McGraw-Edison Toastmaster appliances with asbestos heating elements and asbestos-filled phenolic handles

Product Description

McGraw-Edison Company manufactured Toastmaster-brand consumer and commercial appliances from 1929 (when McGraw Electric Company acquired the Toastmaster brand) through 1985 (when Cooper Industries acquired McGraw-Edison). The Toastmaster product line included toasters, toaster-oven-broilers, electric heating elements, broilers, ovens, water heaters, electric grills, food warmers (Thermotainer), coffee percolators, humidifiers, and related household and commercial small appliances.

McGraw Electric Company was incorporated in 1900 and acquired the Toastmaster brand in 1921; the company was renamed McGraw-Edison Company in 1957 after the merger of McGraw Electric with Thomas A. Edison Inc. By the time Cooper Industries acquired McGraw-Edison in 1985, the company operated approximately 118 manufacturing facilities and employed approximately 21,000 workers nationally and internationally. Cooper Industries remained a corporate-successor responsible party for legacy environmental and asbestos liability at McGraw-Edison’s former facilities, including the Toastmaster Boonville, Missouri (1409/1403 E Morgan St) and Toastmaster Macon, Missouri (704–708 S Missouri St) appliance plants — both currently designated by U.S. EPA as Superfund sites (EPA ID MON000721039 for Boonville). EPA Region 7 records identify Cooper Industries, LLC as a former responsible party for the Toastmaster Macon Superfund Site, alongside Spectrum Brands, Inc. and current property owner Compton’s LLC.

After the 1985 Cooper Industries acquisition, the Toastmaster small-appliance product line was subsequently sold to Salton-Maxim Housewares and later Salton Inc. in the 1990s, and was ultimately acquired by Spectrum Brands.

Asbestos Content

Per publicly filed allegations in U.S. asbestos litigation and contemporaneous Underwriters Laboratories (UL) correspondence with McGraw-Edison from the asbestos era, McGraw-Edison and Toastmaster-brand appliances incorporated asbestos-bearing components in multiple structural roles common to small electrical appliances of the era:

Asbestos heating-element insulation — Toastmaster electric heating elements (toaster heating coils, broiler heating coils, oven heating elements, water-heater immersion elements, food-warmer heating tiles) were alleged to be insulated with asbestos paper, asbestos cloth, and mica-asbestos composite to manage element heat and electrical isolation. The asbestos-bearing element insulation was specified to retain element heat, isolate the electrically-energized resistance wire from the metal housing, and stabilize element temperature during the high-cycle on/off operation characteristic of toaster and toaster-oven service.

Asbestos-filled phenolic switch and timer housings — Toastmaster appliance control assemblies (toaster operating levers, oven thermostatic timers, broiler switches, water-heater control modules) were alleged to be molded from asbestos-filled phenolic compound, providing the thermal stability, dielectric strength, and dimensional precision required for switch and timer service.

Asbestos-filled phenolic handles, knobs, and feet — Toastmaster appliance handles, knobs, control bezels, and feet were alleged to be molded from asbestos-filled phenolic compound to provide heat-resistance and dimensional stability under repeated thermal cycling. McGraw-Edison correspondence from the asbestos era allegedly acknowledged that “asbestos is becoming more difficult” to source, indicating ongoing use of asbestos-filled phenolic compound through the asbestos era.

Asbestos paper and cloth wire insulation — Internal appliance wiring was alleged to be insulated with asbestos-paper and asbestos-cloth wrappings, particularly for high-temperature wire runs adjacent to heating elements.

Asbestos cement-board (transite) insulating panels — Internal insulating panels separating the heating-element compartment from the appliance housing were alleged to be asbestos-cement-board (transite) material.

Phenolic-asbestos terminal blocks — Element-to-circuit terminal blocks and connection plates were alleged to be molded from asbestos-filled phenolic compound.

How Workers Were Exposed

Workers across the Toastmaster Boonville and Macon Missouri appliance plants — and across McGraw-Edison’s broader 118-facility manufacturing network — were exposed to asbestos during multiple manufacturing operations:

• Heating-element coil winding and assembly — workers wrapping resistance wire with asbestos-paper insulation, applying mica-asbestos composite, and assembling completed elements into appliance housings were exposed to airborne asbestos fiber during element fabrication
• Phenolic compound handling and press loading — transferring asbestos-filled phenolic compound from drums or bags into press hoppers for molding of switches, timers, handles, knobs, and terminal blocks
• Compression and transfer phenolic molding — hot phenolic molding releases compound dust when molds open between cycles
• Tumbling, deflashing, and machining — finishing operations on cured phenolic parts release asbestos fiber from the molded matrix
• Appliance assembly — fitting asbestos-bearing heating elements, phenolic-asbestos switch and timer housings, phenolic-asbestos handles and knobs, asbestos-cement-board insulating panels, and asbestos-paper-insulated wire into completed appliances on assembly lines
• Wire-insulation handling — cutting, stripping, and installing asbestos-paper and asbestos-cloth wire insulation during appliance wiring
• Asbestos-cement-board cutting and installation — cutting transite panels to size for internal appliance compartmentalization
• Quality control and inspection — handling assembled asbestos-bearing appliances during functional, electrical, and safety testing
• Field-service, repair, and rebuild — servicing in-service Toastmaster appliances after deployment to consumers and commercial customers
• Maintenance, electricians, and housekeeping — cleaning compound dust and asbestos-paper trim accumulation from press areas, assembly bays, and finishing departments
• Receiving, stockroom, and shipping — handling raw asbestos-filled phenolic compound, asbestos paper, asbestos cloth, and asbestos cement-board panels

Plants Where Toastmaster Asbestos-Bearing Appliances Were Manufactured

Per publicly available manufacturing records and the broader Toastmaster Missouri industrial footprint:

• Toastmaster Boonville, Missouri — 1409/1403 E Morgan St (EPA Superfund Site, EPA ID MON000721039) — primary toaster, broiler, oven, and small-appliance production
• Toastmaster Macon, Missouri — 704–708 S Missouri St (Toastmaster Macon EPA Superfund Site; TCE groundwater contamination from above-ground tank leak discovered 1991) — toaster, toaster-oven-broiler, and electric heating element production through 2001
• Toastmaster Moberly, Missouri — additional small-appliance production
• Toastmaster Kirksville, Missouri — additional small-appliance production
• Toastmaster Clarence, Missouri — additional small-appliance production
• Toastmaster Laurinburg, North Carolina — additional small-appliance production

This information reflects facility history, exposure pathways, and product documentation drawn from publicly filed asbestos litigation, federal regulatory records, and industry archives. It does not constitute a finding of fact or liability with respect to any specific manufacturer, supplier, or facility operator.

Documented End-User and Consumer Exposure

Toastmaster-brand appliances were among the most widely distributed U.S. household and commercial small appliances of the twentieth century. McGraw-Edison’s Toastmaster product line reached millions of American households and commercial food-service kitchens from the 1929 brand acquisition through the 1985 Cooper Industries transition. End-user exposure to asbestos-bearing Toastmaster appliance components occurred across multiple settings:

Household Consumer Exposure

• Home consumer use of Toastmaster toasters, broilers, ovens, water heaters, electric grills, food warmers, and coffee percolators — Daily handling of asbestos-filled phenolic handles, knobs, and control bezels; close-proximity inhalation of fiber released from heating-element insulation during normal operation and from element failure / replacement; cleaning of crumb trays and interior surfaces with accumulated dust
• Home appliance repair — Consumers and appliance-repair technicians disassembling Toastmaster appliances to replace heating elements, switches, or wiring released asbestos fiber from element insulation, phenolic-asbestos switch housings, and asbestos-paper / asbestos-cloth wire insulation
• Bystander household members — Family members, particularly children, present during appliance operation, repair, or disposal — including secondhand exposure from clothing of consumers or repair technicians who handled disassembled appliances

Commercial Food-Service End-User Exposure

• Restaurant and commercial-kitchen operation of Toastmaster commercial broilers, toasters, ovens, food warmers, and griddles
• Hotel, hospital, and institutional food service using Toastmaster commercial appliances
• Commercial appliance maintenance and repair technicians servicing in-service Toastmaster commercial equipment
• Concession-stand, school-cafeteria, and snack-bar workers operating Toastmaster commercial appliances

Industrial Field-Service and Appliance-Repair Exposure

• Independent appliance-repair shops servicing in-service Toastmaster appliances after consumer or commercial deployment
• Hardware-store and department-store appliance-counter workers demonstrating and rebuilding returned Toastmaster appliances
• Used-appliance dealers disassembling, rebuilding, and reselling end-of-life Toastmaster appliances

If You Worked at — or Used Products From — a McGraw-Edison Toastmaster Plant

If you operated heating-element fabrication equipment, phenolic molding presses, tumbling/deflashing/machining lines, or appliance assembly lines at any McGraw-Edison Toastmaster facility during the asbestos era — or if you owned, operated, repaired, or were present in a household or commercial kitchen using Toastmaster-brand toasters, broilers, ovens, water heaters, electric grills, food warmers, coffee percolators, or other McGraw-Edison-brand small appliances during the asbestos era — and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related illness — you may have legal rights. Cooper Industries (as McGraw-Edison’s 1985 corporate successor) has been named in publicly filed U.S. asbestos litigation as a successor responsible party for McGraw-Edison’s legacy industrial operations.

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

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