Product Description

Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company, founded in 1901 and long a leading American manufacturer of compressed-air equipment, produced pneumatic rock drills, industrial air compressors, portable compressor packages, and a broad line of air-powered hand tools used across mining, quarrying, construction, shipbuilding, and heavy industry. Chicago Pneumatic rock drills were standard equipment in American underground and surface mining and quarry operations. Chicago Pneumatic reciprocating and rotary compressors were installed in industrial plants, refineries, and construction sites across the country.

Chicago Pneumatic equipment reached American worksites during the decades when asbestos was the routine sealing and insulating material for compressed-air equipment operating under heat and pressure. Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos litigation that Chicago Pneumatic compressors, drills, and pneumatic tools were supplied with asbestos-bearing gaskets, packing, insulation, and friction components in place, and that Chicago Pneumatic service literature directed maintenance crews to reinstall asbestos-bearing components during routine overhaul work.

Asbestos Content

Plaintiffs alleged that Chicago Pneumatic equipment contained asbestos in one or more of the following roles:

  • Compressed-asbestos-sheet gaskets — cylinder heads, valve covers, intercoolers, aftercoolers, and flanged connections on reciprocating and rotary compressors.
  • Asbestos packing — stuffing boxes on reciprocating compressors and rotating shaft seals.
  • External thermal insulation — asbestos wrap and cement applied to compressor discharge piping, aftercoolers, and cylinder jackets.
  • Brake, clutch, and friction components — rock drill mechanisms, drive assemblies, and air-tool internal parts.
  • Replacement parts — plaintiffs alleged Chicago Pneumatic parts catalogs directed asbestos-bearing components into ordinary repair work.

Workers Exposed

  • Miners and rock drillers — underground and surface mining operations, quarry work.
  • Industrial compressor operators and mechanics — plant compressor rooms, refineries, and manufacturing facilities.
  • Construction workers — jackhammer, paving-breaker, and portable compressor operation on jobsites.
  • Millwrights and maintenance mechanics — compressor overhauls and pneumatic-tool rebuild work.
  • Bystanders — sharing confined compressor rooms and drill headings during maintenance and operation.

Take-home exposure was alleged where workers carried asbestos fibers home on contaminated work clothing.

If You Worked With Chicago Pneumatic Equipment

If you worked with Chicago Pneumatic rock drills, industrial air compressors, or pneumatic tools — or worked in mines, construction sites, or industrial facilities where Chicago Pneumatic equipment was in service — and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, your work history may support an asbestos claim.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956