ACandS Asbestos Trust: What You Need to Know
The ACandS Asbestos Trust was established to help victims of mesothelioma recover compensation. Ever since the company’s founding in 1958, Armstrong Contracting and Supply Corporation has employed thousands of people who may have come into contact with asbestos and even placed it in hundreds of homes. The company has worked hard to keep employees quiet about the effects of their product for years, until now. Here’s what you need to know. If you or a loved one needs the best mesothelioma lawyer, we can help.
Change in Product – A C & S originally worked to install installation in homes in the early 1900s. They used products made of cork to help keep homes warm and retain heat. Towards the middle of the century, the company switched to a different product composed of a material containing asbestos, this change in a product has cost the company millions of dollars in asbestos-related financial claims.
ACandS Asbestos Trust Established
Still present- Even though the A C & S has filed for bankruptcy in September of 2002, they eventually reorganized in May of 2008. The company is still working to install installation in many homes around the country, but their headquarters resides in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Past and present litigation- After several claims filed against A C & S, the company ended up filing for bankruptcy. In the year 2001 alone, there were more than 50,000 claims against the company. Majority of these claims were from Armstrong Constructing and Supply employees who were exposed to the mineral causing asbestos-related illnesses. During some of these cases, the employees developed mesothelioma and other illnesses. The settlements awarded the claimants millions of dollars for usage of the faulty products. If you believe you may have come into contact with one of these products, speak to a lawyer about filing a compensation claim.
ACandS Asbestos Exposure Products
The large quantity of products- Armstrong Constructing and Supply has created a large number of products that have been circulating with asbestos-containing material since 1985. Many of these products may have been utilized within the construction industry and include cement, installation, boards, paper, gaskets, and tiles. The following products are known to have contained asbestos produced by A C & S, Air Cell Insulation, Armstrong’s Plastic Emulsion, Armstrong’s S. P. Emulsion with asbestos, Asbestos Cement, Asbestos Millboard, Asbestos Paper, Asbestos Rollboard, Bestfelt Pipe and Block Insulation, Hy-Temp Combination Insulation, Hy-Temp Pipe and Block Insulation, Mani-Ply Pipe Insulation, Vinyl Asbestos Tile, 85% Magnesia Cement, and 85% Magnesia Pipe and Block Insulation. If you or a loved one has worked with or have been in an area with these products, speak to a lawyer immediately.
Take action immediately- As A C & S has affected thousands of individuals, it is crucial that they are held accountable for their wrongdoings. A diagnosis of an asbestos-related illness can take a major toll financially, emotionally, and physically. Speaking to a lawyer about compensation claims can aid in the fight against asbestos oriented companies. With your help, compensation is possible. Using documented files of illnesses, and employment history should be presented to a lawyer to make the best case for yourself and your family! Speak with a lawyer today!
AC & S, Inc.
AC&S produced asbestos-containing products that endangered the lives of people found on construction sites, shipyards and factories from 1957 to 1974. Their services included contracting for insulation and the manufacturing of building products. The company initially utilized cork but shifted towards asbestos usage for their insulations – costing the company millions in claims for asbestos.
AC & S History
The Pennsylvania-based company was initially a subsidiary of Armstrong Cork Company which launched in the 1920s. Originally the company’s primary business included the installation of cork insulation in cold storage facilities. Their progression into becoming a national company was in part of purchasing several local independent insulation companies by the 1930s.
The decline of Armstrong’s profits during the 1940s and 1950s led to the decision of a spin-out (a division’s separation into a new independent corporation) into two companies. Thus, the formation of Armstrong Contracting and Supply Corporation in 1958. However, in the late 1960s, the company continued to focalize on realignment and made the decision to detached from companies that deemed no longer fit for the Armstrong culture. Nonetheless, the company wanted to avoid individuals from leaving the company on bad terms during this process. Employees were given the option to purchase and rename the business – to which they accepted, forming the ACandS, Inc. (aka AC&S). Despite the buyout, AC&S continued with its thermal and mechanical insulation business.
Products Contained with Asbestos
AC&S was known for selling boards, cement, gaskets, insulations, paper, pipe coverings, and tiles. However, many of such products manufactured and distributed between 1957 and 1974 AC&S were known to have contained asbestos – a fiber that was extensively used throughout the construction industry.
Asbestos was originally a favored material due to its natural heat-resistant qualities. However, the carcinogen is now known to cause asbestosis, lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other serious diseases when wrongly handled.
Insulation and asbestos-containing construction products manufactured by AC&S include:
- Air Cell Insulation
- Armabestos
- Armstrong’s Limpet Spray
- Armstrong’s Plastic Emulsion
- Armstrong’s S. P. Emulsion with asbestos
- Asbestos Cement
- Asbestos Millboard
- Asbestos Paper
- Asbestos Rollboard
- Bestfelt Pipe and Block Insulation
- Hy-Temp Combination Insulation
- Hy-Temp Pipe and Block Insulation
- LK Pipe Covering and Block
- Mani-Ply Pipe Insulation
- Vinyl Asbestos Tile
- 85% Magnesia Cement
- 85% Magnesia Pipe and Block Insulation
The company also sold four brands of gaskets which contained asbestos:
- Accobest AN-B012
- Accobest AS-474
- Accobest AS-8073
- Accopac
Occupations Exposed to Asbestos
After gaining knowledge of the harmful risks asbestos poses to human health, AC&S took two large actions to cut out the harmful carcinogen from their business. Firstly, on January 1, 1974, the company had adopted a policy which banned the furnishing and/or installing of friable asbestos-containing products. Then in the 1980s, the company carried out an asbestos abatement and other environmental remediation work.
Although this seemed like appropriate actions from the company, the company did not entirely follow through with its policy. In fact, a bankruptcy statement from A C & S, Inc. revealed that the company continued to use some friable materials on certain projects for another decade. Additionally, until 1895, the company continued to use non-friable materials.
Unfortunately, continued asbestos negligence placed many working individuals at risk of exposure, including:
- AC&S factory employees
- Pipefitters
- Sheet metal workers
- Ship fitters
- Shipyard workers
Customers who bought items from AC&S were also at risk of inhaling asbestos. Although these particles may have been tiny, they can remain in their systems for many years or, in some cases, decades.
Litigations Against AC&S and Bankruptcy
Insulation and cement production required immense amounts of asbestos. With a lack of preventative measures throughout such intense exposure, it was no surprise to the company to expected former employees to develop life-threatening illnesses. Between 1981 and 2002 nearly 250,000 workers had filed personal injury lawsuits against the company. This prompted AC&S, Inc. to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as they could no longer bear the weight of such litigations.
The initial reorganization plan of the company was rejected, as the ongoing or long-term costs of such claims were deemed inadequately considered. But by 2007, the company’s second reorganization attempt, the AC&S Chapter 11 Joint Plan of Reorganization, was approved.
ACandS Asbestos Trust
As part of the reorganization, the company established the ACandS Asbestos Settlement Trust which held $400 million. The purpose of this trust was to handle existing and future personal injury claims against the company.
Almost 1,500 sites where potential exposure to AC&S products containing asbestos have been identified throughout the country – including factories, hospitals, multi-tenant residences, naval shipyards, office buildings, power plants, refineries, restaurants, and schools.
ACandS continues to operate in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Although the company completely ceased asbestos-use in their products, their effects of exposing employees, workers in the construction and shipbuilding industries, and customers to deadly fibers for nearly two decades are irreversible. If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer after working with ACandS, or after being exposed to products at any of the locations listed above prior to December 31, 1982, contact a skilled attorney from Goldberg, Persky & White for help with filing a mesothelioma claim. We will help you determine your eligibility and work with you to receive the compensation you deserve. We also are able to help those seeking help with the Owens corning asbestos trust. Find out more at GPWLaw MI!
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