CertainTeed Corporation
CertainTeed Corporation has been in business for more than 100 years. As early as the 1930s through 1985, the company manufactured products containing several types of asbestos, including amosite (brown asbestos), chrysotile (white asbestos) and crocidolite (blue asbestos). All three types are primarily mined in South Africa and Russia, but China is also a producer.
Although exposure to all types of asbestos poses a mesothelioma cancer risk, crocidolite is 100 to 500 times more hazardous than chrysotile. Before the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) became effective on January 1, 1977, chrysotile was used in 95 percent of all commercial asbestos products, including products manufactured by CertainTeed.
CertainTeed Asbestos Products
CertainTeed manufactured large volumes of asbestos products for use in the construction, automotive and naval industries. These products include:
- Asbestos Cement Pipe
- Automobile Parts
- Brake Linings
- Cement Siding
- Conveyor Belts
- Electrical Insulation
- High-Pressure Packing
- Millboard
- Laboratory Tabletops
- Paper
- Piping
- Asbestos Roofing Coatings
- Asbestos Roofing Shingles
A few examples of CertainTeed brand asbestos-containing products include:
- Asbestos Cement Sheets (manufactured and sold from 1968-1976)
- CertainTeed Asbestos Roof Coating (1930-1982)
- CertainTeed Asbestos Cement Pipe (1962-1992)
- CertainTeed Cold Process Cement (1940-1967)
- CertainTeed Joint Treating Compound (1937-1956)
- CertainTeed Plastic Cement (1930-1983)
- CertainTeed Sealing Cement (1930-1976)
- Wet Seal Plastic Cement (1961-1967)
CertainTeed asbestos products have caused thousands of workers and their spouses to be affected by mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions. Some have filed lawsuits against the company as a result of being exposed to asbestos and developing an asbestos-related disease.
CertainTeed and Asbestos Litigation
CertainTeed has been a defendant in cases involving a single plaintiff to hundreds of plaintiffs. Many cases have been settled while others are still pending. One high profile case involves Central Wesleyan College, a college in Central, South Carolina. Central Wesleyan filed a suit in July 1987 on behalf of itself and a class of public and private colleges and universities that have experienced property damage because of asbestos in their facilities.
The most recent published information about this case states that settlements reached an aggregate amount of over $40 million. Thirty suits have gone to trial with results split between property owners and defendants and 14,000 claims are still pending against the company.
Another case involves the wife of a L.A. Department of Water and Power employee of 25 years. Rhonda Evans developed a form of cancer related to asbestos after inhaling asbestos fibers from her husband’s clothes. Rhonda Evans washed her husband’s clothes for 25 years not knowing they contained asbestos fibers. Mr. Evans was unaware as well. Ms. Evans was awarded $208.8 million in April, 2010 by a Central District Los Angeles Superior Court jury in the lawsuit claiming negligent asbestos exposure that led to mesothelioma.
Yet another high profile case involves a 70-year-old retired machine operator and supervisor who was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2003 from on-the-job exposure to asbestos-containing cement pipes manufactured by CertainTeed. Pierce worked with the West Contra Costa County Wastewater District from 1972 to 1997. He was awarded more than $3.4 by a San Francisco jury in May, 2005.
CertainTeed’s Future
Because the effects of asbestos exposure can take 10 to 50 years to manifest, those seeking damages from CertainTeed will continue to file lawsuits for many years to come. Today, CertainTeed is a subsidiary of the French company Compagnie de Saint-Gobain. According to a Saint-Gobain press release from July, 2009, some 2,000 claims were filed against CertainTeed in the first half of 2009, compared with 3,000 in the first half of 2008. Over that period, 3,000 claims were settled, bringing the total number of outstanding claims to 67,000 on June 30, 2009.
A total of $61 million in indemnity payments were made over the 12 months to June 30, 2009 compared with $71 million over the 12 months to December 31, 2008. CertainTeed is not bankrupt, nor does it have trusts set up to compensate individuals that develop asbestos-related disease. The company handles claims on a case-by-case basis. If you or anyone you know has been exposed to asbestos products made by CertainTeed, you should seek regular medical exams to check for signs of asbestos-related diseases.
-
05/18/2012 -
The Queen of Disco Donna Summer died on Thursday in her Naples, Florida, home after a quiet battle with lung cancer.
She was 63.
The five-time G ..
-
05/17/2012 -
Thoracic surgeon Robert Cameron, M.D., used his second annual Symposium for Lung-Sparing Therapies for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma last week in Los ..
-
05/17/2012 -
Researchers in Singapore have uncovered new technology for studying cancer stem cells that could spark quicker development of a more effective therapy ..
© 2012 The Mesothelioma Center |
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.
