01. History of Asbestos Use
石棉使用的Fisher科学史
切斯特·费舍尔（Chester Fisher）是一名20岁的工程毕业生，当时他创立了科学材料公司宾夕法尼亚州匹兹堡in 1902. Fisher’s company was the first of its kind to offer equipment and testing agents to laboratories in the Pittsburgh area.
The company’s first products consisted of laboratory measurement tools, such as microscopes, pipettes and balances. After a period of growth, Fisher renamed his company Fisher Scientific Company in 1925.
As the company continued to grow and acquire other businesses, Fisher Scientific began manufacturing and selling chemicals in 1940. The company would go on to supply chemicals used in the Manhattan Project, the United States’ plan to create the world’s first atomic bomb.
Throughout the mid-20th century, Fisher Scientific incorporated asbestos into many of its laboratory products.Asbestos fiberswere utilized in laboratory equipment as an insulator to protect individuals from burns and chemical exposure.
Fisher Scientific manufactured its ownasbestos-containing products并出售其他石棉公司生产的产品。
该公司生产和出售了石棉的石棉，燃烧器垫，炉灶，烤箱和其他用石棉隔热的实验室产品。
Schools, hospitals and commercial businesses used Fisher Scientific’s asbestos-containing equipment. This led to workers in a number of fields experiencing exposure to the company’s asbestos products.
In the 1970s, the首先是石棉法规通过了，公众开始了解石棉的健康风险。根据Fisher Scientific Internal Memos的说法，该公司认为，一旦公众知道，含石棉的产品将不再是销售石棉暴露had serious health implications.
At that time, Fisher Scientific made the decision to phase out its asbestos products.
In 1979, the company replaced asbestos parts with other components because of “adverse publicity, government regulations, legal ramifications and potential lawsuits.”
尽管结束了1980年的石棉使用，Fisher Scientific将面临许多asbestos lawsuits。前员工在制造过程中暴露于制造过程中，该公司石棉产品的消费者在开发石棉疾病后针对费舍尔科学提出了索赔。该公司继续面临新的主张。
Fisher Scientific was purchased by Allied Corporation in 1981 and was owned by the company until 1991. The company then reemerged as a public entity under the name Fisher Scientific International, Inc.
2006年，Fisher Scientific与Thermo Electron Corporation合并。这家名为Thermo Fisher Scientific的新公司继续在Fisher Scientific品牌下生产产品。
Resources for Mesothelioma Patients
02. Asbestos Products
Fisher Scientific Asbestos Products
Asbestos was commonly found in Fisher Scientific products and laboratory equipment. The mineral was added to laboratory and scientific equipment as a barrier against high heat and chemicals.
Internal memos from Fisher Scientific dated as early as 1971 discuss the石棉和癌症之间的联系。However, the company continued to sell asbestos-containing products until 1980.
Instead of labeling its products as hazardous, Fisher Scientific’s catalogs stated its asbestos gloves and other products “met OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] requirements.” This label would appear on asbestos-containing products in the catalog until 1979.
法院后来向该公司询问了目录中使用的措辞，因为OSHA石棉标准规定了工作场所程序，而不是销售石棉产品。Fisher Scientific被指控误导客户，其产品是安全的。
尽管费舍尔科学的石棉产品回答e discontinued in 1980, these products may have been used in laboratories andschools多年后。没有记录说Fisher Scientific的产品被标记为危险或含有石棉。
Specific products made by Fisher Scientific that contained asbestos include, but are not limited to:
- 石棉板
- 石棉板垫
- Asbestos cement
- Asbestos cement wood
- 石棉夹
- 石棉布
- Asbestos cord
- 石棉乌木木
- 石棉手指婴儿床
- Asbestos gloves
- Asbestos mittens
- 电加热器（石棉电源线）
- 电烤箱（空气电池石棉绝缘）
- Fume hoods
- Incubator oven (asbestos-lined heating chamber)
- Laboratory oven (air cell asbestos insulation)
- Mineral and rock collection
- 石棉纸卷
03. Occupational Exposure
费舍尔科学和职业曝光
Exposure to Fisher Scientific’s asbestos-containing products may have occurred in a number of laboratory environments. Fisher Scientific sold its products to government and healthcare institutions. The company also had an education division, which designed products for school classrooms.
许多workers were at risk of exposurefrom Fisher Scientific products. Individuals working in a laboratory environment could have been exposed to asbestos when using asbestos gloves, fume hoods and asbestos heating pads, among other products.
在制造过程中，Fisher Scientific的员工也暴露于石棉。根据记录，该公司监视了其空降石棉水平。记录显示，至少有两次从宾夕法尼亚州的一家工厂派遣员工到匹兹堡诊断诊所进行呼吸X射线诊所，这是由于潜在的暴露而导致的。
The company continued to manufacture asbestos products until 1979.
04. Asbestos Litigation
Asbestos Litigation Against Fisher Scientific
Fisher Scientific has been named in a number ofasbestos lawsuits由接触其含石棉的产品的个人。该公司继续面临客户和前费舍尔科学雇员的诉讼，在工作中接触石棉。
In one case from 2008, the family of Alphonse Tripoli, a former Fisher Scientific employee, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company. Tripoli passed away in January of 2006 after being被诊断为间皮瘤万博专业版。
Koppers Co., Inc. and Dravo Corporation were also named as defendants in the lawsuit. Beginning in 1968, Tripoli worked onjobsites由有含石棉产品的三家公司管理。
Tripoli’s wife and son were awarded $7 million in total damages from all three defendants. Koppers Co., Inc. was found liable for 40% of the damages, while Dravo Corporation and Fisher Scientific were each responsible for 10%. Koppers Holdings Inc. was found most liable because the company knew about the existence of asbestos in its building as early as 1918.
另一名前费舍尔科学员工乔治·巴罗尼（George Baroni）去世了pleural mesotheliomain 2005 as a result of occupational asbestos exposure. Baroni worked for Fisher Scientific from 1959 to 1994. His family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company in 2006.
Fisher Scientific was one of five companies cited as responsible for Baroni’s asbestos exposure. Three of the companies settled with Baroni’s family out of court, including:
- F.B.赖特公司
- 乔治V.汉密尔顿公司
- Pittsburgh Gage & Supply Co.
阿勒格尼县的第五家公司Taylored Industries，Inc。尚未解决。
The Baroni family was awarded $226,000 in the case against Fisher Scientific, which included wrongful death and loss of consortium damages.
Fisher Scientific does not currently have an asbestos trust fund, but uses its own funds to pay out asbestos-related settlements and claims. The company continues to face new asbestos andmesothelioma claims。
