Asbestos Exposure at General Tire / GenCorp — Akron Rubber Plant

Former Workers, Families & Mesothelioma Victims: What You Need to Know

⚠️ OHIO FILING DEADLINE WARNING — READ THIS FIRST
Ohio law imposes a strict two-year statute of limitations on mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease lawsuits under Ohio Rev. Code § 2305.10. This two-year deadline runs from the date of your diagnosis — not from your last day of work, and not from when you were first exposed to asbestos-containing materials. Once this deadline expires, Ohio courts will permanently bar your civil lawsuit, regardless of how strong your case is. Every day of delay is a day closer to losing your right to compensation forever.
Asbestos trust fund claims and civil lawsuits can be pursued simultaneously in Ohio, and most asbestos bankruptcy trusts have no strict filing deadline — but trust fund assets are finite and are depleting. If you or a family member has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer, call an Ohio mesothelioma attorney today — not next week, not after the holidays, today.

If you worked at the General Tire / GenCorp Akron facility and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer, the cause may trace directly to conditions inside that plant. Thousands of workers may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials in everyday work environments — from steam-filled pipe chases to vulcanizer maintenance areas to boiler rooms — without any warning of the risk.

An experienced Ohio asbestos attorney can evaluate your case, determine your eligibility under Ohio’s two-year statute of limitations, and pursue civil lawsuits and asbestos trust fund claims simultaneously. This article identifies where asbestos-containing materials were allegedly present at the facility, which workers faced the highest exposure potential, what diseases result, and what legal options exist under Ohio law.

If you have already received a diagnosis, Ohio’s two-year filing clock is already running. Contact an Ohio asbestos attorney immediately — do not wait to find out whether your deadline has already passed.

What Was the General Tire / GenCorp Akron Plant?

The Rubber Capital’s Largest Employer

Akron, Ohio built its identity as the “Rubber Capital of the World” on plants like this one. For most of the twentieth century, Akron’s industrial corridor produced tires, rubber compounds, and automotive components that kept America moving. General Tire and Rubber Company — later reorganized as GenCorp Inc. — operated a sprawling manufacturing complex on Akron’s west side that employed thousands of workers across multiple decades.

General Tire was one of four dominant tire manufacturers headquartered in Akron, alongside Firestone, B.F. Goodrich, and Goodyear. The concentration of these facilities within Summit County created an industrial corridor where many workers spent entire careers moving between plants, accumulating potential asbestos exposure at multiple sites. Workers who also held jobs at Goodyear’s Akron facilities or B.F. Goodrich’s Akron plant may have faced compounded exposures across multiple Summit County worksites during the same decades when asbestos-containing materials were most heavily used.

From General Tire to GenCorp

General Tire and Rubber Company was founded in 1915 by William F. O’Neil in Akron. The company grew from a regional tire retailer into one of America’s four dominant tire manufacturers.

In 1984, the parent company rebranded as GenCorp Inc., reflecting a strategic shift into aerospace, defense, and real estate. Tire manufacturing at the Akron facility continued under GenCorp, though production volumes declined through the 1980s and 1990s.

Facility Operations and Layout

At its peak, the Akron rubber plant reportedly encompassed millions of square feet of manufacturing floor space, including:

Rubber compounding and mixing departments using Banbury mixers and roll mills
Tire building rooms where workers assembled raw components into complete tire carcasses
Vulcanizing departments where heat-curing presses transformed rubber compounds into finished tires
Maintenance shops covering pipefitting, boilermaking, electrical, and insulation trades
Steam generation and power plant facilities supplying process heat across the entire complex
Chemical storage and processing areas handling raw materials used in rubber formulation

Employment reportedly peaked in the mid-twentieth century, with thousands of hourly and salaried employees working three shifts, seven days a week. Large-scale demolition and remediation activity followed — work that carries its own serious asbestos exposure risk when aging asbestos-containing materials are disturbed without proper abatement procedures.

Why Asbestos-Containing Materials Were Prevalent in Rubber Manufacturing

Heat-Intensive Processes Required Thermal Insulation

Tire manufacturing runs on heat. Vulcanization — the chemical process that crosslinks raw rubber using sustained heat and sulfur — requires temperatures from 280°F to 380°F (138°C to 193°C). Reaching and maintaining those temperatures required:

High-pressure steam systems running throughout the plant
Vulcanizing presses and curing molds heated by steam or electrical resistance
Industrial boilers generating process steam at high pressure
Steam traps, valves, flanges, and distribution piping serving virtually every department

Through most of the twentieth century, plant engineers and contractors insulated all of these systems with asbestos-containing materials. Thermal resistance, flexibility, and low cost made asbestos the standard insulating medium for industrial applications throughout that era.

Chemical Resistance

Rubber compounding environments contain oils, solvents, and chemical accelerators that degrade ordinary sealing materials. Asbestos-containing gaskets, packing materials, and rope seals were standard components in pumps, valves, and flanges throughout these plants because asbestos resisted chemical attack in ways that other materials of the era could not.

Fireproofing in High-Risk Production Areas

Large volumes of flammable hydrocarbon-based rubber stocks and solvents were stored and processed throughout the plant. Asbestos-containing fireproofing materials were allegedly applied to structural steel, inside electrical enclosures, and as fire barriers in high-risk production zones.

Asbestos-Containing Products Allegedly Present at the General Tire / GenCorp Akron Facility

Based on litigation records, historical trade documentation, and materials consistent with industrial rubber plant operations of the mid-to-late twentieth century, workers at the Akron facility may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials from the following manufacturers.

Pipe and Equipment Insulation

Johns-Manville pipe covering and block insulation — Johns-Manville dominated American asbestos-containing thermal insulation manufacturing through the 1970s. Workers at the Akron plant may have been exposed to asbestos-containing pipe covering and block insulation from Johns-Manville applied to steam lines, process piping, and equipment surfaces throughout the facility.

Owens-Illinois “Kaylo” and “Aircell” pipe insulation — Owens-Illinois manufactured its “Kaylo” and “Aircell” calcium silicate pipe insulation products, which reportedly contained asbestos through the 1970s. These products appeared widely across Ohio’s rubber and steel manufacturing corridor and were allegedly present at numerous Summit County facilities. Workers may have encountered asbestos-containing materials from these products during installation, repair, and removal.

Armstrong World Industries insulation products — Armstrong produced asbestos-containing pipe and block insulation used throughout industrial applications. Workers at the Akron plant may have been exposed to Armstrong asbestos-containing materials during installation, maintenance, and removal operations.

Celotex asbestos-containing insulation — Celotex manufactured asbestos-containing pipe and equipment insulation that may have been present at this facility.

Georgia-Pacific insulation materials — Georgia-Pacific supplied asbestos-containing insulation products to industrial facilities during this period, and such materials may have been present at the Akron complex.

Gaskets, Packing, and Valve Seals

Garlock Sealing Technologies asbestos-containing gasket sheet and compression packing — Workers who removed old gaskets, cut new ones from sheet stock, or repacked valves may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials from Garlock products. Garlock gaskets were standard in industrial steam and pressure applications throughout Ohio manufacturing.

Crane Co. asbestos-containing valve packing and gasket materials — Crane Co. valve packing and gasket materials appear frequently in Ohio asbestos-related disease cases, particularly those involving steam systems.

Eagle-Picher compression packing and gaskets — Eagle-Picher, an Ohio-based manufacturer, supplied asbestos-containing packing and gasket materials to industrial facilities; these materials may have been present at General Tire / GenCorp.

Boiler and Furnace Insulation

Unibestos boiler block insulation — High-temperature boiler insulation reportedly containing asbestos may have been present on steam boiler systems in the plant’s power facility.

Eagle-Picher boiler block insulation — Eagle-Picher boiler insulation products reportedly contained asbestos and may have been used in the facility’s power generation systems.

Johns-Manville “Thermobestos” and block insulation — Johns-Manville supplied asbestos-containing boiler block insulation, including its “Thermobestos” product line, which reportedly appeared in industrial boiler installations throughout Ohio’s manufacturing corridor during the mid-twentieth century.

Refractory cement and castable materials — Boiler refractory repairs and initial construction allegedly used asbestos-containing cements and castable mixtures from multiple manufacturers.

Sprayed and Troweled-On Fireproofing

W.R. Grace asbestos-containing spray fireproofing — W.R. Grace manufactured asbestos-containing spray fireproofing applied to structural steel. Workers at the Akron facility may have been exposed to airborne asbestos-containing material during application and removal of these products.

Monokote and related spray-applied fireproofing products — Spray-applied thermal protection products allegedly containing asbestos were reportedly used on structural steel members throughout the facility.

Vulcanizer and Press Equipment

Vulcanizing presses and curing autoclaves represent a distinct exposure setting unique to rubber manufacturing. This equipment:

Operated at sustained high temperatures requiring thermal insulation with asbestos-containing materials
Required periodic maintenance, including replacement of asbestos-containing insulation and gasket materials
Reportedly used asbestos-containing gasket materials, rope packing, and insulating blankets on steam connections and equipment surfaces

Workers who maintained vulcanizers — or who worked near presses where asbestos-containing insulation was deteriorating — may have been exposed to airborne asbestos fibers on a near-daily basis.

Building and Structural Materials

Armstrong World Industries vinyl floor tiles — Floor tiles in office and locker room areas may have contained asbestos as a binding agent.

Gold Bond and Sheetrock asbestos-containing products — Drywall products, joint compounds, and finishing materials from Gold Bond and Sheetrock brands may have contained asbestos and been used during facility construction and renovation.

Asbestos-containing ceiling tiles — Armstrong and other manufacturers supplied ceiling tile products containing asbestos for industrial facilities; these materials may have been present at the Akron plant.

Sprayed-on fireproofing on structural steel — Structural steel throughout the complex was routinely protected with sprayed asbestos-containing fireproofing during mid-century construction. Workers may have been exposed during application, maintenance, and removal of these materials.

Industrial Machinery, Brakes, and Friction Materials

Raybestos-Manhattan asbestos-containing brake and clutch linings — Industrial equipment throughout the plant — overhead cranes, lifts, and mobile machinery — may have used asbestos-containing friction materials. Workers who maintained brakes and clutches on this equipment may have been exposed to asbestos-containing dust during routine service.

Bendix asbestos-containing brake and clutch components — Bendix manufactured asbestos-containing friction materials used in industrial equipment; these materials may have been present in facility machinery.

Who Worked at General Tire / GenCorp Akron and May Have Faced Asbestos Exposure

The workers at greatest risk were not always the ones cutting insulation or handling pipe covering directly. In a facility this large, asbestos fibers released during one trade’s work contaminated the air breathed by every worker in the immediate area.

General Tire / GenCorp