Asbestos Exposure at Resinoid Engineering Corporation: A Guide for Workers, Families, and Former Employees

[NOTE: This is an Illinois facility. Missouri residents who worked at this facility or were exposed through take-home contact may have claims under Missouri law. Consult a mesothelioma lawyer in Missouri to evaluate your options.]

URGENT: Missouri’s Five-Year Filing Deadline May Already Be Running

If you were diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis, Missouri law gives you five years from the date of diagnosis to file a personal injury claim under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120. That clock starts the day you receive your diagnosis—not the day you first felt symptoms, and not the day your doctor mentioned asbestos.

If you have any exposure history at Resinoid Engineering or any other industrial facility, do not wait to get a legal evaluation.

Call today to speak with an asbestos attorney in Missouri who handles mesothelioma cases.

You Just Got a Diagnosis. Here Is What You Need to Know.

Mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer are not bad luck. They are the direct result of breathing asbestos fibers—fibers that industrial manufacturers knew were deadly decades before regulators required any warnings or controls.

If you worked at Resinoid Engineering Corporation, or if a family member brought home work clothing from that facility, you may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials that caused your disease. Workers at facilities like this one reportedly encountered asbestos-containing materials not only in the products they manufactured but in the pipes, boilers, flooring, and ceiling materials surrounding them every shift.

You may have legal claims worth pursuing—against manufacturers of asbestos-containing materials, against asbestos trust funds established in bankruptcy, or both. An experienced asbestos cancer lawyer in Missouri can evaluate your work history and tell you exactly what your options are.

What Resinoid Engineering Made and Where It Operated

Resinoid Engineering Corporation operated manufacturing facilities in the Chicago metropolitan area—reportedly in Skokie and Broadview, Illinois. The company allegedly produced:

Friction materials, including brake linings, clutch facings, and industrial friction pads
Electrical insulation components
Specialty molded products from synthetic resins and phenolic compounds

The company operated from roughly the 1940s through the 1980s—precisely the decades when asbestos-containing materials dominated American industrial manufacturing and federal regulatory oversight was either absent or unenforced. The industrial corridor shared by Missouri and Illinois was a significant hub for this type of manufacturing, and workers moved across that corridor routinely.

Why Companies Used Asbestos-Containing Materials

For manufacturers of friction materials and electrical components, asbestos-containing materials were the dominant industry choice because of specific physical properties that no other affordable material could match:

Stable at temperatures exceeding 1,000°F
Stronger than steel by weight
Resistant to most acids and alkaline chemicals
Non-conductive of electricity
High friction coefficients ideally suited to brake and clutch applications

What the industry knew—and did not disclose to workers—is that those same fibers, once airborne and inhaled, cause irreversible and fatal lung disease. Internal documents produced in asbestos litigation have established that major manufacturers understood this hazard by the 1940s and continued selling asbestos-containing materials without adequate warnings for decades. Workers at facilities in Missouri, Illinois, and across the country received no respirators, no hazard warnings, and no medical monitoring.

Two Categories of Potential Asbestos Exposure at Resinoid Engineering

Workers may have encountered asbestos-containing materials in two distinct settings:

Manufacturing Operations

Friction material formulations reportedly incorporating asbestos fiber as a reinforcing component
Molded components allegedly containing asbestos reinforcement
Mixing, pressing, grinding, and finishing processes that may have released airborne fibers in significant concentrations
Raw material handling in areas with no ventilation controls

Building Infrastructure

Industrial facilities of this era were built and maintained with asbestos-containing materials throughout their physical structures:

Pipe insulation on steam lines, hot water systems, and process piping—potentially from manufacturers including Johns-Manville, Owens-Corning, Celotex, and Armstrong World Industries
Boiler and furnace linings
Valve packing and gaskets
Vinyl asbestos floor tiles
Ceiling tiles and spray-applied fireproofing
Electrical panel linings, arc chutes, and switchgear components

Asbestos Exposure Across the Decades: What Workers Faced

1940s–1960s: Uncontrolled Exposure

Asbestos-containing materials were reportedly used throughout the facility during this period with no industrial hygiene controls in place. Workers handling friction material components may have encountered:

Chrysotile (white) asbestos as reinforcing fiber in brake linings and clutch facings
Amosite (brown) asbestos in certain high-temperature formulations
Crocidolite (blue) asbestos in specialized applications

Workers mixing, pressing, grinding, and finishing these components allegedly breathed high concentrations of airborne asbestos fibers with no respiratory protection, no engineering controls, and no hazard communication.

1970s–1980s: Regulation Arrives, Exposure Continues

Federal regulation came incrementally and incompletely:

1971: OSHA established its first permissible exposure limit for asbestos
1973: EPA began restricting specific asbestos applications under the Clean Air Act
1976: OSHA tightened the permissible exposure limit

Despite these regulatory steps, asbestos-containing materials allegedly remained in use at many industrial facilities through the 1980s. Maintenance workers and outside contractors who disturbed legacy insulation during repairs and renovations may have generated significant renewed fiber release throughout this period.

1980s and Beyond: In-Place Materials Create Ongoing Risk

Even after new installation of asbestos-containing materials stopped, material already in place remained. Maintenance workers, trade contractors, and facility workers disturbing in-place insulation, flooring, or ceiling materials during alterations or repairs may have been exposed years or decades after the facility’s peak production.

Who May Have Been Exposed

Asbestos exposure at Resinoid Engineering was not limited to production line workers. Nearly every job category on the property carried potential exposure.

Production and Manufacturing Workers

Workers directly involved in making friction materials and molded phenolic components may have been exposed through:

Handling asbestos-containing raw materials during mixing operations
Airborne fiber release during blending, pressing, and curing
Dust generated during grinding, finishing, and machining of asbestos-containing parts
Working in areas where no ventilation controls existed

Insulators and Trade Workers

Heat and Frost Insulators—including those affiliated with Local 1 in Missouri—historically show among the highest rates of asbestos-related disease of any trade group. Insulators at this facility may have:

Installed thermal insulation on steam pipes, boilers, ovens, and furnaces
Maintained existing asbestos-containing pipe insulation from manufacturers allegedly including Johns-Manville, Celotex, and Eagle-Picher
Cut and fit asbestos pipe covering, a task documented to release high fiber concentrations
Worked in confined spaces where airborne fiber accumulated without dissipation

Pipefitters and Steamfitters

Pipefitters and steamfitters—including those from UA Local 562 in Missouri—working on steam and utility systems may have been exposed through:

Routine maintenance of asbestos-containing pipe insulation from manufacturers allegedly including Johns-Manville and Owens-Corning
Removal and replacement of asbestos-containing gaskets and valve packing
Cutting through insulated pipe systems
Repacking valves with asbestos-containing materials

Boilermakers

Boilermakers—including those from Boilermakers Local 27 in Missouri—maintaining and repairing industrial boilers may have encountered:

Asbestos-containing refractory materials inside boiler chambers
Asbestos-containing insulation on boiler exteriors and steam lines
Asbestos-containing gaskets on boiler doors and pressure vessels
Confined, poorly ventilated conditions that may have concentrated airborne fiber exposure

Electricians

Electricians in this industrial setting may have encountered:

Asbestos-containing arc chutes and switchgear liners
Asbestos-containing insulation on wiring, cables, and panel backings
Bystander exposure while working in areas where other trades disturbed asbestos-containing materials overhead or nearby

Maintenance and Janitorial Workers

Maintenance and custodial workers are often overlooked in asbestos cases. They may have been exposed through:

Dry sweeping that re-suspended settled asbestos dust
Disturbance of asbestos-containing flooring and ceiling tiles during routine maintenance
Handling asbestos-containing gaskets and mechanical components without protective equipment

Millwrights and Machinists

Shop workers and machinery maintenance personnel may have:

Installed and repaired equipment with asbestos-containing gaskets and packing
Replaced worn friction components containing asbestos-containing materials
Worked on machinery allegedly insulated with products from Johns-Manville and Armstrong World Industries

Outside Contractors

Renovation contractors, HVAC workers, and specialized tradespeople performing work inside this facility may have been exposed to legacy asbestos-containing materials in the building’s infrastructure—often with no warning that hazardous materials were present and no protective equipment provided by the facility.

Family Members: Take-Home Exposure

Asbestos did not stay at the worksite. Family members of Resinoid Engineering workers may have been exposed through:

Laundering contaminated work clothing
Physical contact with workers who carried fibers home on clothing, hair, and skin
Children playing near work garments or vehicles used to transport work clothes

Take-home asbestos exposure has caused mesothelioma in spouses and children who never set foot inside an industrial facility. This is a well-documented exposure pathway with established legal claims.

Asbestos-Containing Materials Allegedly Present at Resinoid Engineering

Based on the facility’s manufacturing operations and the documented industrial product landscape of the era, former workers and their attorneys have alleged exposure to the following categories of asbestos-containing materials:

Raw Materials and Manufacturing Inputs

Chrysotile (white) asbestos fiber—reportedly used as reinforcing component in friction material formulations
Amosite (brown) asbestos fiber—may have been incorporated in high-temperature product formulations
Asbestos-containing compound and premix formulations—raw materials used in molding and pressing operations

Thermal Insulation Products

Asbestos-containing pipe covering and block insulation allegedly from manufacturers including:

Johns-Manville (Kaylo and Thermobestos product lines)
Owens-Corning
Celotex
Armstrong World Industries
Eagle-Picher

Also allegedly present:

Asbestos-containing insulating cement for sealing and patching pipe systems
Asbestos blanket and woven insulation on boilers, process vessels, and equipment

Friction Materials

Asbestos-containing brake linings and clutch facings used in or manufactured at the facility
Asbestos-containing industrial friction pads used in manufacturing machinery

Gaskets and Packing

Asbestos-containing sheet gaskets on flanged pipe connections, equipment, and valves—potentially including products from Garlock Sealing Technologies
Asbestos rope and woven packing used in valve stems and pump shafts

Electrical Insulation Materials

Asbestos-containing arc chutes and switchgear linings
Asbestos-containing wire and cable insulation
Asbestos-containing panel backings and electrical panel liners

Building Materials

Vinyl asbestos floor tiles and sheet flooring
Ceiling tiles potentially containing asbestos-containing materials
Spray-applied and troweled asbestos-containing fireproofing—potentially including Monokote or Aircell brand products
Asbestos-containing joint compounds and spackling materials—potentially including Gold Bond or Sheetrock brand products with asbestos fillers

Diseases Caused by Asbestos Exposure

Asbestos-related diseases typically develop 20 to 50 years after initial exposure—which is why

Litigation Landscape

Workers at phenolic resin and plastics manufacturing facilities like Resinoid Engineering Corporation faced exposure to asbestos in insulation materials, gaskets, brake linings, and thermal protective equipment used throughout production and maintenance operations. Litigation arising from these facilities has identified several major asbestos product manufacturers as defendants, including Johns-Manville, Owens-Illinois, Combustion Engineering, W.R. Grace, Garlock, Armstrong, Eagle-Picher, and Babcock & Wilcox. These companies supplied asbestos-containing products—thermal insulation, pipe wrapping, electrical components, and machinery seals—that were routinely present in industrial manufacturing environments during the mid-to-late twentieth century.

Claims from workers at this facility type have been documented in publicly filed litigation across state and federal courts. Plaintiffs have pursued both direct manufacturer liability and premises liability claims against facility operators, depending on exposure circumstances and product identification.

Several asbestos bankruptcy trust funds remain available to affected workers. The Johns-Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust, Owens-Illinois bankruptcy trust, Combustion Engineering trust, W.R. Grace trusts, Garlock Sealing Technologies trust, Armstrong Building Products trust, Eagle-Picher Industries trust, and Babcock & Wilcox trust have each compensated claims arising from industrial asbestos exposure. Trust claim procedures require detailed exposure documentation and medical records substantiating an asbestos-related disease.

Workers who believe they were exposed to asbestos at Resinoid Engineering Corporation or similar phenolic resin facilities should consult with an experienced Missouri asbestos attorney to evaluate potential claims against manufacturers and explore available compensation through bankruptcy trusts and litigation.