Manufacturer Background

Moloney Electric Company was a long-running U.S. manufacturer of distribution and power transformers, headquartered historically in St. Louis, Missouri. The original Moloney plant in St. Louis, MO was allegedly acquired by Westinghouse Electric Corporation and continued operating as a Westinghouse transformer plant — then transferred to ABB (Asea Brown Boveri) following Westinghouse’s 1989 sale of its Transmission & Distribution business to ABB. The Moloney → Westinghouse → ABB St. Louis transformer plant (at 4350 Semple Avenue) is named in publicly filed U.S. asbestos litigation including the Duke v. CBS Corporation et al. case (Cause No. 1822-CC00339, City of St. Louis MO). Per publicly filed allegations, Moloney-era transformer designs continued to be serviced, rebuilt, and reconditioned at the St. Louis plant for decades under Westinghouse and ABB ownership — meaning service-center workers handled Moloney-built transformers manufactured during the 1950s-1980s asbestos era. Per publicly filed allegations, Moloney power transformers allegedly incorporated asbestos-bearing phenolic spacers, Bakelite-type laminate, asbestos transformer paper, asbestos cloth, asbestos gaskets, and phenolic-asbestos bushings consistent with industry practice during the era.

Documented Asbestos-Bearing Products

  • Moloney power transformers and distribution transformers (1900s-1980s asbestos era)
  • Asbestos-filled phenolic spacers (tube, coil, winding, oil duct spacers, spacer sticks)
  • Bakelite-type phenolic laminate insulating components
  • 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

  • St. Louis, Missouri (4350 Semple Avenue area) — original Moloney plant; allegedly acquired by Westinghouse, then transferred to ABB in 1989 (see dedicated Missouri facility page)
  • Moloney transformers serviced and rebuilt at Westinghouse / ABB transformer service centers nationwide for decades after original Moloney manufacture

How Workers Were Exposed

Per publicly filed allegations in U.S. asbestos litigation, workers were allegedly exposed to Moloney Electric asbestos-bearing transformer components during:

  • Transformer assembly at Moloney Electric 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 Moloney Electric 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 Moloney Electric transformers during in-service repair
  • Reconditioning operations — heat-baking, vacuum drying, and oil refilling of disassembled transformer units saturated with asbestos fiber

Workforce Trade Hub

Component Supplier Crosswalk

Workers exposed to Moloney Electric 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

All consultations are free. No fee unless a financial recovery is made on your behalf.

This information reflects 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.