Mergenthaler
Mergenthaler Linotype Company originated in Brooklyn, New York, in 1890 and manufactured the world's first hot metal typesetting machine. The company bought out many of its competitors, including National Typographic Company, and expanded to a factory in Baltimore, Maryland, where it operated until cold type presses eventually replaced the heat-based Linotype. Mergenthaler, long regarded as the world's leading producer of typesetting equipment, was sold in 1997 to the German printing company Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG.
Launched to produce and sell the cutting-edge Linotype machine, Mergenthaler Linotype Company was selling nearly 700 machines each year by 1894. The machine, which eliminated the need for manual typesetting, was purchased primarily by book companies and newspapers. Among them were the New YorkTribune and the Lord Baltimore Press. To accommodate rapidly increasing demand for the machine, the company expanded to include international manufacturing plants in London, England, and Berlin, Germany. By 1954, more than 100,000 asbestos-containing Linotypes had been sold.
Only recently has the asbestos in Mergenthaler's Linotypes come to light in several asbestos lawsuits filed against the company. Mergenthaler is one of a number of companies that has had to defend itself against asbestos related claims. To learn more about these kinds of claims and other companies that have exposed workers to asbestos, get the Mesothelioma Center's free informational packet. The packet is full of details about blue-collar jobs with an increased risk of exposure. Fill out this form to get a free copy of the packet.
Mergenthaler and Asbestos
Mergenthaler's Linotype machines were operated by a typist using a keyboard, and the machine itself selected the character molds, imprinted letters onto paper and returned the molds to their storage area. Because the complex machine utilized metal parts and generated a great deal of heat, insulating the parts was a major focus of the machine's makers.
Asbestos was often placed between these parts to reduce the risk of overheating and fire. However, employees who worked at a Mergenthaler manufacturing facility or any publishing house that used Mergenthaler equipment may now be facing asbestos-related diseases from their exposure. To learn more about these diseases, including asbestosis and mesothelioma, please fill out the form on this page.
A paste made of ground asbestos and water was typically packed between the metal parts of Mergenthaler's Linotypes. The wet asbestos was often stuffed between the elevator jaws and the crucible heaters, as well as in empty spaces between other mechanical parts. When pieces of the Linotype were removed or replaced, new asbestos was tapped into the empty spaces to freshen the insulation.
The Linotype also contained a hot pot filled with molten lead, which was jacketed with hardened asbestos cement to prevent the press from catching fire. Mergenthaler manufacturers and repairmen were exposed to asbestos when they applied the jacketing or chipped away and replaced the cover. This asbestos was easily inhaled when the asbestos cement was broken, and repairmen workers may have been exposed to asbestos.
Asbestos threats posed by Linotype machines were not limited to Mergenthaler employees. Workers who operated or maintained the Linotypes at publishing facilities often came in contact with asbestos. One former worker at a publishing company recalls skimming debris from the top of melted metal that was removed from a recycling pool, while wearing aprons and gloves made from asbestos.
Resources for Mergenthaler Employees
Mergenthaler employees who assembled machines at the facility or repairmen who chipped away and reapplied the asbestos cement may now be facing serious health risks. Inhaling asbestos raises a person's risk of developing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related disease. For more information about the health risks of asbestos, order for free one of three books from The Mesothelioma Center.
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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.
