Asbestosis Award Upheld Despite Inconsistent Exposure Dates

RALEIGH, N.C. - The North Carolina Court of Appeals has upheld a workers' compensation award to a former maintenance worker exposed to asbestos, despite an apparent failure by the state labor commission to determine with consistency the worker's last injurious exposure. Seagle v. Kent-Coffey Manufacturing Co., et al., No. COA99-1001 (N.C. Ct. App.).

Beginning in 1945, James Seagle maintained heating and furnace systems for the Singer Company and was exposed to asbestos while repairing steam pipes with a paste he created using a mixture of water and asbestos.

In the winter of 1986-1987, Seagle took on a job as a …