A former Texaco refinery worker who has developed lung cancer after prolonged exposure to asbestos is suing his former employer as well as 42 other large corporations he claims were negligent in “failing to adequately test their asbestos-laced products before flooding the market with dangerous goods.”

According to an article in the Southeast Texas Record, Willie Scott, age 71, has filed suit against such companies as A.O. Smith – maker of residential gas and electric water heaters and commercial water heating equipment; aerospace corporation Lockheed-Martin; and Zurn Industries, makers of power and marine boilers, plumbing and heating valves, drains, and other similar products.

Scott, who worked for Texaco for more than 30 years (1952 to 1983), is also suing 3M Corporation and American Optical Company for making faulty masks that he claimed did little to protect him from inhaling dangerous asbestos fibers.

Scott also admits to being a lifelong smoker. Research shows that smokers exposed to asbestos are much more likely to develop mesothelioma – asbestos-caused cancer – than non-smokers. That makes Scott a prime candidate for the disease.

The article notes that Scott is suing for “physical pain and suffering in the past and future, mental anguish in the past and future, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, disfigurement in the past and future, physical impairment in the past and future, and past and future medical expenses.”

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