Atlas Turner Incorporated

Incorporated in Canada’s second most populated city, Montreal, in 1907, Atlas Asbestos Company was focused on producing various products that contained asbestos including roof decking, cement flat sheets, corrugated sheets, and pipes. The primary parties involved in this effort were the Turner brothers, who were also involved in the Turner & Newall company. Up until 1934, the Turner brothers owned Atlas.

Atlas was acquired in the 1930s by Turner & Newall, an English company that was interested in widening its business operations. In the same year of 1934, Turner & Newall also acquired Keasbey & Mattison. The motivation for acquiring Keasbey is that the company owned the Bell Asbestos Mine. When Turner & Newall re-incorporated in 1936, Turner & Newall transferred Atlas Asbestos ownership to Bell Asbestos Mine.

Owning the mine meant that raw asbestos was easily accessible to Atlas Asbestos. Atlas owned insulators and warehouses throughout the United States including in all of Canada’s big cities. Additionally, headquarters for the company as well as warehouses were situated a little over 100 miles from the Bell Mine.

From 1934 to 1974, Atlas Asbestos owned the primary license for spray limpet insulation. Limpet spray contains a substantial portion of asbestos and is believed by many to consequently be one of the most dangerous types of asbestos, particularly for workers at Atlas. Because no public details yet existed stating that asbestos was dangerous, precautions were not taken to minimize how many workers were exposed to the dangerous material.

Atlas Turner has been involved in countless lawsuits alleging asbestos exposure. Some of these cases include:

• One lawsuit brought against Atlas Turner involved a man who was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2016 and later passed away from the illness in 2017. The man claimed that he was exposed to asbestos in various ways. The man's alleged exposure occurred while he was employed as a subcontractor as a "gofer" for a steamfitter at the World Trade Center in the summer of 1970. The plaintiff argued that during this time, he was around other workers including electricians, tile workers, and insulators who he claims utilized various products that contained asbestos. A six-person jury in this case ultimately issued a verdict in favor of the defendant, which awarded nothing to the estate of the plaintiff.
• A 2017 case involved the estate of the plaintiff that claimed she was not adequately warned about the risk involving asbestos fibers taken home from work by the plaintiff's husband from 1976 to 1980. The court ultimately did not award compensation to the plaintiff.

If you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos-containing products manufactured by Atlas Turner, it is important to remember that you have the right to hold Atlas Turner accountable for the resulting harm. Contact an attorney at the Throneberry Law Group today for assistance.