In 1927, German immigrant Henry Reichhold founded Beck, Koller & Company US in Detroit, Michigan, in order to import resins and paint from his family’s company in Vienna, Austria. Most of the resins and paints were sold to the Ford Motor Company. During the 1930s, the company began producing chemicals domestically, and it acquired several smaller chemical companies throughout the United States. In 1938, Beck, Koller & Company US became Reichhold Chemicals. This event followed the death of Henry’s brother Otto Reichhold, who perished in the Hindenburg disaster. In 1955, the company held an Initial Public Offering on the New York Stock Exchange and in 1981, it was listed for the first time in the Fortune 500. In 2005, Reichhold’s management team bought out the company’s stockholders, which made Reichhold a privately-held company.

Reichhold Chemicals operated many plants throughout the United States. One particular plant of interest was located in Carteret, New Jersey. At its Carteret plant, Reichhold manufactured some asbestos-containing plastic molding compounds. Asbestos posed a high-risk health danger to workers who manufactured granulated plastic molding compounds, as well as to mold shop workers who transformed asbestos-containing molding compounds into finished products. When asbestos-containing molded plastic products are manipulated, drilled or sanded, asbestos dust and fibers can easily become airborne and inhaled or ingested. Exposure to dust and fibers emitted from asbestos-containing materials can cause mesothelioma or lung cancer. Even workers who did not have direct contact with asbestos-containing plastic molding compounds, but worked in an area where it was manufactured or molded, are at risk for developing mesothelioma or lung cancer.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer because you worked with asbestos-containing plastic molding compounds, please contact us regarding your legal rights.