Product Description

Westinghouse Micarta transformer-grade laminate is the Westinghouse-branded phenolic-resin-bonded paper, cloth, and asbestos laminate used inside Westinghouse and other manufacturers’ large power transformers during the asbestos era. Westinghouse Micarta was sold as flat sheets, machined parts, washers, barriers, and structural shapes for use in transformer internals — including winding-end insulation, between-coil barriers, bushing-mount insulators, and structural support pieces. Micarta laminate constructions allegedly included asbestos-paper grades (the P-grade, FBE-grade, FBG-grade series) and asbestos-cloth grades (the H-grade series) — all named in publicly filed asbestos litigation as asbestos-containing.

Documented Applications

Westinghouse Micarta transformer-grade laminate was allegedly installed throughout Westinghouse power transformers manufactured at the Muncie, Indiana; Sharon, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and other Westinghouse transformer plants during the asbestos era. Micarta was also allegedly sold to GE, Allis-Chalmers, McGraw-Edison, Federal Pacific, and other transformer OEMs as a standard transformer-internal insulation material.

Asbestos Content and Worker Exposure

Per publicly filed allegations in U.S. asbestos litigation, Westinghouse Micarta Transformer-Grade Laminate (Phenolic-Asbestos) was allegedly an asbestos-bearing transformer component used by major U.S. power transformer manufacturers (Westinghouse, General Electric, Allis-Chalmers, McGraw-Edison / Pennsylvania Transformer Division, Federal Pacific, RTE, Niagara Transformer, Cooper Power Systems, and others) during the 1950s-1980s asbestos era. Asbestos exposure allegedly occurred during transformer assembly (handling Micarta laminate stock), during transformer dismantling and rebuild (removing aged Micarta from field transformers), and during machining, drilling, sawing, and grinding of Micarta laminate to fit transformer geometry.

Workers most likely exposed include transformer-plant manufacturing workers, transformer-service-center dismantlers and rebuilders, coil winders, bushing technicians, utility substation electricians, industrial electricians, and field-service crews servicing aged transformer units.

How Workers Were Exposed

  • Transformer assembly — handling raw Westinghouse Micarta Transformer-Grade Laminate (Phenolic-Asbestos) components during new-transformer winding, insulation, and assembly
  • Transformer dismantling — extracting aged Westinghouse Micarta Transformer-Grade Laminate (Phenolic-Asbestos) components from field transformers during rebuild and service-center operations (highest documented exposure category)
  • Machining and trimming — drilling, sawing, and finishing operations on cured phenolic and asbestos-bearing laminate
  • Field maintenance — utility substation electricians and industrial electricians handling transformer components during in-service repair
  • Reconditioning operations — heat-baking, vacuum drying, and oil refilling of disassembled transformer units saturated with asbestos fiber

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 Westinghouse Micarta Transformer-Grade Laminate (Phenolic-Asbestos) 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.