Thompson-Hayward Chemical Company
Thompson-Hayward Chemical Company began as a manufacturer of pesticides, originally based in Missouri. In 1931, the company bought land in New Orleans' Gert Town neighborhood and built a plant that would produce dry pesticides and, eventually, wet pesticides as well. Interestingly, the pesticides were not mixed inside the plant. The work was done outdoors in large vats. Later, when Thompson-Hayward began making dry and wet herbicides, the same mixing procedures were followed.
TH Agriculture and Nutrition Company Incorporated, a subsidiary of Phillips Corporation, assumed ownership of Thompson-Hayward in 1961 and continued to make the same list of products until 1975. Dry products were manufactured from 1975 until 1977, and soon thereafter, the plant closed and the location functioned as a warehouse. In 1981, all the interests were sold to Harcros Chemicals – including the Thompson-Hayward name – but the building remained a warehouse, this time for highly-toxic products such as pest-control supplies, industrial chemicals and dry cleaning chemicals. The Gert Town plant was officially closed in 1986.
Thompson-Hayward and the Environment
The Thompson-Hayward Chemical Company Plant in New Orleans had a horrendous environmental record, almost from the time it opened until the time the doors were shuttered some 25 years ago. Neighbors of the plant constantly complained of noxious fumes from the plant and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that the sewer system adjacent to the plant was contaminated with high levels of very dangerous dry cleaning chemicals. Pesticide spills occurred frequently and, before long, workers at the plant as well as those who lived nearby began to report serious health problems, including cancer. Other Hayward-Thompson plants had environmental and health issues as well.
Thompson-Hayward Chemical and Asbestos
During the heyday of Thompson-Hayward Chemicals, the company was wreaking havoc on the health of people living near the plant, as well as on the workers employed inside the plant. Toxic substances were everywhere, including dangerous chemicals and also the carcinogenic mineral asbestos, which was used to insulate equipment found inside the chemical plant. Equipment insulated with asbestos may have included tanks, reactors, heat exchangers, ovens and more.
Exposure to toxic asbestos, especially asbestos that was worn or damaged, could result in the inhalation of tiny fibers, which would lodge in the lungs and cause damage. Some Thompson-Hayward workers would later develop mesothelioma, a rare but serious cancer related to asbestos exposure.
Thompson-Hayward was known to distribute various grades of chrysotile asbestos, one type of asbestos fiber, throughout the U.S. on behalf of Carey-Canadian Mines of Quebec. This distribution of asbestos continued for 20 years from 1960 to 1980. The company also maintained an asbestos warehouse in Indianapolis. Hence, anyone who worked in conjunction with the distribution of asbestos was also exposed to the material on a regular basis.
Thompson-Hayward Chemical and Asbestos Litigation
Thompson-Hayward Chemical and its successors were responsible for exposing several generations of employees and consumers to asbestos. As a result, when it became clear that asbestos was responsible for numerous lung-related diseases, like mesothelioma and asbestosis, lawsuits were filed against the company. In many cases, litigators were able to determine that company executives knew about the toxicity of asbestos, yet continued to use or distribute it for many years. Had they heeded the warnings about asbestos, which were discovered as early as the 1930s, many workers' lives could have been spared.
Resources for Chemical Plant Workers
There is no doubt that thousands of people have been affected by Thompson-Hayward's disregard for the health of their employees, their employees' families and their neighbors. If you worked for or lived near the Hayward-Thompson Chemical Plant in New Orleans or the distribution facility in Indianapolis, it is recommended to be tested often for asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma. Because of the nature of mesothelioma, which has a long latency period, annual check-ups are necessary in order to try to catch the disease in an early stage when possible.
If you need to know more about being tested or wish to find a location nearby where asbestos testing takes place, call one of our Patient Advocates at (800) 615-2770. If you have already received a mesothelioma diagnosis and need more information about treatment or living with the disease, complete the form on this page and you will be contacted by a Patient Advocate. Be sure to ask about our unique Doctor Match Program to find qualified mesothelioma doctors near you.
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Last Modified Thursday, February 9th, 2012 | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy |
The information provided by The Mesothelioma Center is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Sponsored by a law firm concentrating in asbestos litigation, The Peterson Firm, LLP with offices at 1350 Connecticut Ave, NW, Fifth Floor, Washington DC 20036.
