GAF Corporation
Originally established in the United States as an American branch of the German chemical conglomerate I.G. Dyes, American I.G. changed its corporate name to General Aniline and Film (GAF) Corporation in 1939. The name change resulted from its acquisition of General Aniline Works and a merger with Agfa-Ansco Corporation, which produced photography supplies such as film.
Because of German interests in the American company, the U.S. government seized it in 1942, just after the U.S. entered World War II. GAF was managed by federal government-appointed directors until 1965. Unfortunately for the company, the directors showed little capitalist motivation, and GAF's market position stagnated when compared to that of competitors such as DuPont, Xerox and Kodak.
After going public in 1965, GAF acquired roofing supplies manufacturer Ruberoid Corporation, which later became known as the subsidiary division GAF Materials Corporation. The company officially changed its name to "GAF Corporation" in 1968. Mismanagement plagued GAF Corporation through the ensuing decades. However, in the mid 1980s, the company's fortunes positively changed with a housing boom that demanded the types of products in which GAF specialized. GAF Corporation later became known as G-I Holdings and spun off much of its roofing product line into its subsidiary, Building Materials Corporation.
GAF Corporation and Asbestos
In what would prove to be an ill-fated acquisition, GAF's purchase of Ruberoid Corporation brought with it a product line that contained considerable quantities of asbestos. The asbestos-containing products ranged from roofing shingles and siding to insulation and numerous other construction-related products. Along with the purchase came ownership of an asbestos mine in Virginia. Once the sale was complete, GAF Corporation became the de facto leader in asbestos supplies in the state. The mine was shut down in 1975, less than a decade after GAF acquired it.
A large number of workers in the mine were exposed to significant levels of asbestos and contracted a range of ailments related to asbestos exposure, including mesothelioma and asbestosis. Apart from mine workers, employees in GAF's or Ruberoid's manufacturing facilities, as well as workers involved in the installation or removal of the company's asbestos-containing roofing and siding products, may also have been exposed to asbestos.
The asbestos-containing products and brand names that were manufactured by Ruberoid/GAF Corporation include:
- Insulation Cement
- Pipe Covering
- Aristo Insulation
- Asbestos Roofing Shingles
- Asbestos Siding
- Rollboard
- Millboard
- Asphalt Tile
- Calsilite
- Insulation Cement
- SS Pipe Covering
- HI Pipe Covering
- Chrysolite
- Asbestos Paper
- Anti-frost Pipe Covering
- Imperial Insulation
- Boiler Jackets
- Roofing Felt
- Paint Products
- Ruberoid Air Cell
- Luran
- Airtred Sheet Vinyl Flooring
- Imperial Sheet Vinyl Flooring
- Regency Sheet Vinyl Flooring
- Sponge Felt
- Supercell
- Pipe Covering
- T/NA
- 100 Asbestos Paper and Plastic Film
- 200 Asbestos Paper and Plastic Film
- Vinyl Asbestos Floor Tile
- Watocel
- Watocell
- Woolfelt
Workers in any number of industries could have been exposed to asbestos-containing products manufactured by GAF Corporation/Ruberoid, particularly those working for the company directly or in the roofing and siding industries. Construction workers were some of the most at risk of being exposed to these products.
GAF Corporation and Asbestos Litigation
As one of the major companies facing asbestos claims in the mid-1980s, GAF Corporation was one of the founders of the Asbestos Claims Facility, which was established after the Wellington Agreement to evaluate, settle and defend claims related to asbestos exposure. Although the claims facility eventually disintegrated due to conflict among the member companies and their insurers, GAF holdings maintained a commitment to the mission of the organization and stayed with it even after it changed its mission and name to the Center for Claims Resolution.
Because of its liability from asbestos claims, G-I Holdings, as GAF Corporation is now known, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in 2001. As part of its reorganization and a requirement for its emergence from bankruptcy, G-I Holdings funded an asbestos trust in order to address the thousands of claims filed against it.
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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.
