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Did you work with Lapp Porcelain Station Post and Suspension Insulators? According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records, it allegedly contained asbestos. Here is what it was, who was exposed, and who is responsible. Lapp Porcelain Station Post and Suspension Insulators, made by Lapp Insulator, sold from the 1930s until the 1970s. Lapp Insulator porcelain station posts and suspension bells allegedly used asbestos-fiber-reinforced mounting cement to bond porcelain to metal base flanges and cap-and-pin hardware in high-voltage substations and transmission lines, according to publicly filed asbestos litigation records. Allegedly asbestos-fiber-reinforced Portland mounting cement used to attach porcelain post and suspension insulators to metal fittings, base flanges, and cap-and-pin hardware, according to publicly filed asbestos litigation records. Workers allegedly exposed around this product included Substation Electricians, Utility Linemen (IBEW), and Substation Transformer Mechanics. Asbestos claims are brought against the companies that made the products. If you worked with or around Lapp Porcelain Station Post and Suspension Insulators and were later diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim against the manufacturer. This is educational information from an independent publisher — not a law firm — and is not legal advice.
Product Description
Lapp Insulator of LeRoy, New York, allegedly supplied station-post and suspension-string porcelain insulators to U.S. utilities for substation bus support, disconnect-switch mounting, and transmission-line service, according to publicly filed asbestos litigation records. The porcelain columns were allegedly bonded to their cast-iron or aluminum base flanges — and, in suspension bells, to their cap-and-pin fittings — with a Portland mounting cement that allegedly contained asbestos fiber. The alleged fiber reinforcement was intended to prevent hairline cracking during thermal cycling and to hold mechanical load on live 69-345 kV bus structures. Substation electricians replacing broken station posts, disconnect linkages, or storm-damaged suspension bells allegedly cut, chipped, and drilled the aged cement to salvage or re-seat the porcelain, generating airborne dust on the switchyard floor.
Workers Exposed
Substation electricians, IBEW utility linemen, disconnect-switch mechanics, transformer-yard crews, and bus-work fabricators allegedly encountered airborne fibers when handling, breaking, or drilling Lapp mounting cement during installation, replacement, or salvage of porcelain posts and suspension strings. Warehouse and stockpile workers handling replacement Lapp units allegedly faced secondary exposure from cement dust.