Fisher Scientific and Asbestos-Containing Products

Company History

Fisher Scientific is a long-established American supplier of laboratory equipment, chemicals, and scientific materials. Founded in the early twentieth century, the company grew to become one of the most widely recognized names in scientific supply, serving research institutions, industrial facilities, universities, hospitals, and manufacturing plants across the United States. Its distribution network reached virtually every sector of American industry, making Fisher Scientific products a common presence in laboratories and industrial settings for much of the twentieth century.

During the mid-twentieth century, Fisher Scientific operated during a period when asbestos was widely regarded as a practical and cost-effective material for heat resistance, insulation, and fire protection. Asbestos-containing products were standard inventory items for many scientific and industrial suppliers of that era, and Fisher Scientific was among the companies that distributed such materials to American workplaces. According to asbestos litigation records, the company’s involvement with asbestos-containing products extended into the industrial and laboratory supply markets through at least the early 1980s, when regulatory pressure and growing awareness of asbestos hazards prompted significant changes across the supply industry.

Fisher Scientific has operated under various corporate structures over the decades and has been subject to acquisitions and mergers. Today, the company operates as part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, one of the world’s largest scientific instrument and supply companies. However, the litigation history relevant to asbestos exposure pertains specifically to the activities of Fisher Scientific during the mid-twentieth century period of asbestos use.

Asbestos-Containing Products

According to asbestos litigation records, Fisher Scientific distributed pipe insulation products that plaintiffs alleged contained asbestos as a primary component. Pipe insulation was among the most common asbestos-containing product categories distributed through industrial and scientific supply channels during the 1940s through the early 1980s. These materials were used across a broad range of settings — from laboratory facilities and research institutions to manufacturing plants, power generation facilities, refineries, and other industrial environments where Fisher Scientific maintained a commercial presence.

Court filings document that plaintiffs alleged Fisher Scientific supplied asbestos-containing pipe insulation to worksites and facilities where workers were regularly exposed during installation, maintenance, and removal activities. Pipe insulation of this type typically contained chrysotile asbestos, and in some formulations, amphibole asbestos varieties such as amosite, which were valued for their thermal stability and resistance to high-temperature applications.

It is important to note that Fisher Scientific’s role in asbestos litigation has generally been characterized as that of a distributor and supplier rather than a manufacturer of the asbestos-containing materials themselves. Plaintiffs alleged that as a distributor, Fisher Scientific placed asbestos-containing pipe insulation products into the stream of commerce, and that the company knew or should have known of the health hazards associated with asbestos exposure during the period in which these products were sold. The specific product lines and catalog numbers associated with Fisher Scientific’s asbestos-containing pipe insulation offerings are documented in various court records and product identification evidence submitted in asbestos litigation.

Because Fisher Scientific served as a broad-based supplier to American industry and science, its pipe insulation products are alleged to have reached a wide geographic and industrial cross-section of American workplaces over several decades.

Occupational Exposure

Workers in a variety of trades and industries may have encountered asbestos-containing pipe insulation distributed by Fisher Scientific during the period from roughly the 1940s through the early 1980s. According to asbestos litigation records, exposure allegations have arisen in connection with work performed in the following settings and occupational categories:

Pipefitters and Plumbers — Workers who installed, maintained, or replaced pipe insulation in industrial and commercial facilities were among those with the most direct and sustained contact with asbestos-containing insulation products. Cutting, fitting, and trimming pipe insulation generates airborne asbestos fibers that can be inhaled without visible indication.

Insulators — Thermal and mechanical insulators, sometimes called asbestos workers, applied pipe insulation as a primary job function. Court filings document that insulators regularly worked with pipe insulation products distributed through major industrial suppliers, including Fisher Scientific, at facilities throughout the United States.

Maintenance and Repair Workers — Workers responsible for ongoing facility maintenance who encountered pre-installed pipe insulation during repair work faced exposure risk, particularly when disturbing aged or damaged insulation materials that had become friable over time.

Laboratory and Research Facility Workers — Given Fisher Scientific’s particular focus on scientific and research markets, workers in laboratory environments — including laboratory technicians, custodial staff, and facilities maintenance personnel — may have encountered pipe insulation products supplied by Fisher Scientific in those settings.

Boilermakers and Steamfitters — Workers in high-temperature industrial environments, including power plants, refineries, and manufacturing facilities, routinely worked in proximity to insulated pipe systems. Court filings document allegations that Fisher Scientific pipe insulation products were present in these environments.

Secondary Exposure — Family members of workers in the above trades may have experienced secondary or take-home asbestos exposure through contact with contaminated work clothing, tools, and equipment brought into the home. Secondary exposure is a recognized pathway in asbestos-related disease development.

Asbestos-related diseases including mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease typically have latency periods of twenty to fifty years between exposure and diagnosis. Individuals who worked in these trades during the mid-twentieth century may only now be receiving diagnoses connected to occupational exposures that occurred decades ago.

Fisher Scientific does not have a dedicated asbestos bankruptcy trust fund. The company has not undergone asbestos-related bankruptcy reorganization, which means there is no pre-established trust through which claimants can file administrative claims directly. According to asbestos litigation records, Fisher Scientific has been named as a defendant in asbestos personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits filed in courts across the United States.

Plaintiffs alleged that Fisher Scientific, as a distributor of asbestos-containing pipe insulation, bears responsibility for injuries caused by exposure to those products. Court filings document claims alleging that the company distributed materials known to be hazardous without adequate warning to end users, and that workers suffered asbestos-related diseases as a result of exposure to those products in the workplace.

Because no trust fund exists for Fisher Scientific, individuals seeking compensation for asbestos-related injuries allegedly connected to the company’s products would need to pursue claims through civil litigation. This process differs from trust fund claims in several important respects:

  • Civil litigation requires filing a lawsuit in the appropriate court and proceeding through the legal process, which may include discovery, depositions, and trial or negotiated resolution.
  • Product identification is a critical component of any asbestos claim. Claimants and their attorneys will typically need to establish that a specific Fisher Scientific product was present at the worksite, that the claimant was exposed to that product, and that the product contained asbestos.
  • Statute of limitations applies to asbestos claims and varies by jurisdiction. Generally, the clock begins running at diagnosis or at the time the claimant knew or should have known of the connection between their illness and asbestos exposure. Consulting with an attorney promptly following an asbestos-related diagnosis is strongly advisable.
  • Multiple defendants — Because most asbestos exposure cases involve products from more than one manufacturer or distributor, claims are typically filed against multiple parties simultaneously. Other defendants may include manufacturers of the asbestos-containing insulation materials that Fisher Scientific distributed, and those manufacturers may have established trust funds from which compensation can be sought separately.

Summary

Fisher Scientific, a major American scientific and industrial supplier active from the mid-twentieth century, is named in asbestos litigation in connection with the distribution of asbestos-containing pipe insulation products. According to asbestos litigation records, plaintiffs alleged the company supplied these materials to American worksites — including laboratories, industrial facilities, power plants, and manufacturing plants — from approximately the 1940s through the early 1980s.

Fisher Scientific has no asbestos bankruptcy trust fund, meaning compensation claims related to its products must be pursued through civil litigation rather than an administrative trust claim process. Workers who handled, installed, or maintained pipe insulation products associated with Fisher Scientific, as well as family members who experienced secondary exposure, may have potential legal claims if they have received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or a related condition.

Anyone who believes their asbestos-related diagnosis may be connected to exposure involving Fisher Scientific products should consult with an attorney experienced in asbestos litigation as soon as possible after diagnosis. Product identification records, work history documentation, and co-worker testimony can all serve as important evidence in establishing the exposure history necessary to support a claim.