Durez Plastics, located at the corner of Erie Avenue and Walck Road in North Tonawanda, New York, used thousands of tons of raw asbestos in its manufacturing operations until the end of 1978. Founded in 1926, Durez quickly became a leader in the production of plastic molding compounds. Unfortunately, to strengthen those products, the company incorporated raw asbestos fiber—placing both its employees and nearby residents at serious risk.
Large quantities of raw asbestos escaped from mixing units at the Durez facility, contaminating the surrounding neighborhood. Significant asbestos contamination also occurred inside the Resin and Varnish buildings, where large reactors, kettles, and stills were insulated with friable (crumbly), chalky, and dusty asbestos-containing pipe covering and block insulation. Giant industrial mixers were used to combine thousands of tons of asbestos with other raw materials, creating an extremely dusty process that caused asbestos fibers to become airborne and spread throughout the plant and into nearby residential areas.
Mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases are known for their long latency period—the time between first exposure and diagnosis. Durez continued using asbestos until late 1978, and the North Tonawanda facility ultimately closed in 1994. Asbestos exposure from Durez significantly increased the risk of developing mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related diseases, which often do not appear until decades after exposure.
Residents who lived near the plant have reported seeing asbestos-laden dust covering nearby fields, including Ramsey Field, where Little League games and other youth activities took place during the 1960s and 1970s. Local workers were also exposed. National Grinding Wheel Company, which manufactured industrial grinding wheels, was located immediately east of the Durez facility at the same Erie Avenue and Walck Road intersection. Asbestos released from Durez contaminated neighboring properties, including the National Grinding Wheel site, exposing workers there to dangerous asbestos dust despite not handling asbestos directly.
Pictured above: The former National Grinding Wheel plant (as it appears today) on the corner of Walck Road and Erie Avenue
If you lived, worked, or played near the Durez Plastics plant in North Tonawanda at any time before 1979, it is important to share this exposure history with your physician.
Our firm has represented numerous individuals who worked at National Grinding Wheel and later developed mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure originating from the neighboring Durez facility. If you or a loved one lived in the neighborhoods surrounding the former Durez plant and have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma or lung cancer, please contact Lipsitz, Ponterio & Comerford for a free case evaluation and to learn about your legal rights.
