Asten Johnson and Asbestos-Containing Dryer Felts

Company History

Asten Johnson is an American manufacturer historically associated with the production of industrial papermaking fabrics and related textile products. Operating within the specialized segment of paper machine clothing — the woven and felted fabrics that perform critical functions inside papermaking machinery — Asten Johnson supplied components to paper mills and industrial facilities across the United States for decades.

The company’s products were engineered for demanding industrial environments, where high temperatures, continuous mechanical stress, and moisture were constant operating conditions. Dryer felts, one of the core product categories Asten Johnson manufactured, were used in the dryer sections of paper machines to carry wet paper sheets through banks of heated cylinders, facilitating moisture evaporation during the papermaking process. This application placed dryer felts — and the workers who installed, maintained, and replaced them — in direct and repeated contact with the materials from which those felts were constructed.

According to asbestos litigation records, Asten Johnson continued manufacturing products that incorporated asbestos fiber into at least some of its dryer felt lines through approximately the early 1980s, when industry-wide regulatory pressure and shifting product formulations led to a broader transition away from asbestos-containing materials in industrial textiles.

Asbestos-Containing Products

Asbestos was incorporated into industrial dryer felts for properties that were considered commercially valuable in papermaking applications: heat resistance, dimensional stability under tension, and durability across extended use cycles. The dryer section of a paper machine operates at elevated temperatures — conditions under which synthetic alternatives of the mid-twentieth century were considered less reliable than asbestos-reinforced textile composites.

According to asbestos litigation records, plaintiffs alleged that Asten Johnson manufactured dryer felts containing asbestos fiber and that these products were supplied to paper mills throughout the United States during a period roughly spanning the mid-twentieth century through the early 1980s. Court filings document that workers at paper manufacturing facilities identified Asten Johnson dryer felts as a source of occupational asbestos exposure during this period.

The specific fiber compositions of dryer felts in this product category varied by manufacturer and production era. Asbestos fibers, when woven or felted into industrial fabric structures, can be released as respirable dust during normal handling — including cutting felts to size, threading felts through machine components, tensioning, and removal of worn felts. These routine maintenance activities were performed repeatedly by millwrights, paper machine operators, and maintenance workers throughout the operational lifespan of asbestos-containing dryer felt products.

Court filings document that former paper mill employees alleged exposure to asbestos-containing dryer felts bearing the Asten Johnson name, and that such felts were present in facilities where routine installation and changeout work occurred. Plaintiffs alleged that inadequate warnings accompanied these products regarding the hazards of asbestos fiber inhalation.

Occupational Exposure

Workers in the paper and pulp manufacturing industry represent one of the primary exposure populations associated with asbestos-containing dryer felts. According to asbestos litigation records, the following occupational groups have been identified in court filings as potentially exposed to asbestos fibers released during the handling of dryer felts in papermaking environments:

Paper Machine Operators worked in close proximity to the dryer section of paper machines throughout their shifts. The routine operation of machinery incorporating asbestos-containing dryer felts could generate airborne fiber, particularly when felts were worn, frayed, or damaged.

Millwrights and Maintenance Workers performed the hands-on labor of removing old dryer felts and threading new felts through the machine’s roll and cylinder configurations. This process involved direct manipulation of asbestos-containing fabric and was a recognized source of fiber release documented in plaintiffs’ allegations.

Felt Technicians and Paper Machine Clothing Specialists were tasked with monitoring felt condition, making tension adjustments, and trimming felts to fit specific machine configurations. Cutting asbestos-containing dryer felts generated respirable dust at elevated concentrations compared to incidental contact.

Supervisors and Quality Control Personnel who were present on the paper machine floor during installation and changeout activities may also have experienced bystander exposure, as asbestos fibers released during dryer felt handling do not remain confined to the immediate work zone.

The exposure risks associated with asbestos-containing dryer felts were not limited to new product installation. Worn felts — which were in continuous mechanical contact with heated cylinders and under sustained tension — degraded over time, potentially releasing fiber during normal operation. Facilities that ran multiple paper machines, each requiring periodic felt replacement on a scheduled maintenance cycle, created conditions for repeated and cumulative occupational exposure over the course of a worker’s career.

According to asbestos litigation records, former employees of paper mills in multiple regions of the United States have alleged that their diagnoses of asbestos-related disease — including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer — were causally connected to occupational exposure involving asbestos-containing dryer felts, with Asten Johnson products identified among the materials they handled.

Individuals who worked in paper and pulp facilities from the 1940s through the early 1980s, and who had contact with dryer felts during that period, should discuss their full work history with a physician familiar with asbestos-related disease, as latency periods for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related conditions typically range from 20 to 50 years following initial exposure.

Trust Fund / Legal Status

Asten Johnson has been named as a defendant in asbestos personal injury litigation. According to available legal records, Asten Johnson does not currently operate an asbestos bankruptcy trust fund established under Section 524(g) of the United States Bankruptcy Code. The company has not, to the extent documented in publicly available records, undergone the asbestos-related Chapter 11 reorganization process that resulted in trust fund establishment for other manufacturers in this product category.

Court filings document that plaintiffs alleged Asten Johnson manufactured and distributed asbestos-containing dryer felts without adequate warning of the health hazards associated with asbestos fiber inhalation, and that this failure contributed to occupational disease among paper industry workers. Asten Johnson has been pursued through conventional civil tort litigation by claimants alleging asbestos-related injuries.

Plaintiffs alleged in civil proceedings that Asten Johnson knew or should have known about the hazards of asbestos exposure during the period in which its dryer felt products contained asbestos fiber, and that adequate warnings were not provided to the workers who handled these materials in the ordinary course of their employment.

Because no established asbestos bankruptcy trust exists for Asten Johnson based on currently available records, individuals pursuing claims related to this manufacturer would generally proceed through civil litigation rather than a trust claim submission process. The absence of a trust fund does not preclude legal recovery; it affects the procedural pathway through which claims are pursued.

If you or a family member worked in a paper mill or pulp and paper manufacturing facility and handled, installed, or worked near dryer felts — particularly between the 1940s and early 1980s — you may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials associated with Asten Johnson and other manufacturers in this product category.

Key points for workers and families:

  • Asten Johnson dryer felts have been identified in asbestos litigation by former paper mill employees alleging occupational exposure.
  • No Asten Johnson asbestos bankruptcy trust fund has been identified in available records. Claims against this manufacturer are typically pursued through civil litigation.
  • Asbestos-related diseases including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis can develop 20 to 50 years after initial exposure. A diagnosis today may relate to work performed decades ago.
  • Other manufacturers of asbestos-containing paper machine clothing and related products — some of which do operate active trust funds — may also be relevant to your exposure history depending on which products were present at your facility.
  • An attorney with experience in asbestos personal injury litigation can evaluate your full work history, identify all potentially responsible parties (including trust fund defendants), and advise on the appropriate legal pathway for your specific situation.

Thorough documentation of your employment history, job duties, and the specific products you worked with is valuable when pursuing any asbestos-related claim. Former co-workers, union records, employment records, and facility maintenance logs can all serve as supporting evidence.