Honeywell Heating

Founded in 1906 in Minneapolis, the Honeywell Heating Specialty Company was the brainchild of Mark Honeywell. The company merged with the Minneapolis Heat Regulator Company in 1927 and renamed itself the Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company, whose specialty product was thermostatic heat controls. In the 1960s, the company changed its name back to Honeywell and expanded internationally. Honeywell, under the guidance of President James Binger, also greatly diversified its product line to include cameras, defense products, aerospace controls and computers.

Honeywell spun off its defense division, which manufactured controversial products that included landmines, bombs, napalm and missile guidance systems, into a company known as Alliant Techsystems. At the time it was acquired by Allied Signal in the 1990s, the company had also expanded into specialty materials.

After the merger, the combined company renamed itself Honeywell International. With subsidiaries and former subsidiaries such as Bendix and North American Refractories Company, the combined company inherited some legal issues. Honeywell International is currently headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, and is ranked in the top 75 among Fortune 500 companies, with 2010 revenues of more than $33 billion and profits of $2 billion.

Honeywell and Asbestos

As a frequent acquirer of other companies, Honeywell exposed itself to liability for asbestos claims primarily through subsidiary companies and brands that it purchased. Bendix, a maker of brakes, acquired after its merger with Allied Signal, and North American Refineries Company (NARCO) are two such companies. Examples of asbestos-containing products manufactured by Honeywell and Honeywell subsidiaries include:

• Bendix Brakes and Brake Pads
• Aerogun
• BOF Cote
• Gun Mix
• Narcocast Refractory Cement
• Narcogun
• Narcolite Refractory Cement
• Narmag Gun Mix
• Unicote Gun Mix
• BOF Patch
• Hot Gun
• Narcocrete Refractory Cement
• Narcolite Gun A Mix
• Narcotab Refractory Cement
• Staz-On Insulating Cement

Individuals who worked in occupations that required them to be in close proximity to the dust created by brake friction, such as mechanics and brake installers, may have been exposed to asbestos-containing products manufactured by Honeywell or its affiliates. In addition, a large number of the asbestos-containing products made by Honeywell and its affiliates were used in the defense industry, particularly the Navy. Naval workers, as well as workers in the plants that manufactured Bendix and NARCO products were susceptible to exposure to asbestos particulates.

Honeywell and Asbestos Litigation

One large lawsuit in which Honeywell was named a defendant had to do with so-called “friction claims.” The friction cases involved a large class of individuals who worked with asbestos-containing brake pads and other products that expose asbestos particles through friction, who filed suit against several auto makers and parts manufacturers for developing diseases like mesothelioma cancer, including Honeywell. Honeywell's exposure to liability as a brake maker derives from its position as a successor manufacturer of Bendix brake pads.

A large portion of the asbestos claims that Honeywell has defended arose from its (now former) ownership of North American Refractories Company (NARCO). More than 236,000 individuals alleged personal injury from exposure to asbestos due to contact with products manufactured by NARCO. NARCO filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2002, and Honeywell announced that it was working with the company to establish a trust to settle the asbestos claims. Honeywell put up an initial $900 million to fund the trust. The remainder of the funds was to come from insurance recoveries.

Individuals who worked in a Honeywell manufacturing facility that produced asbestos-containing products should advise their physicians and seek regular medical exams to monitor for any signs of disease related to asbestos exposure. Individuals who believe that they handled, installed, uninstalled or otherwise worked with any asbestos-containing products that Honeywell manufactured should also monitor their health on a regular basis for asbestos-related diseases such as lung cancer or mesothelioma.