Paper Mills

One of the most common ways people are exposed to asbestos is in the workplace. Pipefitters, boilermakers, construction workers, auto mechanics, even veterans were regularly exposed to asbestos on the job, inhaling the microscopic fibers disturbed during the course of their work and increasing their risk of developing mesothelioma later in life. Based on our decades of work on behalf of mesothelioma victims and their families, we know that one of the deadliest sources of workplace asbestos exposure was in paper mills.

From the wet end to the dry end of the paper making process, the Willow Mill in South Lee, Massachusetts used asbestos extensively in its paper-making for several decades. Originating as the Hurlbut Mill on the banks of the Housatonic River in South Lee in the mid-1800s, the mill was acquired by Mead Corporation in the 1950s and soon after began making specialty papers. After merging with the Westvaco Corporation in the early 2000s, MeadWestvaco continued operating the mill until it was sold to Onyx Paper, which operates it to this day.

Among other types of paper, the Willow Mill produced the 650-series specialty friction paper based on a design patent co-owned by Mead and BorgWarner, an automotive supplier, to be used in automatic transmissions in cars and trucks. This paper contained asbestos, which is both durable and heat resistant, making it ideal for use in transmissions and clutch plates where significant heat is generated due to friction and was produced in South Lee until 1983. Evidence shows that the Mead Corporation recognized a problem with the way it was handling asbestos fibers at the Willow Mill.

The Deadly Life Cycle of Asbestos Friction Paper

The 650-series friction paper produced at the Willow Mill used two of the most dangerous forms of asbestos in the world: 1) crocidolite, also known as African Blue, the most carcinogenic type of asbestos, and 2) chrysotile, a less potent but still extremely dangerous fiber. Our extensive volume of evidence regarding asbestos use at the Willow Mill shows that, from the moment the asbestos shipment was picked up to the moment the final rolls of paper left the mill for the BorgWarner facility in Illinois, there were significant risks of exposure to deadly airborne asbestos fibers to workers and bystanders.

Before the asbestos even entered the facility, a driver was sent from the mill to Boston to meet the container ships arriving from South Africa to pick up a container of bags of raw asbestos for transport to Willow Mill. Once back at the mill in South Lee, the driver would unload the bags of African Blue, and employees would dump the 50lb bags of asbestos by hand into the hydropulper, releasing trillions of tiny airborne fibers. We know from internal documents that the company did not require workers to wear protective clothing or masks. Broken and open bags were often left in storage, further contaminating the air at the mill. Interestingly, we know of one driver who kept a chart showing pictures of venomous African snakes next to the loading platform. Oftentimes, the container from South Africa would have one or more stowaways hidden inside—colorful snakes that could slither out at any moment! Little did he know that the snakes were a far less deadly threat than the crocidolite itself.

The slurry created by the hydropulper was then spread onto screens to make the paper, was then pressed and dried, and rolled onto giant rolls by a rewinder. Each step of the process presented a hazard. Not only did the paper drying process itself produce asbestos dust, dryer felts often contained asbestos and the process of cutting or changing the felts also released respirable asbestos fibers. Rewinder operators were exposed to asbestos fibers as the dried paper was rolled. Cutter operators, whose job it was to smooth out the jagged edges of the rolled paper, were also exposed when asbestos-containing dust was created during the cutting process. The leftover scraps, or “broke”, were collected in the broke room, resulting in heavy exposure for those emptying and baling the scraps and shavings.

Mill workers regularly exposed during runs of asbestos grade paper include: 

• rewinder operators and helpers
• brokemen
• slusher operators and helpers
• beater engineers, operators, and beaterman helpers and hands
• machine tenders, backtenders, hands and trainees
• cutter machine operators and helpers
• sorters 
• trimmer operators
• technicians
• burning oven operators
• tour operators
• utility men

Dust hygiene reports from the Willow Mill reveal that exposure was greatest when bulk asbestos or paper was being handled. Areas where significant amounts of asbestos fibers were detected include: around the vent exhaust from the beater and slusher (into the basement), the test lab, between the wind-up reel and rewind, the slusher area, beater room, baler room, broke room, pulp storage area, dry end, and scales, as well as the shipping area.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued its first emergency standard for asbestos in 1971 in an attempt to limit worker exposure. Despite the widespread knowledge and accepted understanding of the dangers of asbestos, MeadWestvaco’s Willow Mill continued to use raw asbestos fiber in the friction paper it was manufacturing in concert with Borg-Warner into the early 1980s.

Beyond the Willow Mill

It wasn’t just mill workers who were exposed. Unfortunately, the effects of asbestos exposure at the Willow Mill are far reaching.

Family Members of Willow Mill Workers
It stands to reason that workers who came into contact with asbestos fibers at work would carry these fibers back home, in their cars and on their clothing. Our clients include the spouses of former Willow Mill workers, and their sons and daughters, who only now are beginning to show symptoms of mesothelioma. Wives who regularly laundered contaminated clothing, and children giving daddy a hug when he got home from work, unwittingly breathed asbestos fibers into their lungs.

Willow Mill Contractors

Whether during scheduled shutdowns or unexpected breakdowns, outside contractors called in to repair and maintain equipment were also exposed to airborne asbestos fibers. When equipment was offline for regularly scheduled maintenance, every minute counted and it was often an “all-hands-on-deck” situation to get the mill back online as quickly as possible. Multiple contractors—including those not typically associated with obvious asbestos exposure—were often on site while machinery was being cleaned, painted, or overhauled, suffering asbestos exposures as a result. As for repairs, outside machinists, boilermakers, pipefitters and others who were called upon to service equipment throughout the Willow Mill were potentially exposed to airborne asbestos fibers released during the paper making process. Not only that, the thousands of pumps and valves, gaskets, packing, insulation, and pipes present in mills of all types often contained asbestos, regularly exposing these workers in their day-to-day jobs.

South Lee Community Members
Contaminated sludge, pieces of broke, and other byproducts of the paper-making process were dumped, uncovered, on several acres of land on the mill property, not only creating an environmentally toxic Superfund site in the town of South Lee, but also exposing waste haulers and workers who were tasked with maintaining this dump.

Auto Mechanics Nationwide

Perhaps the most wide-ranging impact is on auto mechanics across the country who regularly handle asbestos-containing vehicle parts. Most automatic-transmission vehicles manufactured until the 1980s used friction paper in the transmissions, including the 650-series friction paper produced at Mead Westvaco’s Willow Mill for BorgWarner. Any time these transmissions are repaired, serviced, or overhauled, asbestos fibers are disturbed and released into the surrounding air. Many of these older vehicles are still on the road today, which means auto mechanics working on these vehicles are even now at risk of being exposed to asbestos. 

Contact an Experienced Mesothelioma Attorney

If you believe you or a loved one has developed mesothelioma as a result of their job history, we encourage you to reach out to an experienced mesothelioma lawyer to see if you may be entitled to financial compensation. Shepard O’Donnell’s extensive experience with mesothelioma cases originating in paper mills across Massachusetts and New Hampshire, including the Willow Mill, has resulted in life-changing verdicts or settlements for those suffering from this terrible disease and their families. Our significant collection of evidence regarding asbestos exposure in mills operated by Mead Westvaco, Hollingsworth & Vose, Kimberly Clarke, and Brown Company, includes proprietary information not used by other firms. Contact us for a free, no obligation consultation.

Photos taken by Shepard O’Donnell during site visits while investigating asbestos exposure at the Willow Mill. Copyright: Shepard O’Donnell