Varcum
You may be entitled to receive compensation. Mesothelioma and lung cancer victims & their families have been awarded over $1 million+ from easy access to funds. Call us today to apply.
Over the past 20 years, we've helped 1,000s of families claim the compensation they deserve with no upfront costs to them.
The Varcum Chemical Company was founded by George Lewis in 1932. Lewis was a former executive of the Carborundum Company. The Varcum plant is located on Packard Road in Niagara Falls, New York. It produces raw phenolic resins used in the manufacturing of phenolic plastic. In 1959, Varcum joined Reichold Chemicals. In 1986, BTL Industries acquired Varcum and in 1989, the company was acquired by Durez. The Durez plant in North Tonawanda produced asbestos plastic molding compounds. Manufacturers then bought the plastic molding parts. In 2001, Durez became a subsidiary of Sumitomo Bakelite North America.
Unfortunately, many of our clients who worked at Varcum are now being diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer. Asbestos was used in pipe covering, gaskets, and block insulation at the Varcum plant. Steam was both used to heat the plant and as a major component of resin manufacturing at the plant. Before the 1970s, steam lines including boilers, kettles, holding tanks, and steam generators were coated in asbestos pipe covering. Repairing and replacing this pipe covering caused asbestos to be emitted into the air and inhaled by laborers.
Asbestos gaskets were also used in pumps and steam lines. Asbestos gaskets were used because of their resistance to heat. Laborers at Varcum made their own gaskets from sheets of asbestos gasket material. Cutting and scraping gaskets caused asbestos fibers to become airborne.
Asbestos is dangerous because its fibers are extremely fragile and break easily into tiny particles that your body’s air filtration system can’t trap and expel. When asbestos gets into your lungs and stays there, it can cause mesothelioma or lung cancer. Risk of diagnosis increases with the length of time that a person has been exposed although even short exposures can cause mesothelioma or lung cancer. The most common causes of asbestos exposure are in the workplace or from products in the home. Spouses and family members of workers can also be exposed to asbestos dust and fibers from the clothing the workers wore home from job sites like Varcum.
Mesothelioma is a rare disease that is diagnosed between 2,500 and 3,000 times each year. Anyone who has been exposed to asbestos is at risk for developing mesothelioma or lung cancer. Although most companies knew that asbestos was dangerous, they continued to allow their employees to work with and around asbestos without protective gear until the late 1970s.
At Belluck & Fox, our nationally recognized asbestos attorneys have extensive experience fighting for families and workers exposed to asbestos. We are proud to have secured more than $1 billion so far for asbestos victims and their families.
We are ready to help you. Contact us today to set up a free consultation, where we will review your claim and discuss all your legal options. Our law firm does not charge any legal fees upfront and we do not get paid unless and until we secure compensation for you.
