Combustion Engineering - Asbestos Product Manufacturers

Combustion Engineering was created in 1912 after the Grieve Grate Company and the American Stoker Company merged. The company offered a variety of underfeed stokers, but their hallmark product was the Type-E stoker boiler. Combustion Engineering started building steam boilers in 1925 and formed partnerships with other companies such as the Superheater Company during the Great Depression to help get through financial difficulties (Combustion Engineering eventually took over the Superheater Company).

The company continued to grow rapidly working in numerous technologies, including exploration for gas and oil and the production and refining of petrochemicals. Combustion Engineering was also successful at marine nuclear propulsion and their design had 10 percent more power than their rivals. Combustion Engineering continued to grow as a company until it was taken over in 1990 by Asea Brown Boveri. Asea Brown Boveri is a conglomerate that is one of the world's biggest electrical engineering companies.

Asbestos-Contaminated Products

Combustion Engineering worked with several products that contained asbestos. In the 1930s asbestos was commonly used as an insulation material for power plant and steam generators. The company also supplied boilers and boiler products to various companies. The U.S. Navy was one of the entities that used their boilers. Combustion Engineering also created its own pipe coverings and block, as well as insulating cement. Anyone working with the products or on the jobsites that used these products could have been exposed to asbestos. Asbestos exposure can cause a range of health conditions, including mesothelioma cancer, asbestosis and lung cancer.

Asbestos-containing products manufactured by the Combustion Engineering include:

• WeatherKote Protective Thermal Coat
• Permiseal Weathercoating
• WeatherKote Protective Coating
• Kaiser Hard Top Insulating Cement
• WeatherKote Protective Air-Check
• Stirrup Cement
• SDK 50 Cement
• Calcrete 30 Insulating Cement
• A-1199 Insulating Cement
• Hilite Insulating Cement
• Pyroscat Fireproofing Cement
• MHD Finishing Cement
• Casing Cement
• Buck Stay Cement A1360
• Kaiser Plastic Insulating Cement
• Super 711 Insulating Cement
• Super Finish Insulating Cement
• Super Finish Stick-Tite Ins. Cement
• Super Stick-Tite Insul. Cement
• Castablock Insulating Cement
• Stic Tite Insulating Cement
• Utility Thermal Finish Cement
• Lite Wate 22
• Lite Wate 50
• WeatherKote Protective Duriseal
• Kaiser M. Block
• Griptex Mineral Wool Block
• Boilers
• Gunisul
• Block Stick
• Fibrous Adhesive
• Hy-Temp. Flexible Cement
• Asbestos Ropes
• Expansion Joint Material

Industries and Occupations at Risk for Asbestos Exposure

Because the products manufactured by Combustion Engineering were used by a wide variety of companies, a wide number of industries were affected. Aside from the shipyards and ships of the United States Navy, workers in the aerospace, construction, foundry, insulation, maritime, petrochemical, utility, steel, railroad and textile industries may also have been affected.

Because so many industries were affected, a diverse amount of jobs were also affected. Below is a partial list of occupations that may have been at risk for asbestos exposure. Keep in mind that not all occupations may be listed, so if you have concerns, you should see your doctor right away.

• Acoustical Worker
• Air & Heat Technician
• Boiler Tender
• Boilermaker
• Carpenter
• Engine Mechanic
• Engine Room Operator
• Foundry Worker
• Furnace Worker
• HVAC Installer
• Insulator
• Longshoreman
• Merchant Marine
• Pipefitter
• Rigger
• Roughneck
• Shipfitter
• Steamfitter
• Steelworker
• Switchman
• Welder

Current Events

Because of the debt and asbestos liability that Combustion Engineering left behind, Asea Brown Boveri nearly went bankrupt in the early 2000s. Instead, the company filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in 2003, and as a result of this, a trust was created in 2006 to cover the personal injury claims that arose from asbestos exposure. The trust is worth $1.43 billion and is funded by cash and other assets. Since reorganizing, Asea Brown Boveri has experienced better financial luck. Today, the company is one of the leaders in power and automation technology, operating in more than 100 countries and employing more than 100,000 workers.