Combustion Engineering
Combustion Engineering was created in 1912 when the Grieve Grate Company and the American Stoker Company merged. The company made a variety of underfeed stokers. C-E began making boiler and boiler components in 1925, and diversified their product offerings and services in the 1950s when they expanded into oil and gas exploration, production, refining, and petrochemicals.
Combustion Engineering was a major supplier to the US Navy, providing boilers to the Navy’s fleet of steam-powered warships and frigates. In the 1960s Combustion Engineering acquired the Lummus Company and started selling nuclear power steam supply systems, putting itself in direct competition with General Electric and Westinghouse. C-E was acquired by the Swiss multinational company Asea Brown Boveri in the late 1980s.
Like many other companies who manufactured high heat components in the 20th century, Combustion Engineering used asbestos in many of their products, including boiler insulation, pipe covering and block.
Asbestos was a favored material for insulation material because of its amazing ability to resist heat and flame and its low cost. Unfortunately airborne asbestos also has the ability to become embedded in the delicate molecular linings of the internal organs, and are not easily expelled by the body. Over many years the embedded fibers can cause scarring and irritation, a condition that can eventually lead to a range of deadly asbestos-related disease such as
mesothelioma, a rare but usually terminal form of cancer.
Many individuals who manufactured or worked with Combustion Engineering were exposed to hazardous asbestos and developed mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases as a result. Starting in the 1980s C-E was hit by a wave of asbestos claims that nearly ruined parent company ABB. Instead ABB filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in 2003, an action that resulted in the formation of an asbestos trust to help compensate victims of Combustion Engineering asbestos use.
If you believe you or a family member has developed mesothelioma or any other asbestos-related disease as a result of working at Combustion Engineering or using their products, and would like to learn about available treatment options or about working with a
mesothelioma attorney, contact us today.
Asbestos laws have been developed to help victims of corporate negligence get the compensation they need and deserve.