CHAMPION PAPER 
Asbestos Exposure

Champion International, eventually acquired by International Paper in 2000, was a large paper and wood product producer. From the 19^th century it had been based in Hamilton, Ohio, then expanding to mills in Texas and North Carolina by the 1930s. At one point Champion was the largest coated paper manufacturer in the country.

Champion merged with U. S. Plywood Corp. in 1967, forming U. S. Plywood-Champion Papers Inc. The name was changed to Champion International Corp. in 1972. The firm also later merged with Hoerner-Waldorf Corporation, a large corrugated box manufacturer in 1977. 

By the 1990s, environmental concerns were affecting the company’s bottom line, facing lawsuits and environmental scrutiny. Like many other paper mills, there was widespread concerns about water pollution, toxic waste byproducts of the milling process, and numerous toxic exposure claims made by former workers diagnosed with cancer.

Various positions at paper mills were at an increased risk of being exposed to asbestos, maybe none more so than the machine operators and maintenance workers. Maintenance workers inspected asbestos-insulated pipes and boilers and machinery.

Paper mills themselves were also constructed with dozens of asbestos-containing materials, so almost any worker in a warehouse could have potentially been exposed to dangerous toxins. Workers at paper mills may still be at risk of developing occupational cancer. The following tasks and positions at paper mills that may be at elevated cancer risk include:

• Cementing and gluing machine operators
• Metal and plastic cutters
• Packaging and filling machine operators
• Punching and pressing operators
• Sawing machine setters
• Textile cutting machine setters
• Welders
• Electricians

Before the 1980s, many Hoerner-Waldorf and Champion Paper workers were at a high risk of toxic exposure and thousands of workers in the paper industry have fallen ill after long terms of workplace exposure. 

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has warned that not only are paper mill staff at risk in the past, but could still face health risks from past exposure or even new exposures. 

Paper milling operations like pulping involve extremely high temperatures and thus asbestos insulation was used to mitigate fire risks.

Joe Lyon is an asbestos cancer and toxic exposure attorney reviewing Champion Paper mill asbestos exposure for workers nationwide.

Champion Paper Mill Asbestos Exposure

Thousands of individuals who worked in paper mills in the 20th century could have been exposed to toxic materials on the job. Up until the mid 1970s, paper mills were built with construction materials that contained asbestos.