O'Hare Spring Company
The O'Hare Spring Company is located in Des Plaines, Illinois, a few minutes away from Chicago's landmark O'Hare Airport. The company has been there since 1964, manufacturing wire forms, stampings, precision springs, and other related products for a wide variety of industries. The company was certified ISO-9002 in 1997 and QS-9000 in 2000.
O'Hare is equipped with state-of-the-art CNC technology and all the spring and wire-making machinery necessary to serve almost any industry.
People who worked at O'Hare Spring, especially prior to the 1970s, are at high risk of exposure to asbestos and other potential cancer-causing agents. Many workplaces used asbestos because of its flexibility, strength and fire-resistant qualities. Common uses for asbestos included putting it in and around pipe fittings, furnaces, pourers, and ladles. Asbestos was even used in safety clothes for workers, including their pants, gloves, hats, masks, and aprons. Exposure to loose asbestos fibers can lead to a variety of diseases, including mesothelioma and asbestosis. An estimated 1.3 million current employees in construction and manufacturing are thought to be in danger of asbestos exposure.
Historically, asbestos was once thought of being as valuable as gold. Emperors and kings actually had napkins and cloths made of it. To clean an asbestos cloth, it was simply thrown into a fire. Generally, there is no health hazard to asbestos as long as it remains bound together. Once its fibers become loose in the air, the tiny, invisible fibers are easily inhaled into the lungs. Most of the fibers will be exhaled again, but a few may get stuck in the lungs. Over time, they can build up, causing scarring and inflammation. Eventually, this can affect breathing and lead to different forms of lung disease.
In recent years, a number of companies have been developing an asbestos substitute using organic fibers and other ingredients like Portland cement and silica.
Last modified: December 12 2007.
