease, its treatments, and your rights as a victim of asbestos-related cancer.  Order our free, informative Mesothelioma Resource Kit today.