Located in Contra Costa County, the lovely Martinez is nestled along the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and has played an important role in California’s history. The town was officially incorporated in 1876, but the city had served as a trading post decades prior.

Then, Martinez played an important role as a shipping boomtown during the gold rush era. By the turn of the 20th century, Martinez ushered in an era of significant building and development, with companies like Shell Oil Company building refineries and petroleum processing facilities.

Due to this industrial growth, a number of jobsites used asbestos-containing materials throughout the 20th century, exposing Martinez workers to the dangers of asbestos.

The Dangers of Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos was widely used during the early and middle parts of the 20th century due to its tensile strength, resistance to flame/heat and other desirable industrial traits. Sadly, asbestos is also made up of microscopic fibers that can be released during abrasion and other processes, making it easy for workers to inhale or swallow these fibers.

Once swallowed or inhaled, research has shown that the fibers may never leave the body and may stick to the lungs permanently. It also turns out that asbestos is extremely harmful to the human body, as it can cause the following:

• Mesothelioma
• Asbestosis
• Asbestos-related lung cancer

Asbestos also has the deadly distinction of being the only known cause of the deadly cancer known as mesothelioma. It can take decades for asbestos fibers to ultimately gestate and turn into mesothelioma. Once the gestation process completes, however, mesothelioma progresses quickly and can often be fatal.

As such, workers who were exposed to asbestos at a Martinez jobsite decades ago are still at risk for developing mesothelioma or another asbestos-related illness.

Martinez Asbestos Exposure

Contra Costa County has suffered greatly from asbestos exposure, as research from 1999 to 2013 estimates that more than 900 residents have passed away because of an asbestos-related death.

As an important city of Contra Costa County, Martinez has been harmed by asbestos exposure at the following known jobsites:

• Alhambra High School
• Shell Oil Company
• Shell Chemical Company
• Tosco Chemical
• Union Oil
• Contra Costa County Courthouse
• Martinez Administration Building
• Martinez Refinery

These are just a few of the known jobsites, so if you believe your mesothelioma or asbestos-related illness was caused by a wrongful asbestos exposure in Martinez, talk to a Martinez mesothelioma lawyer immediately.

Talk to a Martinez Mesothelioma Lawyer

The Ledger Law Firm is here to represent Martinez workers and their loved ones who were wrongfully exposed to the dangers of asbestos. Mesothelioma victims and loved ones of the deceased are allowed to file a lawsuit and pursue legal compensation under California law.

We will help you file a lawsuit that proves your asbestos-related illness or the illness of a loved one was caused by a responsible party’s wrongful exposure. By doing so, you and your loved ones will be entitled to receive compensation, which is ensured by set aside trust fund with billions in assets for asbestos victims.

Contact us today and receive the compensation to which you are legally entitled after a wrongful asbestos exposure in Martinez.