Manufacturer Background

McGraw Electric Company allegedly merged with Thomas A. Edison Company and incorporated as McGraw-Edison Company in 1957. The McGraw-Edison Pennsylvania Transformer Division at Canonsburg, Pennsylvania was one of the principal U.S. power transformer manufacturers of the asbestos era, named in publicly filed allegations alongside Westinghouse Muncie IN and GE Rome GA and Pittsfield MA as a major U.S. transformer producer during the 1960s era. Cooper Industries acquired McGraw-Edison Company in 1985 and allegedly continued operating the Pennsylvania Transformer business until 1994, when Cooper sold the Pennsylvania Transformer business. The successor entity, Pennsylvania Transformer Technology, Inc., allegedly continued operations at the Canonsburg, PA facility. Per publicly filed allegations in U.S. asbestos litigation, McGraw-Edison / Pennsylvania Transformer Division power transformers manufactured during the asbestos era allegedly incorporated asbestos-bearing phenolic spacers, Bakelite-type laminate, asbestos transformer paper, asbestos cloth, asbestos gaskets, and phenolic-asbestos bushings.

Documented Asbestos-Bearing Products

  • McGraw-Edison / Pennsylvania Transformer Division power transformers (utility-scale, 1957-1994 McGraw-Edison and Cooper era)
  • Pennsylvania Transformer Technology power transformers (1994+ successor)
  • Asbestos-filled phenolic spacers (tube, coil, winding, oil duct spacers, spacer sticks)
  • Bakelite-type phenolic laminate insulating components in transformer internals
  • Asbestos paper, craft paper, glass cloth, and paper tubing transformer insulation
  • Asbestos gaskets at transformer flanges, bushings, and tap-changer interfaces
  • Phenolic-asbestos transformer bushings

Documented U.S. Plants

  • Canonsburg, Pennsylvania — Pennsylvania Transformer Division (McGraw-Edison 1957-1985; Cooper Industries 1985-1994; Pennsylvania Transformer Technology successor 1994+)

How Workers Were Exposed

Per publicly filed allegations in U.S. asbestos litigation, workers were allegedly exposed to McGraw-Edison / Cooper Industries asbestos-bearing transformer components during:

  • Transformer assembly at McGraw-Edison / Cooper Industries plants — handling phenolic spacers, asbestos paper, Bakelite-type laminate, gaskets, and asbestos cloth during new-transformer construction
  • Transformer dismantling and rebuild at service centers — extracting aged asbestos components from field-aged McGraw-Edison / Cooper Industries transformers (highest documented exposure category)
  • Coil-winding operations — fitting asbestos transformer paper and phenolic spacers during winding assembly
  • Machining and trimming — drilling, sawing, and finishing operations on cured phenolic and asbestos-bearing laminate
  • Field maintenance and substation service — utility substation electricians, lineworkers, and industrial electricians handling McGraw-Edison / Cooper Industries transformers during in-service repair
  • Reconditioning operations — heat-baking, vacuum drying, and oil refilling of disassembled transformer units saturated with asbestos fiber

Documented Servicing Locations

McGraw-Edison / Cooper Industries power transformers manufactured during the asbestos era were allegedly serviced, dismantled, and rebuilt at the Westinghouse / ABB transformer service centers in St. Louis MO, Detroit MI, Chicago IL, Louisville KY, Houston TX, Cedar Rapids IA, Omaha NE, Wichita KS, and Cleveland OH (as well as at GE service centers and independent transformer-rebuild shops). Asbestos-bearing components common across all major U.S. transformer brands include phenolic spacers, Westinghouse Micarta laminate, Bakelite-type laminate, asbestos paper, asbestos cloth, asbestos gaskets, and phenolic-asbestos bushings.

The occupational health risks associated with asbestos inhalation are well established under OSHA standards and documented by regulatory bodies including the EPA. Diseases associated with asbestos exposure include mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related conditions, which may have latency periods of decades between initial exposure and clinical diagnosis.

Workers exposed to McGraw-Edison / Cooper Industries power transformers at any U.S. transformer manufacturing plant, transformer service center, utility substation, or industrial facility may have legal rights if they have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related disease.

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

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