The Linotype machine is noted as one of the most important inventions of the late 19th century. Invented in 1884 by Baltimore watchmaker Ottmar Mergenthaler, it was described by Thomas Edison as the “eighth wonder of the world.” It reduced the amount of time that it took to prepare a single page of newspaper from two or three days down to an hour, bringing the news to people on a daily basis and forever changing the way that information was delivered.[1]
The linotype machine’s impact was felt in journalism, book publishing, and countless other information-related businesses. Unfortunately, decades after linotype technicians first worked their magic to quickly and efficiently bring the written word to the world, many were diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases as a result of the significant amount of asbestos used in the machine’s operation.
Asbestos Exposure from Operating the Linotype Machine
In 1917, an American physician and a research scientist collaborated to publish a 118-page book that documented the hygiene and diseases of workers in the U.S. printing industry. Though the book did not mention asbestos – which at that time was not a known carcinogen – its authors were convinced that the poor ventilation systems surrounding the machines and dust were contributing to what they called the “special dangers” of the printing industry. They wrote that, “In all countries, the printer’s trade has been considered an occupation unhealthful beyond the average, and this belief is borne out by statistics, which an abnormally high sickness rate and death rate for printers as compared with all occupied males.”[2]
Today, it’s well understood that there were two sources of the high sickness rate and death suffered by linotype and printing press workers. One source was exposure to lead in the equipment, and the other came from the asbestos that was integral to the equipment’s operation. The machines allowed lines of type to be set all at once, replacing the laborious process of hand-setting type one letter at a time. To accomplish this, the linotype operator would type out the letters and spaces on a keyboard, releasing molds of each letter that would form a line of type. This mold would then be filled with hot liquid metal to create a “slug” used to print the content in columns within a newspaper or the pages of a book.[1]
It was the heat required to liquify the metal in this process that led to most of the need for asbestos in the printing process, but the linotype operators were surrounded by the carcinogenic material. Linotype workers wore special clothing to protect them from the heat of the equipment, and these aprons and gloves were made with asbestos because it protected them against heat and flame. Likewise, the linotype machines contained asbestos insulation to protect their inner workings, asbestos-containing gaskets, and asbestos cement lined a critical part called the crucible that injected the hot metal into the mold.[3] That contaminated cement would occasionally need to be scraped out, sending asbestos fibers into the air and easily inhaled in the poorly ventilated rooms where linotype machines were generally found.
In addition to the linotype operators who were exposed to asbestos as they produced the slugs of type, linotype technicians and mechanics worked directly with the parts that insulated the equipment, frequently disturbing the material and putting themselves at significant risk. There are also cases of newsmen and others who worked in the vicinity of the linotype machines who were diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases years after their exposure.
Other Risks to Linotype Workers
In addition to the asbestos used within the linotype machines themselves, linotype and printing press operators and those who worked in their vicinity were put at additional risk from insulation used in the rooms where the equipment was housed. The flooring in those rooms also frequently contained asbestos put in place to withstand the high heat generated by the equipment. That flooring material deteriorated over time, releasing the fibers into the air.
Asbestos-related Diseases in Linotype and Printing Press Operators
The linotype machine was invented in 1884, long before the dangers of asbestos were known, and it continued to be used through the mid-1970s. The abandonment of the “hot-type” process that describes the workings of the linotype was not a result of the dangers posed by asbestos. Rather, the switch to what is referred to as “cold-type” was a result of the introduction of the computer and a more efficient process.[1]
The consistent use of these machines, with their inherent risk, continued until nearly 1980, putting linotype workers and mechanics who worked on the machine at risk for inhaling the asbestos fibers that floated in the air in their work environment and put them at risk for malignant mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other serious illnesses. Because these illnesses have such long latency periods, many of these workers are only now beginning to exhibit symptoms of their illnesses, and others may continue to be diagnosed over the next two decades.
Asbestos exposure can lead to:
- Pleural mesothelioma
- Peritoneal mesothelioma
- Pericardial mesothelioma
- Lung cancer
- Asbestosis
- Pleural plaques
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
In addition to the workers themselves, family members of linotype and printing press operators were also at risk of asbestos exposure from fibers carried into their homes on the hair, skin, and clothing of their loved ones. Many family members inhaled these asbestos fibers as they laundered their family members’ clothing. This type of secondary asbestos exposure has impacted many people who had no occupational exposure to the carcinogenic material.
Lawsuits Filed by Linotype Workers
As information about asbestos’ dangers became more widespread, linotype workers diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases began taking legal action seeking justice from the companies responsible for their illnesses. Lawsuits have been filed against the company founded by the equipment’s inventor, the Mergenthaler Linotype Company, as well as against the Linotype and Machinery Company, the Anchor Packing Company, and the Garlock Sealing Technologies company that supplied asbestos-containing gaskets for the machines.
- A lawsuit was filed by the family of Thomas Pearson, a print shop maintenance employee who died of malignant mesothelioma at the age of 72 after spending 24 years cleaning and repairing a Linotype machine at the Vermont Standard newspaper. His family sued Heidelberg USA, blaming asbestos dust in the Mergenthaler Model 8 Linotype machine that he operated and maintained. The claim detailed his daily work, including rubbing an asbestos cleaning tool across the machine’s mouthpiece, scraping out old asbestos, and mixing new asbestos to pack into the mouthpiece. He also testified that he’d swept dust and shavings that accumulated under the machine every night, breathing in the dust raised in the process.
- Raymond Desiena died of malignant mesothelioma after having worked as a printing press operator from the 1960s to the 1980s. Before his death, he filed suit against two printing press companies, blaming them for having exposed him to asbestos without warning of the dangers. His suit specified friction brakes manufactured by Airflex, which were included in L3Harris Technologies Inc.’s printing presses, and asbestos contained in Heidelberg USA’s printing presses.
- Jean Castagna filed a personal injury lawsuit against Komori America Corporation, a printing press manufacturer, accusing the company of having exposed him to the asbestos that caused his malignant mesothelioma. He claimed exposure to asbestos from 1980 through 1988, when he worked with the equipment.
Are You a Linotype Operator Who Has Been Diagnosed with an Asbestos-Related Disease?
If you or someone you love worked as a printing press or linotype operator or mechanic and has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or another asbestos-related disease, you may be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit against the companies that manufactured the asbestos-contaminated equipment you worked with or were exposed to.
Being diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease presents physical, emotional, and financial challenges. An experienced asbestos attorney will be able to help you identify the companies responsible for your exposure and provide you with options and resources to help you make the best decision for you and your family.
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