Today, B.F. Goodrich is known as a popular brand of tires, but the company began as a rubber manufacturer that developed an expansive line of products. Many of those products were contaminated with asbestos, and many people who were sickened by B.F. Goodrich products included company employees, consumers, and employees who worked with Goodrich’s finished goods in automotive, aerospace, and other industries. Many of those who were diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases have filed personal injury lawsuits against the company seeking compensation.
B. F. Goodrich Company History
B.F. Goodrich Company got its start in 1869 when Benjamin Goodrich bought the Hudson River Rubber Company. Though the company was originally located in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, Goodrich relocated the business to Akron, Ohio, after the newly formed Akron Board of Trade approached him while trying to attract entrepreneurs and new businesses to the area.[1] After receiving $13,600 and assurances that his business would be supported, Goodrich agreed to the move.[2]
In 1896, B.F. Goodrich became the first American producer of automobile tires, and following its success in this industry, he expanded the company’s product line to include bicycle tires, tubes and hoses, molded goods, druggist sundries, golf balls, and conveyor belts. In 1909, the company began providing airplane tires, brakes, and other equipment, and this eventually led to the formation of an aerospace division in 1917.[3]
One of B.F. Goodrich’s key products became polyvinyl chloride (PVC) after one of the company’s scientists discovered a way of turning the polymer of vinyl chloride into a flexible plastic. PVC was extremely useful in the war effort, and the military funded the rapid construction of production facilities. It had many uses, including as a coating for electrical wires and cables: by the end of World War II, Goodrich could produce over 10 million pounds of PVC per year and was ranked 67th among U.S. corporations in the value of its World War II military production contracts.[2] In 1942, the company formed a separate chemical division as a result of its earlier work looking for chemical additives to make rubber longer-lasting and quicker to produce.[3]
In 1946, the company purchased a manufacturing plant in Troy, Ohio, where it made wheels and brakes for a variety of aircraft for commercial, military, regional, and other programs. By the 1980s, the company was listed on the S&P 500 and owned a wide range of diversified businesses, including high-performance replacement tires. It also produced and sold floor tile from 1946 to 1963. It was purchased in 1986 by one of its biggest competitors in the tire business, Uniroyal, Inc.. The merger created a joint venture private partnership to become the Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company, with headquarters at B.F. Goodrich’s corporate headquarters in Akron, Ohio. In 1988, the company was purchased by the Michelin Group.[2]
After leaving the tire business, B. F. Goodrich expanded its chemical and aerospace businesses. It acquired companies that manufactured integrated aircraft components, and by 1999, it had become the top supplier of landing gear and other aircraft parts. In 2001, it divested its specialty chemical business to further focus on aerospace and industrial products, changing its name to Goodrich Corporation. It was purchased by United Technologies Corporation in 2012.[2]
How Did B.F. Goodrich Company Use Asbestos?
B.F. Goodrich made tires and rubber products as well as adhesives, sealants, tiles, and aircraft components. The manufacturing process for all of these items relied on asbestos because it was both fibrous and durable. Raw asbestos was brought into the factory in large sacks and then mixed with other ingredients to make flexible, strong materials. The asbestos in these products created a dual hazard: those involved in curing, vulcanizing, extruding, milling, mixing, storing, or inspecting the products in B.F. Goodrich’s factories were at risk of inhaling or ingesting raw asbestos fibers used during the manufacturing process. The second hazard was for those who would later use B.F. Goodrich’s asbestos-containing products on the job, as when those materials eventually broke down due to friction or wear and tear, the asbestos fibers would be released into the air for them to breathe.
The employees who worked at B.F. Goodrich Company’s factory buildings were also at risk from components of the factories themselves. Even those in administrative positions — who were not directly involved in the manufacturing process — were exposed to asbestos that was used to insulate walls, ceilings, and equipment throughout the plant. Pipes that carried steam or chemicals were covered with asbestos insulation and fortified with asbestos-containing coverings, packing, gaskets, and cement. Asbestos fibers were inescapable in most manufacturing environments before the 1980s and the B.F. Goodrich factories were no exception.
B.F. Goodrich Products That Contained Asbestos
Many of the products that B.F. Goodrich manufactured over the years contained asbestos, including:
- BF Goodrich Adhesive
- BF Goodrich Aircraft Brake
- BF Goodrich Aircraft Component
- BF Goodrich Asbestos Hose
- BF Goodrich Auto Brake
- BF Goodrich Auto Tire
- BF Goodrich Belt Drive
- BF Goodrich Conveying Machine
- BF Goodrich Conveying System
- BF Goodrich Disc Brake
- BF Goodrich Floor Tiles
- BF Goodrich Furnace
- BF Goodrich Hose
- BF Goodrich Sealant
- BF Goodrich Superheat Products
- BF Goodrich Transport Belt
- BF Goodrich Vulcalock Products
Who Was Affected by B.F. Goodrich Company Asbestos-Containing Products?
B.F. Goodrich Company sold its asbestos-containing products to consumers as well as to other companies whose workers were exposed to them. From floor tiles, conveyor belts, hoses, and brakes to adhesives, sealants, and aircraft components, anybody who installed, repaired, or removed those products was at risk of exposure to asbestos fibers that were released into the air. One notable source of asbestos exposure from B.F. Goodrich products was from the transportation belts and belt drives used in conveying systems.
Those at risk of exposure to asbestos in B.F. Goodrich products included:
- Auto mechanics
- Brake installers
- Aircraft maintenance crews
- Shipyard employees
- Factory workers
- Construction workers
- Electrical workers
Many people who were sickened by these products took legal action against the company, filing personal injury lawsuits seeking compensation.
Asbestos Risk to B.F. Goodrich Company Employees
From production workers to office staff, the employees who worked for B.F. Goodrich were all exposed to asbestos within the factory. The raw asbestos that they worked with, as well as the asbestos insulation and asbestos-containing products in their environment, put them at risk for malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related diseases. Employees sickened by these other asbestos-containing products are able to pursue justice from the companies that supplied the products to B.F. Goodrich.
Secondary Asbestos Exposure Risk from B.F. Goodrich Company
In addition to those workers who experienced occupational exposure to asbestos from B.F. Goodrich Company’s products and workplace, these employees’ family members were also at risk from asbestos carried home on their hair, skin, or work clothing. Known as secondary asbestos exposure, there have been many cases of wives sickened from asbestos on the clothing that they laundered for their husbands or children of workers exposed to asbestos when they embraced their fathers upon their return home from work, or that had become embedded in carpeting or upholstery.
B.F. Goodrich Environmental Impact
Asbestos use at B. F. Goodrich’s manufacturing plants was so excessive that it also created an environmental risk. The plant in Miami, Oklahoma, ceased operations in 1986 but left behind such a significant amount of asbestos in multiple structures on the site that abatement and removal of the toxic material was required by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality in 2019. An assessment conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency found that in addition to contamination in the buildings, there were large amounts of asbestos-containing materials in demolition debris piles scattered across approximately 16,000 cubic yards of the site. The agency conducted an emergency removal action that involved removal, disposal, wet demolition of remaining buildings, and transport to an approved landfill. The project took four months to complete. It is unknown how many people who lived in the area may have been exposed to asbestos in their environment before it was removed.[4]
Lawsuits Involving B.F. Goodrich and other Akron, Ohio Tire and Rubber Companies
Akron, Ohio, set out to become the rubber capital of the world, and its efforts were successful. The company was home to B.F. Goodrich, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Co., General Tire, and Firestone. The four companies employed tens of thousands of workers over the years, and all of them were exposed to significant amounts of asbestos, which was used to insulate the factories from the early 1900s on.[5]
As more and more of Akron’s rubber and tire workers were diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases over the years, the local courthouse saw thousands of claims filed against Johns Manville and other companies, as well as workers compensation suits filed against the tire and rubber companies themselves. An initial $80 million national trust fund was established by Travelers, Johns Manville’s largest insurer, but most of the settlement amounts have been modest – usually between $800 and $20,000 depending upon the illness they were diagnosed with. More litigation followed, and though the company denied using asbestos, testimony from the rubber company workers prevailed: some recalled asbestos raining down from asbestos-insulated ceiling pipes like snow, and others presented photos from company newsletters marking the anniversary of a company’s Asbestos Industrial Products Division, showing workers with no respiratory protection handling asbestos. The company’s insurer was eventually ordered to pay settlement agreements and interest totaling $500 million.[5]
What to Do if You Were Exposed to B. F. Goodrich Company Asbestos
B.F. Goodrich Company has been named in many personal injury lawsuits filed by victims of asbestos exposure or their survivors, and so have the asbestos companies that provided the B.F. Goodrich Company with asbestos and asbestos-containing products. If you worked at the company or with any B.F. Goodrich Company products, and you’ve been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis- asbestos-related lung cancer, or any other asbestos-related disease, you also may be eligible to take legal action, including filing a claim with one of the asbestos trust funds established by the asbestos companies that provided the contaminated products to B.F. Goodrich.
After seeking medical treatment, the best person for you to talk to in the face of a diagnosis is an experienced asbestos attorney. These professionals have extensive knowledge and deep resources to help identify all the sources of your asbestos exposure, explain the options available, and guide you as you decide on the best path forward for you and your family. Be sure to contact them soon after your diagnosis, as there are limits on the amount of time you have to pursue legal action.
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