Foseco
Foseco was founded in 1932 by Eric Weiss. The name is an acronym for "FOundry SErvice COmpany." Foseco has metal casting manufacturing plants in Germany, England, Brazil, China, India, South Korea, Japan and the United States. In April 2008, Foseco was acquired by Cookson Group plc and is now part of Vesuvius.
Foseco’s foundry products are used in the melting shop, the core shop, moulding line and pouring stages. Their parts are a small overall portion of the foundry process. However, one $.25 cent filter from Foseco can reduce cost significantly when producing a $20 casting. Vesuvius develops products and solutions in the molten metal, glass and renewal energy industries. Since acquiring Foseco, Vesuvius now has 10,000 employees and 70 plants in 40 countries. Vesuvius has four main product lines, including:
- Iron & steel
- Foundry
- Industrial processes
- Fused silica
Vesuvius acquired Foseco to head up its foundry business quadrant.
Foseco and Asbestos
Foseco used 18 million pounds of asbestos between 1961 and 1976 at its Cleveland plant. The asbestos arrived in 120-pound burlap sacks from South Africa. The bags were emptied into stirring machines that mixed asbestos, water, silica flour, resins and old newspapers. The slurry is used as a coating material for casting cores. Cores are used to create hollow castings such as those found inside an engine block.
Foseco produces furnace brick linings, flow control products, crucibles used to melt and transfer molten metals, and temperature measurement systems. All of these products require heat resistance, which is why asbestos would be a desirable ingredient in manufacturing products of this nature. Asbestos is heat resistant, durable, cheap and readily available. Unfortunately, asbestos fibers are also toxic if inhaled by workers. In addition to mesothelioma cancer, lung cancer and asbestosis can also develop as a result of being exposed to asbestos.
Foundry work is very hot, noisy and dangerous. It is important for plants to have adequate ventilation and appropriate protective equipment for employees. Foundry workers pour molten metal into a mold to make a casting. Not only was asbestos mixed in stirring machines, foundry workers often wore protective clothing made of asbestos because of its heat and fire resistance. Boilers and other equipment may also be insulated with asbestos.
Foseco and Asbestos Litigation
Foseco has been named 5,000 times in asbestos-related suits in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. The Cleveland plant installed vacuums to collect the dust from asbestos products only after violating health guidelines for air quality passed by Congress in 1970. Most claimants in the lawsuits against Foseco are from former employees and their surviving family members. Eight former employees have died from mesothelioma, asbestosis or asbestos-related lung cancer and as of 2002, Foseco has paid $13 million in settlements to their survivors.
Foseco blatantly ignored warnings of asbestos health hazards and did not inform workers of the risks. A letter received by Foseco’s purchasing agent in 1964 from North American Asbestos Corporation’s scientific advisor stated that asbestos increased the risk of lung cancer. Still, Foseco continued to use asbestos by the millions of pounds. By 1972, other steel mills in the area expressed concerns about Foseco asbestos products.
Armco Steel, Bethlehem Steel and Republic Steel were three of Foseco’s biggest customers and all expressed concern. Foseco responded by misinforming customers that the asbestos in their products was not at a hazardous level. They also warned that a product produced without asbestos would be more expensive and not as satisfying, but assured them they were researching an alternative ingredient. Under threat of losing customers and their insurers, Foseco finally agreed to stop using asbestos in 1976.
Regular health exams can identify signs of lung cancer or mesothelioma and an early diagnosis is best for treating asbestos-related diseases. Mesothelioma symptoms can take 50 years to arise from the time exposure occurred so even if you’re not feeling any side effects, the potential for future development is quite high.
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© 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.
