Woman alleges secondary exposure to asbestos caused lung cancer

A woman is suing dozens of companies with ties to asbestos-containing products that she contends her father was exposed to and caused her to develop lung cancer.

Debra Lingelbach filed a lawsuit Feb. 19 in Cook County Circuit Court against A.W. Chesterton Co., H.B. Fuller Co., Union Carbide Corp., and more than 20 other companies.

According to the complaint, Lingelbach was exposed to asbestos from her father between 1964 and 1984, during which time he worked around the defendants’ products as a foundry worker and maintenance worker.

The secondary exposure led Lingelbach to develop lung cancer, which she became aware of April 4, 2014, the suit says.

Lingelbach alleges the defendants knew or should have known their products contained asbestos and would result in physical harm, and failed to provide adequate warnings of the danger of asbestos exposure.

She is represented by attorney Timothy G. Martin of Cooney & Conway in Chicago.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and represents only one side of the story.