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Amatex Corporation is a Pennsylvania-based textile manufacturer that began in the 1950s as the American Asbestos Textile Corp. Like so many other textile manufacturers that focused on producing fireproof products before the 1980s, Amatex used asbestos extensively.
Written by Daniel King | Scientifically Reviewed By Sean Fitzgerald, PG | Edited By Walter Pacheco | Last Update: July 23, 2024
In 1950, Amatex began manufacturing asbestos cloth, yarn, lap, thread and cord. By the early 1960s, the company expanded its product line and began manufacturing asbestos wick, rope and tubing.
In 1962, Amatex purchased an asbestos plant in Meredith, New Hampshire, from the Keasbey & Mattison Company. It continued manufacturing asbestos products there through 1982.
Asbestos materials were used because they added strength and heat resistance to textiles. They were also affordable and easily incorporated into different types of textile products.
The company stopped using asbestos in the early 1980s, but knew long before then it was hazardous. As a result, Amatex was one of many asbestos-manufacturing companies of the 20th century to face asbestos litigation.
It was one of the first asbestos manufacturers to file for bankruptcy protection and establish a trust fund to handle future asbestos claims.
Amatex emerged from bankruptcy protection in 1990 and continues its operations today in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Mexico.
While the company still manufactures and distributes heat-resistant materials, its products have been asbestos-free since the early 1980s. Instead of asbestos, Amatex uses fiberglass and silica fibers in its textiles.
In December 2020, Davlyn Group, a technical textile company, acquired Amatex along with Norfab into its family of manufacturers creating technical textile yarns, broad woven fabrics, and woven narrow products.
By 1982, Amatex faced more than 9,000 claims from former employees and users of their products. Legal liabilities forced Amatex to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Nov. 1, 1982, and the court ordered it to create a Creditors’ Committee of Asbestos Litigants to handle formerly filed asbestos claims.
Amatex’s bankruptcy plan established a trust fund that has been known by various names, including the Amatex Asbestos Disease Trust Fund, Amatex Settlement Trust and Amatex Asbestos Trust.
The trust fund was established in 1990 with $16 million to handle future asbestos claims. During its first 10 years, the fund paid more than $11 million to asbestos claimants.
Garden City Group handled the trust until June 2018 when it was acquired by Epiq, a legal services provider.
Gain access to trust funds, grants and other forms of compensation for you or your loved ones.
Get Help NowAmatex was facing 9,843 asbestos lawsuits before it filed for bankruptcy protection. Many of these claims were filed by former Amatex employees and workers who used Amatex products who had developed asbestosis, mesothelioma or lung cancer.
Ernest Cleveland worked in a naval shipyard in the 1970s, using asbestos products from multiple manufacturers, including Amatex. In 1980, Cleveland was diagnosed with asbestosis. He filed a lawsuit in July 1982 against Amatex and Celotex.
Amatex settled with Cleveland before the case went to court. At trial, Cleveland was awarded $1.5 million from Celotex, a company known for manufacturing asbestos insulation products.
Amatex’s heat-resistant products contained high concentrations of asbestos. Carded asbestos fiber contained 100% chrysotile asbestos. Safecote contained 80% chrysotile asbestos, and the others contained 95% to 97% chrysotile asbestos.
The company’s products were used by a variety of industries and occupations, including construction, shipbuilding, pipefitting and heating and air conditioning.
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King, D. (2024, July 23). Amatex Corporation. Asbestos.com. Retrieved October 15, 2024, from https://www.asbestos.com/companies/amatex-corporation/
King, Daniel. "Amatex Corporation." Asbestos.com, 23 Jul 2024, https://www.asbestos.com/companies/amatex-corporation/.
King, Daniel. "Amatex Corporation." Asbestos.com. Last modified July 23, 2024. https://www.asbestos.com/companies/amatex-corporation/.
An occupational scientist or another expert who specializes in occupational hazards reviewed the content on this page to ensure it meets current scientific standards and accuracy.
Please read our editorial guidelines to learn more about our content creation and review process.
Sean Fitzgerald, PG, is a research geologist specializing in asbestos environmental studies.
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