01.石棉使用历史
Uniroyal Holding，Inc。石棉使用历史
Uniroyal Holding, Inc. was founded as the United States Rubber Company in 1892 with an initial focus on creating tires and other synthetic rubber goods. The company was the result of a merger of several separate rubber manufacturers in Naugatuck, Connecticut. Throughout the next few decades, the company grew rapidly with ventures in footwear and theautomotive industry。
这家美国橡胶公司随着发展的发展而开始收购其他业务，以继续扩大其影响力并参与其他市场。它的第一个子公司之一是1922年的Mishawaka Woolen Manufacturing Company。Mishawaka以其球带鞋类而闻名，美国橡胶公司继续制作了几年。该公司在第一次世界大战期间的成功增加了，创造了橡胶燃料电池military仅在Mishawaka工厂雇用10,000多名工人。
1931年，该公司在威斯康星州的欧克莱尔（Eau Claire）购买了吉列安全轮胎公司的大部分，以确保轮胎市场的很大一部分。Uniroyal完全拥有的吉列轮胎公司（Gillette Tire Company）到1940年，并在接下来的几十年中在威斯康星州工厂发展了其业务。到1965年，它是美国第三大轮胎工厂。
U.S. Rubber Company changed its name to Uniroyal in 1964 to help create unity between all of its different product lines.
Around this time, Uniroyal had greatly differentiated its offerings into other markets and began heavily relying on石棉in its goods and production. Through its various subsidiaries, the company produced industrial chemicals, coated fabrics and more. Among its most notable asbestos products werefireproof textilesand Asbeston, a lagging cloth, which were produced between 1941 and 1976. Reports show the company ceased use of asbestos once it stopped producing these goods.
In 1986, Uniroyal merged with B.F. Goodrich to form Uniroyal Goodrich. One year later, Michelin bought out Goodrich’s portion and bought out Uniroyal completely in 1990. Michelin still owns and operates Uniroyal today.
Resources for Mesothelioma Patients
02.石棉产品
Uniroyal Holding, Inc. Asbestos Products
As Uniroyal ventured into new industries, its reliance on asbestos grew and more people risked exposure. One of its most popular products was Asbeston, a lightweight lagging cloth. Asbeston and other lagging cloths are fabrics that can be used to repair or cover insulation. Lagging cloths were used most frequently in ship repair, andshipyardsfrequently bought large quantities.
For example, court records show a single shipyard near普吉特海湾，华盛顿, bought thousands of pounds of Asbeston per year between 1958 and 1960. In 1958, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard first ordered 100 yards of Asbeston as a trial of the product. In 1959, the shipyard ordered 13,391 pounds and another 5,880 pounds of Asbeston were ordered in 1960.
Reports suggest that Uniroyal stopped using asbestos in its products in 1976.
03. Occupational Exposure
Uniroyal Holding, Inc. and Occupational Exposure
Uniroyal’s employee base fluctuated depending on the demand for tires and other products, but the company typically employed tens of thousands of workers at a time within its different factories and industries. As a result,numerous workers该公司的子公司和使用Uniroyal产品的其他公司都面临着石棉风险。
1986年，疾病控制与预防中心研究了有毒暴露对40岁以上不同橡胶植物（包括几种单型植物）的987名工人的影响。这些工厂的数据表明工人经常是exposed to asbestos这超出了职业安全与健康管理局的允许暴露限制，每立方厘米2纤维。该研究指出，植物内的各种石棉产物可能导致暴露，包括管道，绝缘和锅炉以及吸入的石棉碎片。
In screenings of the workers at the time, doctors found 24 who showed signs of asbestos exposure. These workers had斑块on their chest walls or diaphragms, as well as chest-wall-thickening in some cases.
04. Asbestos Litigation
Asbestos Litigation Against Uniroyal Holding, Inc.
As a result of its past asbestos use, Uniroyal has been involved in several environmental lawsuits stemming from its old factories. Mishawaka, Indiana, for instance, sued Uniroyal in 2007 for funds to clean up the old rubber factory that had been closed since 1997. Uniroyal operated the plant since 1922, though transferred the factory to its subsidiary, Uniroyal Plastics, in 1985. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) later investigated the factory, citing toxic wastes like asbestos. As a result, the EPA offered assistance of more than $1.5 million for cleanup of the site. Uniroyal later reached an agreement to contribute $100,000 to the cleanup costs.
In addition to Uniroyal’s environmental impact, the company exposed hundreds of thousands of employees to asbestos. It has been named in numerousmesothelioma and asbestos lawsuits多年来，今天仍然是普通被告。
加里·艾伦（Gary Allen）提出了一个这样的案件lung cancer after asbestos exposurecaused by Uniroyal Holding, Inc. Allen’s father worked as an insulator at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for 25 years. Allen experiencedsecondary exposure, as his father would unknowingly bring home asbestos fibers on his clothing. In the original case, the jury sided with Uniroyal, stating that Allen didn’t present enough evidence of asbestos contamination.
艾伦对这一决定提出上诉。同样，Uniroyal认为艾伦无法证明其产品导致石棉暴露，但他能够在造船厂生产阿斯贝斯顿的收入。陪审团推翻了简易判决，并命令重审，使索赔人有机会获得赔偿。
Uniroyal Holding, Inc. continues to be named in similar lawsuits today.
