Thousands of Delphi workers around the world were at risk of asbestos exposure and later developing related cancers. Many factory workers at Delphi and Warren, Ohio Packard Electric plants with asbestos faced an occupational exposure. Auto part production sites were packed with asbestos bricks, drywall, and insulation on heating and water pipes.
One of the largest manufacturers of auto parts in the U.S., Delphi was eventually separated from General Motors in 1999. Delphi had 50,000 employees in the United States at once point in history, operating over 150 manufacturing sites. Delphi made the Monsoon premium audio systems found in some GM automobiles.
In 2005, however, Delphi filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed 21 of its 29 plants in the United States.
Workers who directly handled and installed brake linings were heavily exposed. That includes any person packing and unpacking, installing, sanding, buffing, polishing, grinding and drilling parts for installation.
One study published by the Journal of Occupational Medicine concluded automobile makers had an increased risk of cancer. Delphi Workers may have been exposed in the following locations:
- Delphi Auto Systems: Dayton, Vandalia and Sandusky
- Delphi Packard: Warren, Ohio
- Delphi Chassis: Kettering, Dayton
Knowing that workers were looking at various health hazards, corporations like GM continued manufacturing dangerous products, and failed to warn employees of the consequences. Nearly any worker in a Delphi auto plant could be at risk of developing asbestosis, lung cancer, or mesothelioma.
Delphi Asbestos Lawsuits
For many years now, auto companies have been targeted in occupational cancer claims, many as a result of their asbestos-containing brake linings and clutch facings.
• An auto mechanic who worked at GM for 36 years alleged that asbestos from brake linings and clutch facings caused him to develop mesothelioma. A jury awarded the victim $2 million.
• In another case, a warehouse worker died of mesothelioma after he was exposed to General Motors asbestos products when working at a GM distribution warehouse. A New Jersey jury awarded his family more than $30 million in damages.
