Pratt & Whitney Asbestos Exposure and Compensation

Pratt & Whitney Aircraft is a major supplier of civil and military aircraft engines to companies and governments worldwide, operating in the aerospace and defense industry. Its employees and local contractors were once frequently exposed to asbestos used in the production and fabrication of engines and engine parts, as well as in insulation, boilers, furnaces and other plant machinery.

Asbestos exposure can lead to serious diseases, including mesothelioma and lung cancer. ELSM has extensive experience representing mesothelioma victims who worked at Pratt & Whitney facilities in Connecticut.

Pratt & Whitney at a Glance

• Pratt & Whitney is headquartered in East Hartford, Connecticut. It has been a major employer in the region since 1925.
• The company operated its main plant and Wilgoos Laboratory in East Hartford, the Connecticut Advanced Nuclear Engine Lab (CANEL) in Middletown, and additional facilities in North Haven and Southington.
• During World War II, at a time when asbestos use was widespread, Pratt & Whitney rapidly expanded its workforce from 3,000 to 40,000 employees to meet military production demands, building more than 300,000 aircraft engines.
• Several Pratt & Whitney facilities have been identified as jobsites with asbestos exposure. At least 17 asbestos bankruptcy trusts list one or more Pratt & Whitney locations as known exposure sites.

Asbestos Exposure at Pratt & Whitney

The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company was founded by Frederick Rentschler in 1925 and spun off from the existing Pratt & Whitney Machine Tool Company of Hartford. Following the success of their original “Wasp” and “Hornet” engines, Pratt & Whitney built a new 1,100-acre plant in East Hartford, CT in 1929 to expand production and meet demand.

By this time, asbestos was becoming widely used in insulation and in machinery that were exposed to high heat and friction, due to its heat- and corrosion-resistant properties. Examples of asbestos exposure at the main Pratt & Whitney East Hartford plant include:

• Ceilings contained a labyrinth of pipes insulated with asbestos. Maintenance workers, tradesmen, and contractors who worked around these pipes regularly breathed in asbestos fibers.
• The plant’s boilers contained asbestos insulation and refractory products. Workers servicing these boilers were exposed to airborne asbestos.
• Large furnaces used for heat-treating metal parts were insulated with asbestos. Employees working in the heat-treating department or servicing the furnaces were regularly exposed to asbestos.
• Aircraft engine components, including gaskets, wires, and heat shields, also contained asbestos. Engine assembly workers were exposed while handling these components.

In addition to the main East Hartford facility, Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen has represented several mesothelioma clients exposed to asbestos at the neighboring Wilgoos Laboratory in East Hartford, the North Haven Pratt & Whitney plant, and the CANEL plant in Middletown, a nuclear propulsion and radiation lab.

Heat-treating in Department 424 at Pratt & Whitney had multiple huge industrial furnaces to heat treat metal parts that they manufactured in other parts of the plant. The furnaces were heavily insulated with tons of asbestos insulation. Furnace manufacturers included Lindberg, CI Hayes, Westinghouse, General Electric, and Ajax. Chris Meisenkothen
Partner and Mesothelioma Lawyer

High-Risk Occupations at Pratt & Whitney

Some of the occupations with an elevated risk of asbestos exposure at Pratt & Whitney include, but are not limited to:

Secondary Asbestos Exposure

When workers were exposed to asbestos at Pratt & Whitney, they often brought home asbestos fibers on their clothing, shoes, and in their hair. Loved ones at home could then breathe in the fibers without ever being exposed to the actual products at the work site. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma from Pratt & Whitney due to secondhand asbestos exposure, you may be entitled to compensation.

Asbestos Products Used at Pratt & Whitney

Many products used at Pratt & Whitney’s East Hartford headquarters and other Connecticut plants once contained asbestos.

Common asbestos-containing products at Pratt & Whitney plants or in aircraft engine components include:

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Compensation for Pratt & Whitney Employees With Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma compensation may be pursued from the many companies whose asbestos-containing products were used in Pratt & Whitney facilities or in the engines they manufactured. If those companies are still financially viable, a lawsuit can be filed against any company whose products have shown to have exposed the injured party to asbeestos. ELSM has represented nearly 60 clients in their Pratt & Whitney mesothelioma lawsuits or other asbestos-related disease claims linked, at least in part, to asbestos exposure at a Pratt & Whitney facility.

Many companies that supplied asbestos products to Pratt & Whitney are now bankrupt. Injured workers or veterans may be able to file claims through these companies’ asbestos trust funds.

Asbestos Trust Funds

Pratt & Whitney itself does not have an asbestos trust fund. However, several bankrupt companies that manufactured asbestos products used at one or more Pratt & Whitney facilities have established trust funds. These trusts compensate mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related disease victims. An experienced mesothelioma lawyer will have a database of Pratt & Whitney products and qualifying occupations that will be eligible for mesothelioma claim submission.

The following list of bankrupt companies with established asbestos trust funds includes at least one Pratt & Whitney facility as an approved jobsite.

Asbestos Lawsuits

The mesothelioma lawyers at ELSM work to maximize financial recovery for their clients while also requiring as little of their clients’ time as possible during the litigation process. It is important to the attorneys at ELSM that their clients can focus on treatment and quality of life. A Pratt & Whitney asbestos lawsuit will likely be filed in Connecticut. In most lawsuits, only a deposition detailing work history at sites where asbestos exposure occurred will be necessary. In rare cases, a jury trial may be necessary to obtain compensation. ELSM has a history of obtaining some of the highest settlements and mesothelioma trial verdicts in Connecticut.

Workers’ Compensation for Mesothelioma Victims in Connecticut

Current and retired workers in Connecticut benefit from favorable workers’ compensation laws, particularly for work-related diseases like mesothelioma. Key points include:

• Coverage for retired workers: Mesothelioma victims can receive workers’ compensation for asbestos exposure at a Pratt & Whitney Connecticut facility even if they are retired at the time of diagnosis.
• No restriction on last employer: The last employer before retirement does not need to be Pratt & Whitney for a claim to qualify.
• Survivor benefits: Widows or widowers may be entitled to benefits on behalf of a Pratt & Whitney employee who has died from an asbestos-related disease.
• Expert legal guidance: Knowledgeable mesothelioma attorneys at ELSM help clients navigate the workers’ compensation process and file claims to maximize benefits.