Plibrico Company
The Plibrico Company was initially founded in 1914 as the "Pliable Brick Company." The company's visionary founder, W.A.L Schaeffer, realized the need for monolithic refractories that could be molded into place and fired at the work site. His vision eventually led to the development of plastic refractories, a revolutionary product which influenced the future of the industry. In 1924, the company officially changed its name to Plibrico and is now located in Chicago, Illinois.
History of Plibrico Company
Plibrico manufactured pliable fire-brick materials, also known as monolithic refractories, which were used to line high temperature furnaces, incinerators and boilers. Since the furnace linings had to be able to withstand temperatures higher than the industrial materials they processed, asbestos was frequently added to Plibrico products until the 1970s in order to provide further thermal insulation to the materials.
The following products were manufactured by Plibrico from the 1950s until the 1970s:
- Pilseal boiler wall coating
- Pilcast Airlite
- Pilcast LWI-24G
- Pilsulate insulating cement
The company discontinued its Pilsulate line of asbestos-containing insulation products in 1972, just as the company received its first cases of asbestos-related litigation. In 1996, Plibrico became a subsidiary of the French multinational mining conglomerate Imerys.
Eventually, the mounting costs and other burdens of settling with asbestos claimants forced Plibrico to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2002. One of the conditions of the company's reorganization plan for emerging from bankruptcy in 2006 was the formation of the Plibrico Asbestos Trust, which was initially funded with $206 million. As of 2008, the Plibrico Asbestos Trust had paid out over $69 million in asbestos-related claims.
Today, Plibrico is a world leader in the field of monolithic refractories, responsible for just under one-third of the Imerys Group's manufacturing business. Headquartered in Chicago, Plibrico maintains regional sales offices in Nicaragua, the Philippines, Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador. A merger with Lafarge Refractories led to the formation of Calderys Refractory Solutions, a major global supplier of refractory solutions.
Plibrico Company and Asbestos
Until the 1970s, asbestos was often added to Plibrico products due to the mineral's resistance to fire, heat and corrosive chemicals. Unfortunately for Plibrico workers, prolonged exposure to asbestos fibers is extremely hazardous to human health, especially when the mineral is handled in powder form. Microscopic asbestos fibers can lodge in the human lungs, causing asbestosis, malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Asbestos refractories manufactured by Plibrico also created a health hazard for workers who handled the products at other jobsites. Individuals who worked in the following occupations and may have had contact with asbestos-containing Plibrico products include:
- Insulators
- Steamfitters
- Steel and Iron Workers
- Boiler Workers
- Pipe Fitters
- Furnace men, smelter men and pourers
Plibrico Company and Asbestos Litigation
Because Plibrico supplied its asbestos-containing materials to other businesses, it has often been difficult for plaintiffs in asbestos-related lawsuits to substantiate exposure in terms specific enough to satisfy the courts.
Plibrico has been the defendant in a number of mass tort actions concerning its use of asbestos. In 2001, Plibrico was named with a number of other companies in an asbestos suit filed on behalf of the New Jersey Local 475 Steamfitters II union.
In 2001, Plibrico and 49 other product manufacturers were the defendants in a suit filed by Cornelius C. Dykstra, a patient suffering from malignant mesothelioma. The case garnered widespread legal attention because it stated, unequivocally, that the public- and private-interest factors inherent in asbestos litigation made it a subject of national importance.
Resources for Plibrico Workers
Individuals who worked with Plibrico firebrick materials or had contact with those who did may have been exposed to asbestos. Those who were exposed may not experience symptoms of mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases for 20 to 50 years, and by then it is often too late to seek treatment. If you believe you had contact with Plibrico products in the past and wish to speak with someone about the risk of asbestos exposure, please call (800) 615-2270 or fill out the form on this page.
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© 2012 The Mesothelioma Center |
Last Modified Thursday, February 23rd, 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.
