Hysol Aerospace & Industrial Adhesive Company manufactured adhesives, epoxy resins, and electric insulating compounds for the aerospace industry, and later for the consumer market. The majority of the company’s products contained asbestos, and many people diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases have successfully filed personal injury lawsuits against them, seeking compensation for the harm they’ve suffered.
History of Hysol Aerospace Corporation
Hysol Aerospace Corporation’s history began in Olean, New York, when Russell Houghton founded Houghton Laboratories in the late 1940s. Houghton manufactured a line of electroplating rack coatings called plastisols that had lower volatile solvents and higher solid content when compared to paint. Playing on the words “high solids,” Houghton branded his products with the name Hysol.[1]
Years later, the company became the first in the United States to create epoxy resins for electrical insulating compounds, adhesives, and sealants, and by 1950, it had produced the first liquid epoxy compounds for potting and encapsulating electronic components. In 1955, the company developed its Dri-Kote product, an epoxy coating powder for electric insulation, and in the 1960s, its products were so well known that the company changed its corporate name to Hysol. They developed a new line of epoxy molding compounds for coil encapsulation, circuit modules, and insulating bushings, and in 1964, saw demand for them for transistor radios and color televisions expand dramatically. With this success, Hysol merged with The Dexter Corporation, becoming the Hysol Division of Dexter Electronic Materials.[1]
In 1970, Dexter began selling the first optically clear, transfer-grade epoxy molding compound that could be applied to the production of light-emitting diodes and LED digital displays. The company’s molding compounds were used in the first touchtone telephones, pocket calculators, and digital wristwatches. The company was relied upon by major electronic component manufacturers for its epoxy compounds, including GE, RCA, Corning, Motorola, and Texas Instruments.[1]
In 2000, the world’s leading producers of adhesives purchased the Hysol division from Dexter, but when Henkel Corporation moved much of the adhesive business away from Olean, a group of local investors purchased the Olean plant and began operating it under the name SolEpoxy, Inc. The Hysol brand name has since been sold to a Chinese company.
How Did Hysol Aerospace Corporation Use Asbestos?
Many of the products that Hysol Aerospace manufactured were produced specifically for the aerospace industry. The sealants, epoxy adhesives, and coatings they made contained asbestos, which gave them the heat-resistant properties that the industry and the military relied upon. Many of these products contained as much as 20 percent asbestos. The company also manufactured asbestos-containing adhesives up until 1987, when it substituted silica for the toxic material. Among the company’s asbestos-containing products were its Hysol EA 9309.2 epoxy which was used to bond metal skins and honeycomb core, and another epoxy called EA 934-NA which was used in aircraft manufacturing. Other products included the company’s EA901N/AB1 adhesive, its EA9330 adhesive, and its EA960F adhesive. The company also produced some consumer products that contained asbestos.[2]
According to testimony provided by a Dexter Hysol executive during deposition testimony in a personal injury lawsuit against the company, asbestos was used in many of the company’s aerospace adhesives as a “thixotropic” material that limited the flow of the resin on a vertical surface during application. During the same trial, an industrial hygienist testified that a Dexter-Hysol brochure published in 1985 listed 71 percent of the company’s paste and liquid HYSOL aerospace adhesives as containing asbestos.[2]
Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure from Hysol Aerospace Products?
In addition to employees in the Hysol factory who were exposed to asbestos while manufacturing the company’s products, the company’s epoxies, adhesives, and other products put countless workers in a variety of occupations at risk of exposure to asbestos. Those most likely to have used Hysol products include:
- Aerospace engineers
- Aircraft mechanics
- Air Force veterans
- Army veterans
- Construction workers
- Demolition workers
- Electricians
- Factory workers
- HVAC workers
- Industrial workers
- Machine operators
- Machinists
- Marine veterans
- Merchant Marines
- Navy veterans
- Pipefitters
- Plumbers
- Roofers
- Shipyard workers
- Tile installers
- Welders
The spouses and children of any of these workers could also be at risk for asbestos-related disease from secondary exposure to asbestos carried home on their loved one’s hair, skin, or clothing.
What to Do if You Were Exposed to Asbestos in Hysol Aerospace Products
Many people who worked with Hysol products have been sickened by the asbestos-containing products and have successfully filed personal injury lawsuits against the company or settled their suits out of court, but it’s important to remember that Hysol Aerospace didn’t stop using asbestos in its products until the 1980s. Many individuals continued using the products or being exposed to them while working in the aerospace and aircraft industry for years, and because malignant mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer have such long latency periods, they are still at risk for an asbestos-related disease.
If you worked with or near a Hysol product, it’s a good idea to notify your physician of your history of exposure to asbestos so that they can monitor your health appropriately and respond quickly should you develop suspicious symptoms. If you’ve been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, a mesothelioma attorney will be able to provide you with the information and resources you need on your eligibility for compensation so you can make the best decisions for you and your family.
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