North American Refractories Co.

From its founding in 1929 until its acquisition by the Honeywell business conglomerate in 1979, North American Refractories Co. (NARCO) was one of the nation's largest manufacturers of ceramic refractory materials. These products were utilized for industrial processes requiring extremely high temperatures. Ceramic refractories were used to line furnaces that were essential to the manufacturing of cement, lime, chemicals, non-ferrous metals, glass, iron and steel. The addition of asbestos fibers to ceramic refractories made these furnaces able to withstand temperatures of more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit on a regular basis.

NARCO was formed in 1929 through the merger of seven independent refractory manufacturers. The new company was based in Cleveland, Ohio, and operated additional facilities in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Kentucky. Strategic acquisitions made throughout the 1930s and 1940s allowed the company to expand into other product lines. The company's products, aimed at businesses rather than consumers, included:

• Hearths, inwalls and other blast furnace fittings (iron and steel)
• Bottom checkers, domes and other black stove fittings (iron and steel)
• MAGNECON®, developed in 1928 for rotary kiln burning zones (cement and lime)
• Shotkast® flue crowns (glass)
• Emisshield™ coating installations (glass)
• Nacrogun

Strategic acquisition and mergers throughout the 1930s and 1940s expanded the company's product lines, solidifying its position as a leading provider of ceramic refractories. In 1965, the company was acquired by Eltra Corp and, later, Allied Corp, where NARCO became part of Allied's chemical division. After top management and a group of investors arranged a leveraged buyout, NARCO briefly returned to its status as an independently-owned company. In 1991, NARCO merged with the German company Didier-Werke AG, and in 2000, ANH Refractories acquired NARCO. ANH Refractories remains the parent company of NARCO to this day.

NARCO Lawsuits

In 2002, NARCO filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a move necessitated in large part by the number of asbestos- and mesothelioma-related lawsuits that the company faced. When NARCO emerged from bankruptcy in 2008, trustees proposed the creation of the North American Refractories Company Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust, funded with $6.32 billion, whose purpose was to award compensation to asbestos victims exposed to NARCO products. The trust was to be set up jointly with Honeywell, which had owned NARCO during the period of its greatest asbestos liability.

Use of Asbestos in NARCO Ceramic Refractories

Refractories are heat-resistant materials used to line high-temperature processing units. Refractories must be able to withstand extremely high temperatures in order to process heated metals, and refractories must also be resistant to chemical corrosion and physical wear and tear.

Refractories can be manufactured from both natural and synthetic materials. For example, at NARCO's plant in Mount Union, Pennsylvania, refractories were manufactured out of ganister rock, a locally- occurring sandstone with high silicon dioxide content. The ganister at this plant was pulverized into a powder and mixed with asbestos and other bonding agents until the 1970s, when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) began regulating the use of asbestos in products.

Hazards of Asbestos in NARCO Facilities

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral with certain unique properties that make it ideal for use in refractories. The mineral is fire-retardant, resistant to chemicals and extremely durable, as well as inexpensive. Unfortunately, as asbestos breaks down, it releases microscopic fibers into the air. If inhaled by workers or others nearby, these fibers can become embedded in lung tissue and result in the development of serious asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma cancer and asbestosis, a chronic lung disease. Exposure to asbestos in the workplace has been conclusively linked to asbestosis, certain types of stomach and lung cancers, and malignant mesothelioma.

Individuals who worked around NARCO products in the 1960s and 1970s may develop serious asbestos-related diseases. Symptoms of the disease can take 20 to 50 years to appear after exposure has occurred. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or any other asbestos-related disease as a result of either working for NARCO or working around or with any NARCO products, you may wish to speak with a Patient Advocate to learn about your treatment options. By calling (800) 615-2270 or filling out this form, a Patient Advocate may assist you in locating compensation from the North American Refractories Company Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust.