Product Description
Westinghouse allegedly supplied a large fraction of the U.S. utility substation transformer fleet — 3-phase oil-filled power transformers in the 5 MVA to 500 MVA class, at voltage ratings from 13.8 kV distribution up through 345 kV and 500 kV transmission, according to publicly filed asbestos litigation records. Inside the tank, the internal lead wires that connected the HV and LV windings to the bushing bottom terminals allegedly used asbestos-fabric wrapping (varnished asbestos tape or asbestos braid) as high-temperature electrical insulation where the conductor exited the coil stack and ran to the bushing pigtail. When substation crews performed factory-authorized field rebuilds, coil replacements, bushing change-outs, or transformer scrapping, the aged asbestos wrapping was allegedly cut, stripped, and unwound from copper leads, releasing fibers into the tank interior and onto the switchyard floor.
Workers Exposed
Substation electricians, transformer mechanics, IBEW utility linemen assigned to substation duty, factory field-service crews, and scrap-yard demolition workers allegedly encountered airborne fibers when cutting or stripping Westinghouse internal lead-wire wrapping during rebuild, salvage, and end-of-life dismantling. Coil-shop workers at Westinghouse Sharon PA, East Pittsburgh, and Muncie IN allegedly faced primary manufacturing exposure.