Product Description

FMC Corporation’s food-machinery division supplied continuous rotary retorts, still retorts, and hydrostatic cookers to the U.S. canning industry from the 1940s through the 1980s. According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records, FMC retort cookers allegedly used asbestos-fabric lagging on cooker shells, asbestos-containing gaskets at retort doors and valve bonnets, and asbestos insulation on the associated saturated-steam supply piping. Door gasket replacement and lagging rework allegedly disturbed the asbestos components on scheduled service intervals.

Workers Exposed

Cannery workers, food-plant pipefitters, and boilermakers allegedly serviced FMC retort cookers during heat, cook, and cool cycles and during shutdowns. Door-gasket changeouts, valve repacking, and lagging rework allegedly released respirable fiber into the cook room. Maintenance mechanics and steam-line insulators servicing supply piping to the retorts allegedly shared the same exposure zones.