01.石棉使用历史
美国白棉石棉使用历史
Miah Marcus和Frank Bernstein于1908年在1908年创立了American Biltrite新泽西州特伦顿。They first called their business the Ewell Rubber Company. The company began in the shoemaking and rebuilding industry, and within two years, the business was steady enough to warrant opening a second manufacturing plant in Stoughton,Massachusetts。创始人致电第二个位置豹橡胶制造公司，随后很快在1913年开设了加拿大分支Chelsea, Massachusetts制造设施于1917年开业。
The new Chelsea location enabled Ewell Rubber Company to switch its Trenton facility from manufacturing shoe materials to pursuing a joint venture with Courtaulds, a fabric, fiber and chemical manufacturer. The two companies began producing Amtico rubber flooring. This change in direction also sparked a name change to American Tile and Rubber Company.
The company’s booming shoe and flooring branches allowed it to successfully navigate the difficult war years and the Great Depression. In fact, American Tile and Rubber Company was involved in the efforts for World War II by manufacturing shoe soles, heels and raincoats for the美国海军和美国海军陆战队。
After the war, the company rebranded to American Biltrite Rubber Company in 1951 and then became a publicly-traded company in 1959. The 1960s brought a business slump that the company remedied through acquisitions.
1961年，American Biltrite收购了Bonafide Mills，Inc。，该公司开始参与制造业含石棉的产品。Bonafide Mills, Inc. was a乙烯基囊菌沥青覆盖了Amtico橡胶地板的生产加倍的制造商。除了制造含石棉的地板在其特伦顿植物上，美国双晶石公司在其魁北克植物的Sherbrooke生产了致癌材料。
在这段时间里，美国双线体生产Amtico橡胶地板，固体乙烯基和石棉地板generated around one-third of the company’s profits. The company continued to acquire other businesses throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including multiple carpet companies and Cat’s Paw Rubber Company.
American Biltrite used asbestos in its products from 1961 through 1985.
In 1982, the original founding families decided to split American Biltrite into two separate entities. The Bernstein family took control over the shoemaking portion of the business, renaming it Biltrite Corporation. The Marcus family owned the asbestos floor covering and tape products side of the business, as well as the Canadian arm. They called their portion of the business American Biltrite, Inc.
American Biltrite，Inc。取得了成功，四年内收入翻了一番。收购的趋势一直持续到1980年代和1990年代，最终达到了购买的44％Congoleum Corporation，另一个石棉地板的制造商。直到2012年，American Biltrite一直是该公司的部分所有者，当时Gongoum成为一家独立的私人公司。
American Biltrite ended its石棉1985年使用。今天，该公司重点关注产品的环境测试，以确保合规性和安全性。
但是，美国双核公司和联合公司（American Biltrite，Inc。）和康堡公司（Congoum Corporation）在过去的石棉使用中提到了许多诉讼。成千上万的员工和消费者发展石棉相关疾病从使用公司的产品。石棉受害者继续对公司提出索赔，并接受compensation。
02.石棉产品
American Biltrite Asbestos Products
1961年，美国双石开始在其制造过程中增加石棉，以矿物质来提高产品耐用性，强度和对热量和火灾的抵抗力。
1961年至1985年之间，美国双钛矿生产的所有产品都可能包含或被石棉纤维污染。
| 产品名称 | Start Year | 结束年 |
|---|---|---|
| 乙烯基石棉地板砖 | 1961 | 1985 |
| 沥青瓷砖 | 1961 | 1970 |
| Sheet vinyl flooring with asbestos felt backing | 1962/1974 | 1968/1980 |
03. Occupational Exposure
美国双性恋和职业曝光
American Biltrite used asbestos within its products from 1961 through 1985. Any employees of the company between those years may have experiencedoccupational asbestos exposure。
那些面临石棉风险的风险包括安装和去除含石棉的产品的工人。当瓷砖被干扰或破碎时，石棉颗粒会易碎并可能被吸入，从而导致疾病。移除自己的瓷砖的房主也可能会暴露于有害矿物质上。
04. Asbestos Litigation
针对美国双性恋的石棉诉讼
American Biltrite has been named in thousands of石棉诉讼由于公司使用添加剂已有二十年了。与许多其他不同石棉公司，American Biltrite能够用自己的资金来补偿成功的被告。
By 2012, American Biltrite was a named defendant in 1,338 pending cases, which involved more than 1,800 plaintiffs. At the time, the company estimated that it would spend between $17.7 million and $62 million on asbestos-related litigation and定居点。
In a 2014 case, John Colasanti filed against American Biltrite and six other asbestos companies. The defendants were found responsible for the plaintiff’s asbestos-related disease, and the Onondaga County court determined the companies were liable for 25 percent of the damages. The other portion of fault was found against the plaintiff because he was a lifelong heavy smoker.抽烟已发现增加石棉暴露的影响。
American Biltrite的责任占Colasanti $ 400,000奖励的3.57％，相当于15,000美元。
Goncoleum Corporation是过去的美国双性恋子公司，也在许多石棉诉讼中被命名。但是，诉讼的成本和由此产生的和解的费用对于康尔果果公司来说太多了，该公司在1993年被迫申请破产。它最终形成了石棉信托基金to pay victims, which is still active and accepting claims.
根据最新的财务文件，American Biltrite估计该文件在2018年年底欠了近600万美元的石棉诉讼解决方案。此外，American Biltrite估计将欠3330万美元用于未来诉讼的定居点。该公司继续以石棉索赔命名。
