Raybestos-Manhattan

Raybestos-Manhattan was a major American manufacturer of asbestos-containing friction products, especially brake linings and clutch facings for automotive and industrial use. Its name became so tied to brakes that "Raybestos" is still a friction-products brand. The company was a significant asbestos defendant, and its internal correspondence is part of the historical record on industry knowledge.

Origin

The company was formed in 1929 from the merger of the Raybestos Company and Manhattan Rubber Manufacturing. The name "Raybestos" combined "ray" with "asbestos," reflecting the material at the heart of its products.

Corporate history

According to the 1986 Sourcebook on Asbestos Diseases, Raybestos-Manhattan was formed in New Jersey on July 5, 1929, by consolidating four companies: the Raybestos Company; Manhattan Rubber of Passaic, New Jersey; the United States Asbestos Company of Manheim, Pennsylvania; and the General Asbestos & Rubber Company of Charleston, South Carolina.¹ The book lists among its later acquisitions Spartan Abrasives Company of Morgan, Pennsylvania (1968), the Milford Rivet & Machine Company of Milford, Connecticut (1969), and Breku Reibbelag G.m.b.H. & Co. of West Germany.¹ It says the company changed its name to Raymark Industries, Inc. in June 1982.¹

In the data sheet The Travelers Insurance Company compiled for a 1980 asbestos seminar from defendants' interrogatory answers, Raybestos-Manhattan, of Trumbull, Connecticut, described itself as the product of a merger of the same four companies.² It said it never mined or milled asbestos, but in 1953 bought 400,000 shares of Cassiar Asbestos Corporation, Ltd., owner of the Clinton mine in British Columbia.² It listed plants of Raybestos Friction Materials Co. at Stratford, Connecticut; Manheim, Pennsylvania; Crawfordsville, Indiana; Peterborough, Ontario; and County Cork, Ireland, and of Raybestos-Manhattan Industrial Products Co. at North Charleston, South Carolina, and Marshville, North Carolina, among others.² It gave its first knowledge of hazards as 1930 and its first labeling as 1972, said it had been a member of the ATI (the Asbestos Textile Institute) since 1956, and did not deny direct sales to the Long Beach Naval Shipyard.^2,3

Tables filed in the same section, behind a Johns-Manville memo of January 14, 1981 that forwarded a Raybestos-Manhattan product list received in connection with interrogatories served on the company in California, include one headed "Types of Asbestos Used by R/M." It says chrysotile was used at all locations for all products except certain packings and insulation blankets.^7,4 It and its notes say Manheim made crocidolite packings from the 1920s until June 1972, and North Charleston used crocidolite for braided packings and valve rings from the 1950s to the early 1970s, processing small amounts, probably under 2,000 pounds, of purchased yarn into braided packing; Manheim used amosite for U.S. Navy insulation blankets from the 1920s to 1944, about 150 to 300 tons a year in 1941 through 1944, and for insulating tape from about 1940 to 1970; and Stratford used anthophyllite in paper for automatic transmissions.^4,5 The section holds two copies of the textile product list that differ: one also lists the crocidolite, amosite and anthophyllite products, while the other gives different maximum asbestos percentages for many textile products and says all the asbestos in them was chrysotile.^5,6

Significance in Asbestos Context

For patients, Raybestos-Manhattan matters especially to mechanics, brake workers, and others exposed to friction-product dust. The Sumner Simpson papers, correspondence involving Raybestos-Manhattan's president Sumner Simpson and Johns-Manville, are among the most important documents showing the industry knew about asbestos hazards and worked to keep that information quiet in the 1930s. If your exposure came from brake or clutch work, identifying Raybestos products can connect your disease to a specific manufacturer.

Related Terms

Sumner Simpson Papers, Friction Products, Brake Linings, Chrysotile, Corporate Knowledge

Notes

• Mechanics and brake workers should document the brands of brake and clutch products they handled.
• The Sumner Simpson papers may be relevant evidence of early corporate knowledge.
• Bystander exposure counts; note if you worked near others doing brake or clutch work.

References

1. Barbara J. Peters and George A. Peters, Sourcebook on Asbestos Diseases: Medical, Legal, and Engineering Aspects, vol. 2 (New York: Garland Law Publishing, 1986), p. 171.
2. Travelers Asbestos Seminar Booklet (1980): Raybestos-Manhattan Product Information, p. 5
3. Travelers Asbestos Seminar Booklet (1980): Raybestos-Manhattan Product Information, p. 6
4. Travelers Asbestos Seminar Booklet (1980): Raybestos-Manhattan Product Information, p. 8
5. Travelers Asbestos Seminar Booklet (1980): Raybestos-Manhattan Product Information, p. 4
6. Travelers Asbestos Seminar Booklet (1980): Raybestos-Manhattan Product Information, p. 7
7. Travelers Asbestos Seminar Booklet (1980): Raybestos-Manhattan Product Information, p. 2 (Johns-Manville memo, January 14, 1981)

Units and subsidiaries

The divisions, plants, offices and companies the documents place under Raybestos-Manhattan, grouped here as one organization:

• United States Asbestos Company (Manheim, Pennsylvania) (company), in 11 documents

People

People the documents tie to Raybestos-Manhattan, most often named first, with the titles the documents give them.

• Hilton Cecil Lewinsohn: Director; Corporate Medical Director
• John H. Marsh: Director

Asbestos products

101 products our documents name Raybestos-Manhattan or one of its units as making or selling. Each product's page says what the documents say about it, including its asbestos content.

Plants

Plants where asbestos products were made that the documents say Raybestos-Manhattan or one of its units ran.

• Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. plant at Bridgeport, Connecticut
• Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. plant at Dandenong, Australia
• Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. plant at Passaic, New Jersey
• Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. plant at Stratford, Connecticut
• Raybestos-Manhattan plant at North Charleston, South Carolina
• United States Asbestos Company and later owners plant at Manheim, Pennsylvania

Mines

Asbestos mines the documents name Raybestos-Manhattan or one of its units as running or owning.

• Cassiar mine, British Columbia
• Todd Industries mine, near Coalinga, California

Court cases

25 court decisions in our case-law library name Raybestos-Manhattan or one of its units as a defendant, newest first.

• Nye v. Bayer Cropscience, Inc. (2011)
• Vigiolto v. Johns-Manville Corp. (1986)
• Morgan v. Johns-Manville Corp. (1986)
• Jackson v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1986)
• Rosenberg v. Celotex Corp. (1985)
• Lowe v. Johns-Manville Corp. (1985)
• Jackson v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1985)
• Nobriga v. Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. (1984)
• Jackson v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1984)
• Austin v. Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. (1984)
• Clay v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1983)
• Froud v. Celotex Corp. (1983)
• Thompson v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1983)
• Wedgeworth v. Fibreboard Corp. (1983)
• Austin v. Unarco Industries, Inc. (1983)
• Murphree v. Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. (1982)
• Wilson v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1982)
• Hardy v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1982)
• Froud v. Celotex Corporation (1982)
• Beshada v. Johns-Manville Products Corp. (1982)
• Matter of Steinhardt v. JohnsManville Corp. (1981)
• Fearson v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1981)
• Clutter v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1981)
• Hardy v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1981)
• McCarty v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1980)

In our library

397 documents in our library name Raybestos-Manhattan, by collection.

In the Union Carbide documents

Raybestos-Manhattan is named in 74 Union Carbide documents dated 1964 to 1987 (12 as the source, 73 mentioned), from asbestos lawsuits over Union Carbide's Calidria asbestos. All are published in our collection.

• Oleesky and Mohr, Handbook of Reinforced Plastics of the Society of the Plastics Industry, Chapter III-2 'Asbestos-Reinforced Plastics' (1964) UC-5292 (mentioned)
• W. N. Johnson Transmittal to F. H. Larrison and E. A. Piersall of AIA/NA Memos on FDA and Bureau of Mines Asbestos Actions (1972) UC-4282 (mentioned)
• W. N. Johnson to F. H. Larrison and E. A. Piersall Forwarding AIA/NA Memos on the FDA Asbestos Task Force and the Bureau of Mines Asbestos Dust Standard (1972) UC-5096 (mentioned)
• Users of Asbestos Fibers: Directory of Manufacturers by Product Category (1973) UC-935 (mentioned)
• Users of Asbestos Fibres: Directory of Companies by Product Category (1973) UC-2648 (mentioned)
• Asbestos Information Association Letters to the Editors of Consumers Research (1974) and The Wall Street Journal (1972) UC-1642 (mentioned)
• G. J. Weihs, Chrysotile Asbestos Markets and Forecasts for Group 7 (1974) UC-2638 (mentioned)
• G. J. Weihs, Chrysotile Asbestos, Group 7 (Shorts): Market Analysis and Forecasts (1974) Union Carbide 278 (mentioned)
• G. J. Weihs, Chrysotile Asbestos (Group 7, Shorts) Market Analysis, Union Carbide Marketing Services Department (1974) UC-209 (mentioned)
• G. J. Weihs, Chrysotile Asbestos (Group 7, Shorts) Market Analysis for Union Carbide Marketing Services (1974) UC-4630 (mentioned)
• G. J. Weihs, Chrysotile Asbestos Markets and Forecasts for Group 7, with W. C. Thurber Cover Note and Related Memos (1974) UC-944 (mentioned)
• Edmund M. Fenner (AIA Standards and Technical Committee) to Harry B. Rhodes, Union Carbide, Transmitting Draft Asbestos Work Practices and OSHA Comments, with Rhodes's May 24 Letter (1974) UC-855 (mentioned)
• W. C. Thurber to Dr. J. J. Welsh Forwarding Dr. Goodman's Proposed Medical Surveillance Provisions for the OSHA Asbestos Standard (1974) UC-242 (mentioned)
• H. B. Rhodes to R. E. Byrne, Jr., B. L. Ingalls, J. L. Myers and W. C. Thurber on the 18th International Congress on Occupational Health, Brighton (1975) Union Carbide 351 (mentioned)
• H. B. Rhodes to R. E. Byrne, B. L. Ingalls, J. L. Myers and W. C. Thurber on the 18th International Congress on Occupational Health, Brighton (1975) UC-2030 (mentioned)
• J. H. Marsh to N. Hendry and Others on the XVIII International Congress on Occupational Health, Brighton (1975) UC-953 (mentioned, source)
• North American Asbestos Corporation Transmittal of Textile and Fiber Customer Lists, 1954-1975 (1976) UC-1118 (mentioned)
• Asbestos Information Association/North America File on the Third Annual Industry-Government Conference, Sept. 8-9, 1976 (1976) UC-4241 (mentioned)
• C. C. Evans, H. C. Lewinsohn and June M. Evans, 'Frequency of HLA Antigens in Asbestos Workers With and Without Pulmonary Fibrosis', British Medical Journal (1977) UC-2595 (mentioned)
• H. B. Rhodes to J. L. Myers on Asbestos Warning Labels, with Raybestos-Manhattan Label Attached (1977) UC-4128 (mentioned)
• Hilton C. Lewinsohn, 'Medical Aspects of Occupational Exposure to Asbestos,' Talk to the Friction Materials Standards Institute (1977) UC-1269 (mentioned, source)
• Hilton C. Lewinsohn, Medical Aspects of Occupational Exposure to Asbestos, Talk to Friction Materials Standards Institute (1977) UC-1571 (mentioned, source)
• Hilton C. Lewinsohn, 'Medical Aspects of Occupational Exposure to Asbestos', Talk to the Friction Materials Standards Institute (1977) UC-3569 (mentioned)
• Hilton C. Lewinsohn, 'Medical Aspects of Occupational Exposure to Asbestos,' Talk to the Friction Materials Standards Institute (1977) UC-4328 (mentioned, source)
• H. C. Lewinsohn, "Asbestosis — A Diagnostic Enigma: A Personal View," Journal of Occupational Medicine (1977) UC-1286 (mentioned)
• P. H. Cooper, J. E. Day, C. A. Kennedy and H. C. Lewinsohn, 'Dust Control in a Conventional Asbestos Textile Factory,' Paper for the 5th International Conference on Pneumoconiosis, Caracas (1978) Union Carbide 6 (mentioned)
• P. H. Cooper, J. E. Day, C. A. Kennedy and H. C. Lewinsohn, Dust Control in a Conventional Asbestos Textile Factory, Paper for the 5th International Conference on Pneumoconiosis (1978) UC-1302 (mentioned)
• P. H. Cooper, J. E. Day, C. A. Kennedy and H. C. Lewinsohn, Dust Control in a Conventional Asbestos Textile Factory, Raybestos-Manhattan paper for the 5th International Conference on Pneumoconiosis (1978) UC-5027 (mentioned)
• Hilton C. Lewinsohn to Fernard Lincoln, Telex on the Regulatory Status of Asbestos-Containing Talc, with Lincoln's Query (1978) UC-2600 (source, mentioned)
• H. B. Rhodes to J. L. Myers on the N.Y. Academy of Sciences Asbestos Health Hazards Meeting (1978) UC-201 (mentioned)
• G. Berry et al., Asbestosis: A Study of Dose-Response Relationships in an Asbestos Textile Factory, British Journal of Industrial Medicine (1979) UC-1279 (mentioned)
• H. C. Lewinsohn, Medical Intervention and the Prevention of Asbestos-Related Disease, Working Paper for the Asbestos International Association Medical Advisory Panel (1979) UC-1270 (source, mentioned)
• Tribune-Review (Greensburg, PA), 'Nicely Safeguard Project Initiated' and '$1.8 Million Settles Suits On Asbestos' (1979) UC-1954 (mentioned)
• Dr. Hilton C. Lewinsohn (Raybestos-Manhattan), Panel Discussion on Biological Monitoring, Connecticut River Valley Section, AIHA (1979) UC-4219 (mentioned)
• H. C. Lewinsohn, 'A Review of the Inter-Relationship Between Physical, Biological & Environmental Factors in the Diagnosis & Management of Asbestosis' (1979) UC-1266 (mentioned)
• Hilton C. Lewinsohn, 'Recent Advances in Diagnosis and Management of Asbestosis,' Draft Paper for the Association of Clinical Scientists Symposium (1979) UC-4932 (source, mentioned)
• Hilton C. Lewinsohn (Raybestos-Manhattan) Statement to House Subcommittee on Labor Standards on Asbestos-Related Diseases and H.R. 2740 (1979) UC-4098 (mentioned)
• H. B. Rhodes to J. L. Myers on Asbestos Forum Activities, with Rhodes's 1977 Letter to L. B. Weisfeld and 1978 Memo on the NY Academy of Sciences Asbestos Meeting (1979) UC-4290 (mentioned)
• Mailing List for the August 1979 AIA/NA Health Information Mailing to Customers, Distributors and Warehouses (1979) UC-1600 (mentioned)
• AIHA Connecticut River Valley Section Notice, Garber Letter to H. C. Lewinsohn, and Paper 'Asbestos and Fiber Carcinogenesis' (1979) UC-4218 (mentioned)
• Hilton C. Lewinsohn, Surveillance of High-Risk Groups Exposed to Asbestos in the United States, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (1979) UC-1262 (mentioned)
• G. Berry and H. C. Lewinsohn, Dose-Response Relationships for Asbestos-Related Disease: Implications for Hygiene Standards, Part I. Morbidity (1979) UC-4097 (mentioned)
• H. C. Lewinsohn, Discussion Summary on Radiology and Medical Surveillance of Asbestos-Exposed Workers, IARC Scientific Publications No. 30 (1980) Union Carbide 537 (mentioned)
• H. C. Lewinsohn, Discussion Summary on Radiology and Medical Surveillance of Asbestos-Exposed Workers, Biological Effects of Mineral Fibres, Vol. 2 (1980) UC-1277 (mentioned)
• Lewinsohn, Meigs, Teta and Flannery, The Influence of Occupational and Environmental Asbestos Exposure on the Incidence of Malignant Mesothelioma in Connecticut (1980) UC-4096 (mentioned)
• H. C. Lewinsohn, Discussion Summary on Radiology and Medical Surveillance of Asbestos-Exposed Workers, in Biological Effects of Mineral Fibres, Vol. 2 (1980) UC-4546 (mentioned)
• William P. Barrett, 'Not told, workers say: 6 charge DuPont hid data on asbestosis,' The Bulletin (1980) UC-1947 (mentioned)
• Asbestos Information Association Executive Committee Meeting Minutes (April 9, 1980) UC-4870 (mentioned)
• Hilton C. Lewinsohn (Raybestos-Manhattan), Medical Surveillance of Asbestos Workers, Draft Paper for the Turin Asbestos Conference (1980) UC-2371 (source, mentioned)
• Hilton C. Lewinsohn, Medical Surveillance of Asbestos Workers, Draft Paper for the Fourth International Conference on Asbestos, Turin (1980) UC-2591 (mentioned, source)
• Asbestos Information Association/North America List of Member Companies (1980) UC-4878 (mentioned)
• Jane Teta (Yale) to Hilton C. Lewinsohn (Raybestos-Manhattan) Enclosing Draft Paper on Malignant Mesothelioma in Connecticut, 1935-1977 (1980) UC-4089 (mentioned)
• H. C. Lewinsohn, J. W. Meigs and M. J. Teta, Draft of 'Malignant Mesothelioma in Connecticut 1935-1977' for the Connecticut Thoracic Society (1980) UC-4215 (mentioned)
• Compilation of H. C. Lewinsohn Papers on Mesothelioma, Pleural Plaques and HLA Antigens in Asbestos Workers (1974-1980) UC-1291 (source)
• Lewinsohn, Meigs and Teta, Malignant Mesothelioma in Connecticut 1935-1977: Draft Presentation to the Connecticut Thoracic Society with Annotated Drafts and Pathology Review (1980) UC-1271 (mentioned)
• Asbestos and Smoking: A Deadly Combination, Occupational Hazards (April 1981) UC-4300 (mentioned)
• Hans Weill, M.D., to John H. Marsh on the AIA Document on Diagnosis of Asbestosis (1981) UC-3836 (mentioned)
• John H. Marsh (Raybestos-Manhattan) to Dr. H. C. Lewinsohn Enclosing Kevin Browne's Draft Review of Lung Fibre Burdens and the AIA Memorandum (1982) UC-4292 (mentioned, source)
• H. C. Lewinsohn to John Cornell on Recording and Reporting of Asbestos-Related Radiographic Abnormalities, with Attached OSHA Recordkeeping Instructions and 1979 Raybestos-Manhattan Surveillance Paper (1983) UC-3615 (mentioned)
• Jane Teta to Dr. Lewinsohn Transmitting Final Connecticut Mesothelioma Paper, with Cover Letter to Flournoy Publishers and Manuscript (1983) UC-4294 (mentioned)
• G. B. Elder Record of Telephone Conversation with Sherry Murphy on Anticipated Supply of Asbestos Gaskets and Packing (1986) UC-3157 (mentioned)
• Industrial Hygiene Department Asbestos Exposure Data for General Helpers (Gasket Cutters), 1972-1981 Samples, with Handwritten Notes (1987) UC-2975 (mentioned)
• Industrial Hygiene Department Asbestos Exposure Data for General Helpers (Gasket Cutters), Dept. 515 (1987) UC-4047 (mentioned)
• Curriculum Vitae of Hilton Cecil Lewinsohn, Union Carbide Medical Director, Chemicals & Plastics Group Union Carbide 25 (mentioned)
• Curriculum Vitae of Dr. Hilton Cecil Lewinsohn, Union Carbide Medical Director, Chemicals & Plastics Group UC-1275 (mentioned)
• Manville Corporation Booklet, The Asbestos Issue: No Cover-up, No Conspiracy UC-1548 (mentioned)
• The Bulletin: 'Lung-cancer victim wins $850,000 in asbestos suit' (Carmen v. Johns-Manville and Raybestos-Manhattan) UC-1963 (mentioned)
• Stephen G. Crapnell, "Asbestos: Legal battles escalate - Will Congress act?" (article on asbestos litigation and compensation legislation) UC-1966 (mentioned)
• Eshleman, Kreider and Lewinsohn, 'The Establishment of a Medical Surveillance Program in an Asbestos Factory,' with Attached Abstracts and Lewinsohn's 'Asbestos - A Review of Health Safeguards' Talk (undated) UC-2582 (mentioned)
• Meigs and Lewinsohn Research Plan on Occupational and Environmental Asbestos Exposure and Malignant Mesothelioma in Connecticut, with John H. Marsh Memo Slip UC-2621 (mentioned)
• H. C. Lewinsohn, J. W. Meigs and M. J. Teta, The Influence of Occupational and Environmental Asbestos Exposure on the Incidence of Malignant Mesothelioma in Connecticut (abstract, handwritten draft and manuscript) UC-2622 (mentioned)
• AIA/NA Member Companies, Environmental Control Sub-Committee and Counsel Roster UC-3877 (mentioned)
• Raybestos-Manhattan, Substitutes for Asbestos - Is There a Risk to Health (undated) UC-4220 (source, mentioned)
• Biographical Sketch of Hilton C. Lewinsohn, Assistant Corporate Medical Director, Union Carbide UC-4856 (mentioned)

Names in the documents

The spellings documents use for Raybestos-Manhattan, OCR misreadings included, so a search for any of them finds this page: Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc · Raybestos Manhattan · Raybestos-Manhattan Inc · Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc., Trumbull, Connecticut · Raybestos Manhattan Corp · Raybestos Manhattan, Inc · Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. and Connecticut Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Yale School of Epidemiology and Public Health · Raybestos Manhattan (telex line 'R M INTL TRUM') · Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. (paper prepared for the Asbestos International Association Medical Advisory Panel) · Raybestos Manhattan Incorporated · Raybestos-Manhattan, Corporate Headquarters · Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. (copy distributed by the Asbestos Information Association/North America) · Raybestos-Manhattan, Corporate Headquarters (cover letter); Asbestos International Association (enclosed memorandum) · Raybestos-Manhattan, Corporate Headquarters, Trumbull, Connecticut · Raybestos-Manhattan Corp · Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. (with Lancaster County General Hospital) · Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. (Raybestos Friction Materials Co., Manheim, PA) with Lancaster County General Hospital · Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc. (Raybestos Manhattan Industrial Products Company).

Where this comes from

This page brings together every document in our library that names Raybestos-Manhattan, across collections. Titles and affiliations are taken from the documents themselves, and units and subsidiaries are grouped under the company they belong to.