Asbestos Companies and the Corporate Cover-Up

The Asbestos Cover-Up & Made-Up Safety Standards

In 1935, industry representatives from over 50 of the largest companies in the U.S. convened a “Symposium on Dust Problems at the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research.” These meetings set in motion an orchestrated effort to protect the industry and hide the dangers of asbestos and other toxic dust from workers.

This concerted action took the form of industry trade groups with names that gave the impression that their chief goal was to promote safety (e.g. The Industrial Hygiene Foundation and the National Safety Council) or that they were government sanctioned (e.g. American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists). In 1936, the Air Hygiene Foundation was formed by industry for the protection against occupational injury claims, and the organization was renamed the Industrial Hygiene Foundation in 1941.

Without any scientific foundation, the Industrial Hygiene Foundation and other industry-created trade groups created official standards out of thin air. The trade organizations and their members then lobbied governmental organizations to adopt these made-up standards.

Once these standards were adopted by governmental agencies, they were then held up as authoritative in defense of the resulting asbestos claims. The existence of a made-up standard served as proof of safety.

Asbestos Exposure Lawsuits & Manufactured Legal Defenses

As years went on, executives at asbestos manufacturing companies continued to cover up asbestos-related illnesses among their workers. Doctor’s notes, reports and memos detailing the dangers of asbestos were concealed from employees and the public.

Instead of preventing asbestos exposure or providing protective gear to employees, executives quietly offered small amounts of compensation to those dealing with health problems occurring on the job. These payments forced workers to keep quiet about the underlying cause of their illnesses.

Many of the first lawsuits involving asbestos victims were won by the manufacturers, who claimed they also didn’t understand the dangers and risks involved.

As additional evidence, these companies pointed to the “safety” standards they had made up and lobbied the government to adopt. But that only worked for so long.

Asbestos Companies in Bankruptcy

During the 20th century, many asbestos companies couldn’t afford to pay all of the asbestos lawsuits filed against them, leading the company to declare bankruptcy instead. In response to this, however, bankruptcy courts ordered these asbestos manufacturers to establish bankruptcy asbestos trust funds to pay current and future asbestos claims.

Today, more than 100 companies have established their own asbestos bankruptcy trusts. Estimates suggest there’s over $30 billion set aside in these trust funds for asbestos victims and their families.

Don’t see your company on the list? These are only a few of the companies that declared bankruptcy and set aside funds in asbestos trusts. Contact us today to see if you may be able to file an asbestos claim.

List of Bankrupt Asbestos Companies

A few of the asbestos companies that declared bankruptcy and established asbestos trust funds include:

• Armstrong World Industries
• Babcock & Wilcox
• DII Industries
• Federal Mogul Corp.
• Flexitallic
• Johns-Manville Corporation
• National Gypsum
• Owens Corning Fibreboard
• Pittsburgh Corning Corp. (PCC)
• Turner & Newall
• United States Gypsum (USG)
• Western Asbestos Company
• W.R. Grace