The Carrier Corporation is known for having introduced the world’s first air conditioning systems in the early twentieth century. Unfortunately, the company’s manufacturing operations, processes, and products exposed thousands of its own employees and tradespeople to asbestos-containing materials throughout decades of production. This resulted in workers developing mesothelioma and other fatal diseases long after their employment ended.
The History of Carrier Corporation
Revolutionary Innovation and Early Development
Air conditioning was created in 1902, when New York’s Sackett & Wilhelms Lithographing and Printing Company experienced printing issues caused by varying humidity levels within their facility. When printing in color, the same paper had to be printed four times — once for each color— and if the humidity changed between print runs, the paper would slightly expand or contract. Any misalignment looked bad, so the company’s management asked a heating company for a way to control the environment.[1]
At the time, Willis Carrier was an engineer working for Buffalo Forge. He figured out that circulating air over coils that were chilled by compressed ammonia would maintain the humidity at a constant 55%. He also discovered that air humidity could be precisely controlled by passing air through a water spray, and by 1903, he’d built the first spray-type air-conditioning system, which would become the foundation of the air conditioning industry. Carrier soon introduced dew point control and published the first psychrometric chart, shifting air conditioning from a novelty to a scientific discipline. As head of engineering at Buffalo Forge, he earned the nickname “the Chief” for his leadership and vision.[2]
By 1907, air conditioning had expanded across industries and continents, including in Japan, and by 1911, Carrier had established himself as the leading authority in the field. With his inventions already having made air conditioning into a worldwide industry, he established his own company, Carrier Corporation, in 1915, with headquarters in Farmington, Connecticut.[2]
The company’s impact went far beyond individual comfort and has been credited for altering human settlement patterns and behavior during the summer months. Air conditioning technology enabled large-scale development in regions previously considered unsuitable for extensive habitation due to extreme heat, opening new housing markets and reshaping demographic trends across the United States and the world.[1]
Relocation to Syracuse and Manufacturing Expansion
In the early 1930s, the company relocated its headquarters to Syracuse, New York, where it became one of the most significant manufacturing operations in the HVAC industry. Its central New York location became the heart of Carrier’s production capabilities, with multiple large-scale facilities dedicated to manufacturing the company’s expanding product lines. Over the years, the Syracuse manufacturing complex grew to encompass over 20 separate structures dedicated to various aspects of production. The company’s presence transformed the local economy, creating thousands of skilled manufacturing jobs and establishing Syracuse as a center for air conditioning technology development and production.[2]
Post-war Demand
By 1965, Carrier Corporation was thriving. The post–World War II construction boom growth across the United States included demand for air conditioning, with one in four new American homes equipped with it, compared to one in nine just five years earlier. Domestic home air conditioner sales reached a record $1.2 billion, while the commercial air conditioning market totaled $1.15 billion: One-third of new industrial plants included HVAC systems. Schools also emerged as major customers as systems evolved to provide heating, cooling, humidity control, air filtration, and noise reduction. As the leading U.S. air conditioning company, Carrier reported strong financial gains, including $325 million in sales in fiscal 1964, a 9 percent increase, along with sharp rises in new orders and profits in early 1965. International exports, especially to Australia and South America, made air conditioning a year-round business. High-profile projects such as the Houston Astrodome and Scotland Yard further strengthened Carrier’s industry leadership and the reach of its products.[3]
Asbestos Use at Carrier Corporation Facilities
Employees who worked at Carrier’s Syracuse location suffered extensive exposure to asbestos from numerous sources, including:
Boiler Systems and Piping Networks
The heating infrastructure that supported Carrier’s facility created significant asbestos exposure risks. Boilers generating hot water and steam for facility operations featured thick asbestos insulation on exterior surfaces, while interior surfaces were lined with asbestos refractory materials designed to withstand extreme temperatures.
Extensive piping networks distributing steam and hot water throughout the facilities were wrapped in asbestos insulation, creating miles of contaminated surfaces within the manufacturing complex. Connection points between boilers, pipes, pumps, valves, and other components relied on asbestos gaskets to create pressure-tight seals, introducing additional sources of fiber release.
Gasket Fabrication and Maintenance
Gaskets represented one of the most common sources of asbestos exposure within Carrier facilities. The numerous pumps, valves, and gauges essential for monitoring and controlling fluid systems throughout the plants required frequent gasket replacement during maintenance operations.
Workers routinely cut gaskets to required dimensions from large sheets of compressed asbestos material, releasing fibers into the surrounding air with each cut. Removal of worn gaskets required wire brushing and scraping, disturbing materials that had become brittle from prolonged exposure to heat and moisture. These deteriorated gaskets crumbled into dust during removal, creating clouds of airborne fibers that workers inevitably inhaled. Additionally, pumps and valves incorporated asbestos patches at high-wear locations, adding to the overall fiber burden in facility atmospheres. Inhalation and ingestion of these microscopic fibers would eventually lead to many being diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other deadly illnesses.
Machining and Assembly Area Hazards
Production zones presented distinct asbestos exposure risks beyond heating system components. Brake systems on manufacturing equipment frequently incorporated asbestos as a friction material in brake pads, which gradually wore down during normal operation and released fiber-laden dust into work areas.
Equipment prone to overheating received asbestos insulation to prevent damage and maintain safe operating temperatures. Welding operations, common throughout the facilities, relied on asbestos heat shields and heavy-duty asbestos cloth gloves to protect workers from intense heat and sparks.
Grinding and polishing wheels, essential tools for finishing metal components, frequently contained asbestos as an abrasive material. The high-speed rotation of these wheels during use generated fine dust that dispersed throughout work areas.
Construction and Building Materials
Construction projects and facility maintenance at Carrier’s Syracuse locations introduced additional asbestos hazards through building materials commonly used during the mid-twentieth century. Insulation materials, floor tiles, roofing shingles, drywall, fireproofing spray, and joint compound frequently contained asbestos fibers, creating exposure risks for both Carrier employees and outside contractors performing work at the facilities.
The friable nature of asbestos—its tendency to easily crumble into dust—made these materials particularly dangerous during installation, repair, or removal activities. Microscopic fibers became airborne during disturbance and could be inhaled or ingested by anyone in the vicinity.
Asbestos-Containing Products Manufactured by Carrier
Bryant Brand Residential Boilers
Carrier marketed residential heating equipment under the Bryant brand name, incorporating asbestos components into systems sold to homeowners. These boilers relied on asbestos gaskets and insulation, exposing both Syracuse manufacturing workers during production and HVAC technicians during installation, service, and removal and replacement.
Carlisle Compressor Units
The Carlisle brand compressors produced at dedicated facilities included asbestos gaskets throughout their construction. Manufacturing workers assembled these contaminated components, while service technicians encountered the materials during maintenance and repair work in the field.
HVAC System Components
Carrier’s air conditioning systems incorporated asbestos gaskets at critical connection points, ensuring pressure-tight seals while inadvertently creating health hazards. Ductwork installations frequently utilized asbestos tape for sealing joints, expanding the range of workers exposed to the company’s asbestos-containing products beyond those directly handling refrigeration equipment.
Household Contamination and Secondary Exposure
The devastating reach of Carrier’s asbestos contamination extended beyond the factory gates and the sites where workers installed or serviced the company’s equipment. In a phenomenon now recognized as “take-home” or secondary asbestos exposure, workers exposed to the toxic carcinogen would leave their workplaces with millions of microscopic asbestos fibers clinging to hair, skin, clothing, and shoes, unknowingly transporting deadly contamination into their homes.
Family members, particularly spouses responsible for laundering work clothing, were then exposed to those fibers. The simple act of shaking out dirty work clothes or handling them during the washing process released invisible but deadly particles into home environments, creating health risks for individuals who never set foot in Carrier facilities.
Medical research has documented mesothelioma cases resulting from single asbestos exposures, underscoring the danger posed by even minimal contact with the mineral. No safe exposure threshold exists—any amount of asbestos carries risk. Consequently, numerous individuals who never worked at the company but who lived with Carrier employees have developed mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases decades after their household exposure.
Occupations Affected by Carrier’s Asbestos Use
The diversity of operations at Carrier’s Syracuse facilities meant that workers in numerous skilled trades faced occupational asbestos exposure:
Electricians encountered asbestos during work on equipment insulation and building systems. Engineers working in laboratory and production environments faced exposure from multiple sources. Laborers handling materials and performing general facility duties came into contact with contaminated surfaces in multiple ways, throughout their shifts.
Machinists operating production equipment breathed dust from asbestos-containing brake pads and grinding wheels; millwrights maintaining and installing heavy machinery disturbed asbestos insulation and gaskets; plumbers working on facility piping systems handled asbestos-insulated pipes and cut asbestos gaskets.
Sheet metal workers fabricating and installing ductwork applied asbestos tape and handled contaminated materials; and welders relied on asbestos protective equipment while working near asbestos-insulated surfaces and equipment.
Health Impacts of Carrier Corporation Asbestos Exposure
Workers exposed to asbestos at Carrier facilities or from Carrier products face risks of developing severe, life-threatening conditions that typically manifest decades after initial fiber contact. The microscopic particles that make asbestos useful for industrial applications also make it deadly—once inhaled or ingested, the body cannot expel these fibers.
Instead, asbestos particles lodge permanently in the tissue lining the lungs and other organs. The body’s response to this foreign material involves cell death and mutation around the embedded fibers, initiating a process that can lead to malignancy. Disease development typically requires between 10 and 60 years from initial exposure, creating diagnostic challenges as workers often fail to connect workplace conditions from decades past with current health problems.
Conditions linked to asbestos exposure include:
Malignant Mesothelioma: This rare and aggressive cancer attacks the protective membranes surrounding the lungs, abdominal organs, heart, or reproductive organs. Asbestos represents the only established cause of this disease, making occupational exposure history crucial for diagnosis and legal claims.
Lung Cancer: Pulmonary malignancies develop at elevated rates among asbestos-exposed individuals, with tobacco use dramatically exacerbating this risk.
Asbestosis: This progressive fibrotic disease causes permanent scarring of lung tissue, gradually reducing breathing capacity and potentially leading to respiratory failure. The condition is irreversible and incurable.
Pleural Disorders: Various abnormalities affecting the lung lining include pleural plaques (scarring), pleural effusions (fluid accumulation), and pleural thickening, all of which can compromise the ability to breathe.
Additional Malignancies: Medical research has established connections between asbestos exposure and cancers of the voice box, ovaries, and digestive system, expanding the range of potential health consequences.
Notable Legal Cases Against Carrier Corporation
- Ronald Phipps performed compressor overhauls and repairs at various worksites where Carrier compressors had been installed. Decades after this work, he developed a fatal asbestos-related illness, and following his death, his widow filed suit against Carrier, seeking compensation for the company’s role in his exposure. Though Carrier moved to dismiss the case, the court denied this request, noting that in deposition testimony provided during another asbestos case before his death, Mr. Phipps had identified Carrier compressors by their shape, color, and nameplates, and that he had personally taken the compressors apart when others “needed a hand.” He also testified that he’d witnessed the dismantling and overhauling of Carrier compressors “many times.” Based on this and other evidence, the judges decided that the family had presented enough evidence to survive Carrier’s motion for summary judgment and permitted the lawsuit to advance.[4]
- After her husband Harold died of mesothelioma, Doris Anne Cox filed suit both individually and as representative of her deceased husband’s estate against Carrier Corporation, Foster Wheeler, and other companies that she blamed for his exposure to asbestos. Mr. Cox had served in the U.S. Navy from 1965 to 1968, during which time he encountered asbestos exposure while stationed aboard the USS Chukawan. Carrier attempted to have the case dismissed through summary judgment, but the court rejected this motion, allowing the litigation to proceed.
Legal Options for Those Affected by Carrier Corporation Asbestos
Carrier Corporation has faced a significant amount of litigation surrounding its role in exposing people to asbestos, and though the company continues to deny or minimize its responsibility for asbestos exposure, affected workers and their families do have the legal right to seek justice and compensation. In cases involving asbestos exposure, it is important that victims seek legal help with extensive experience in asbestos litigation. This is the best way to ensure that they are well represented and that the court will be presented with a compelling case on your behalf.
Attorneys who specialize in pursuing asbestos claims provide their clients with several advantages, including:
Employment History Investigation: An experienced asbestos lawyer will document all work locations, job responsibilities, and potential exposure sources throughout a worker’s career at Carrier facilities or involving Carrier products.
Defendant Identification: Most mesothelioma victims have been exposed to asbestos by multiple companies. An experienced asbestos attorney will do an in-depth analysis of victims’ work and biographical histories to identify all parties potentially responsible for exposure, including equipment manufacturers whose products were used alongside Carrier systems, suppliers who provided asbestos components to Carrier, and contractors who performed work at Carrier facilities.
Facility-Specific Documentation: Asbestos attorneys have extensive libraries that include detailed information about the layout and operations of specific Carrier plants, including the locations of asbestos-containing materials and the job functions that created exposure risks in different areas of the facilities.
Establishing Medical Causation: Experienced asbestos attorneys collaborate regularly with occupational health specialists and medical experts who can establish the scientific connection between workplace asbestos exposure and disease development, providing expert testimony to support claims.
Witness Testimony: Mesothelioma lawyers are diligent at locating and interviewing victims’ former coworkers who can corroborate workplace conditions, asbestos presence, and safety practices (or lack thereof) during relevant time periods.
Trust Fund Claims: Asbestos attorneys will carefully evaluate victims’ eligibility for asbestos bankruptcy trust claims from companies whose products were present at Carrier worksites, potentially providing additional compensation beyond direct litigation.
Successful asbestos litigation can result in substantial financial recovery through jury verdicts or negotiated settlements. Compensation in these types of personal injury lawsuits can address damages including medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and loss of quality of life.
Carrier Corporation Mesothelioma Victims Should Act Quickly
It can take a long time to absorb the shock of a mesothelioma diagnosis, but it’s important contact an asbestos attorney as quickly as possible. State statutes of limitations impose strict deadlines for filing asbestos claims, typically beginning at the time of diagnosis or when a reasonable person should have discovered the illness. Given that decades often pass between exposure and diagnosis, and given the additional time required to investigate historical workplace conditions and build compelling evidence, prompt consultation with qualified legal counsel is essential to ensure that legal rights are preserved, evidence is gathered while witnesses remain available, and claims are filed before applicable deadlines expire.
References
View All References
