Weil-McLain is America’s oldest boiler manufacturer.[1] The industry giant began over 135 years ago as a small plumbing operation. Though this legacy is by most definitions a success story, the company’s mid-20th-century use of asbestos in its heating systems had a tragic impact on countless workers who developed mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other deadly diseases from exposure to its products.
Weil-McLain’s History
Weil-McLain’s origins trace back to 1881, when brothers Isadore and Benjamin Weil established a small plumbing company in Chicago’s Loop district. Their business philosophy was centered on providing reliable solutions for heating needs. By the turn of the century, the brothers had moved their operations to a larger facility, marking the beginning of a transformation from a local plumbing shop into a regional heating specialist.[1]
In 1918, the Weils acquired their primary supplier, the J.H. McLain Company. This strategic purchase was what created the Weil-McLain brand, as well as the relocation of boiler manufacturing operations from Canton, Ohio to Michigan City, Indiana, into a facility that is still operating today.
The 20th century was when Weil-McLain grew from a regional company to the nation’s premier cast iron boiler manufacturer. The company name became linked with advances in hydronic heating innovation, and its Michigan City facility grew into a massive operation featuring advanced foundry capabilities, state-of-the-art testing laboratories, and cutting-edge engineering departments.[2]
In 2005, the organization needed more production capacity and opened a second manufacturing and training complex in Eden, North Carolina, along with an East Coast distribution hub. Seven years later, the company established administrative headquarters in Burr Ridge, Illinois.
Through the years, Weil-McLain pioneered numerous industry breakthroughs, including the revolutionary “wet base” boiler design that eliminated separate combustion chambers, factory-assembled commercial boiler sections, ultraviolet control systems for gas-fired units, and comprehensive factory testing protocols for residential systems.[2]
Weil-McLain’s Use of Asbestos
For its first sixty years of operation, Weil-McLain built and sold products that were not contaminated with asbestos. But in the early 1950s, despite emerging research definitively linking asbestos exposure to mesothelioma, the company began incorporating the fibrous mineral into its manufacturing processes.
The rationale for deciding to add asbestos was based on a desire to leverage the mineral’s exceptional durability, flexibility, and resistance to extreme temperatures to enhance the performance of its heating system applications. The widespread nature of this asbestos integration meant that virtually every Weil-McLain product manufactured between the 1950s and 1970s posed potential health risks to those who encountered them, and because these components were integral to the company’s heating systems, exposure became inevitable for anyone working with or maintaining the equipment.
How Weil-McLain Integrated Asbestos into its Products
The incorporation of asbestos into Weil-McLain’s manufacturing processes was a significant shift in the design and construction of the company’s products. The heating equipment that Weil-McLain produced needed to withstand extreme temperatures and harsh operating conditions, but the company’s products were not the only source of exposure to asbestos.
Manufacturing Environment
Asbestos was an integral component within Weil-McLain’s factories and was used in multiple stages of the manufacturing process. Asbestos-containing refractory materials were used to line furnaces and casting equipment, creating widespread contamination throughout production areas, and Weil-McLain employees mixed raw asbestos fibers with other materials to create specialized compounds used in the construction of the company’s boilers.
At the Michigan City facility, asbestos exposure occurred across multiple departments. Assembly line workers handled pre-manufactured asbestos components daily, while quality control personnel tested finished products containing the hazardous material. The company’s research and development laboratories also used asbestos materials when designing new heating system innovations.
Product Components and Applications
Weil-McLain’s engineering teams incorporated asbestos into numerous essential components of their heating systems, including:
- Air cell insulation systems that provided thermal protection around boiler units
- Asbestos cement materials that were mixed on-site and used throughout construction and sealing applications
- Dresser asbestos gaskets that were engineered to prevent leaks at critical connection points
- Indirect-fired boiler and oil heating assemblies featuring asbestos-lined combustion chambers
- Rope and packing materials made from braided asbestos fibers were used to seal boiler sections
- Insulation blankets that were wrapped around piping and heat exchange components were made with asbestos
- Fire-resistant coatings that were applied to metal surfaces that required heat protection
- Joint compounds containing asbestos fibers were used for sealing pipe connections
Installation and Maintenance
Asbestos exposure from Weil-McLain’s products extended long after what happened in the company’s own factories. Field installation and boiler section assembly represented a particularly hazardous process, as technicians needed to carefully measure and cut asbestos rope gaskets to fit specific configurations or to achieve proper seals between cast iron sections. This work typically occurred in basement mechanical rooms with limited ventilation, releasing clouds of deadly fibers into these small spaces where multiple workers frequently worked. Routine maintenance procedures extended the risk, as the removal of old asbestos packing and replacing it with new material created repetitive exposure incidents throughout the equipment’s operational lifetime.
Workers at Risk
Two decades of asbestos incorporation from the material contained in Weil-McLain products created health hazards for numerous occupational groups.
Manufacturing Personnel
Employees at Weil-McLain’s Michigan City manufacturing plant and other facilities faced the highest exposure risks. Factory workers handled raw asbestos materials daily, creating airborne contamination throughout production areas. The confined spaces and repetitive nature of manufacturing work significantly intensified exposure levels.
Installation and Maintenance Workers
The reach of Weil-McLain’s dangerous products extended to countless professionals who installed and serviced their heating systems. These workers faced particular dangers because they frequently worked in cramped spaces while cutting, removing, or replacing asbestos-containing components.
Occupations with elevated risk included:
- Boiler workers who assembled and maintained heating systems
- Factory workers at Weil-McLain facilities
- Engineers who designed and oversaw installations
- Janitors responsible for facility maintenance
- Millwrights who installed and repaired machinery
- Pipefitters who connected heating system components
- Plumbers who integrated boilers into building systems
- Welders who joined metal components
- Architects who specified Weil-McLain products
- Contractors who managed installation projects
- Facility managers who oversaw building operations
- Homeowners who performed maintenance tasks
Secondary Asbestos Exposure
Beyond the direct occupational hazards faced by workers handling Weil-McLain products, the company’s asbestos use created additional risks for family members and household contacts through secondary exposure. This form of contamination has proven particularly devastating because it affected individuals who never worked directly with asbestos-containing materials.
In most cases, secondary exposure was a result of workers exposed to asbestos during their shifts unknowingly transporting the dangerous fibers on their work clothing, shoes, hair, and skin into their homes. Family members were exposed when they handled contaminated work clothes, embraced returning workers, or simply breathed air in the homes where asbestos particles had settled. Doing the laundry created particularly severe exposure scenarios, as spouses regularly took asbestos-covered work clothes into cramped laundry rooms and shook dust off of them before putting them into washing machines.
Health Impacts and Medical Consequences
Individuals exposed to asbestos-containing Weil-McLain products were put at risk for several serious medical conditions. The worst of these typically only begin to show symptoms decades after exposure, with some not manifesting for fifty years. Since Weil-McLain included asbestos in its products well into the 1970s, and many of those products continued being used for decades after, many of those exposed to the products may only now be experiencing symptoms.
Primary health concerns include:
- Mesothelioma: An aggressive cancer affecting organ linings, particularly the lungs
- Lung Cancer: Malignant growths within lung tissue
- Asbestosis: Progressive lung scarring that impairs breathing function
- Pleural Thickening: Hardening of the lung membrane tissue
- Additional Cancers: Including digestive system and throat malignancies
Legal Actions Against Weil-McLain
Weil-McLain and its products have been named in numerous personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits, many of which have resulted in significant out-of-court settlements and substantial financial judgments.
- One of the most significant legal cases against Weil-McLain was filed by Shawn Swanson after his father’s mesothelioma death. The case centered on Robert Swanson’s occupational exposure to asbestos from Weil-McLain boilers, gaskets, rope, and cement products. Following a nine-day trial, it took the jury just four hours of deliberation to award a landmark $8.45 million judgment. The verdict breakdown included:[3]
- $2,750,000 for Robert Swanson’s pain and suffering
- $1,500,000 for past losses to Shawn
- $4,200,000 for future losses to Shawn
- Larry Kinseth spent decades doing plumbing and heating work, and his claim against Weil-McLain asserted that his primary asbestos exposure came during the installation of Weil-McLain sectional boilers. His work, which had required cutting and fitting asbestos rope to seal boiler sections, created clouds of deadly asbestos fibers that he’d inhaled without protective equipment between 1953 and 1987. Kinseth’s mesothelioma diagnosis came in October 2007, and he succumbed to the disease just fifteen months later in January 2009.[4]
His survivors pursued legal action against 42 companies, with Weil-McLain ultimately remaining as the sole defendant. After a four-week trial, the jury delivered a $6.5 million verdict, including $4 million in compensatory damages and $2.5 million in punitive damages. The court determined Weil-McLain bore 25% responsibility for Kinseth’s fatal illness.
Seeking Justice and Compensation
If you’ve been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related illness, you may be facing more than just medical challenges—you’re also coping with financial stress and unanswered questions about how you were exposed. Fortunately, individuals who worked with Weil-McLain products and who have subsequently developed asbestos-related illnesses like mesothelioma may be eligible to pursue justice and compensation by filing personal injury or wrongful death claims.
Unlike some manufacturers that established bankruptcy trust funds, Weil-McLain remains operational and subject to traditional litigation. The best way to get answers to your questions and explore your options is to reach out to an experienced, knowledgeable asbestos attorney can make all the difference.
A mesothelioma lawyer specializes in asbestos-related cases. They can provide crucial assistance in numerous ways, including:
- Exploring your employment records to establish when and how you were exposed to asbestos-containing products
- Identifying all potentially liable manufacturers and suppliers
- Accessing comprehensive databases of workplace asbestos use
- Locating former colleagues who can provide testimony
- Coordinating with medical professionals to establish links between your exposure and causation
- Pursuing maximum compensation through settlements or trial verdicts
Find the Source of Your Exposure
Many people don’t know when or where they came into contact with asbestos, and with the passage of several decades, remembering is even more of a challenge. Asbestos lawyers have access to records, industry databases, and investigative resources that can help identify exactly how and where you were exposed and who manufactured or supplied the asbestos-containing products.
Protect Your Legal Rights
Every state has deadlines called statutes of limitations that dictate how much time you have for filing a claim after being diagnosed. Your attorney will explain all your legal options—whether that’s filing a lawsuit, seeking workers’ compensation from a former employer, or submitting a claim to an asbestos trust fund. They’ll also make sure that all your documentation and requests are prepared correctly and filed on time.
Pursue the Compensation You Deserve
Treatment for asbestos-related diseases is generally available at specialized treatment facilities, and costs add up quickly. Your lawyer will work to recover money for medical care, lost income, and pain and suffering so you and your family can focus on your health rather than your bills.
Handle Asbestos Trust Fund Claims
Billions of dollars are available in asbestos trust funds that have been set up by asbestos companies facing mounting asbestos liabilities, but the application process can be complicated. Attorneys who specialize in these cases know how to submit the right evidence and maximize your recovery.
Pursuing legal action against asbestos companies both helps you and holds those companies accountable for their negligence in knowingly exposing people to the dangerous material. Your fight for justice may also help other asbestos victims in the future.
Working with an asbestos attorney will lift the stress and burden from your shoulders. They’ll answer all your questions, explain all your options, guide you through the steps of whichever path you choose, and help secure the resources you need during this difficult time.
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