Sherwin-Williams

Highest-Risk Occupations

For over 40 years, Sherwin-Williams exposed a wide variety of workers and consumers to the dangers of asbestos exposure through its products, which it sold for commercial, industrial, military, and home use.

The company did not warn users or employees about the potential dangers of asbestos, leading many to develop asbestos-related illnesses decades later. 

Who is At Highest Risk for Exposure?

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), there is no safe level of asbestos exposure, meaning even those who used Sherwin-Williams’ asbestos products infrequently are at risk.

However, workers who had close, regular contact with asbestos or asbestos-containing products through their jobs face the highest risks of illness and injury. 

Construction Worker

People working in construction and demolition are likely to have encountered a wide variety of asbestos-containing Sherwin-Williams products.

Asbestos products shed particles when disturbed, putting those nearby at high risk of exposure when such products are applied, removed, cut, mixed, or otherwise damaged.  

Roofer

Sherwin-Williams included asbestos in its roof coatings to increase durability, fire resistance, and UV protection. When roofers worked with asbestos-containing products during application and repairs, asbestos particles could become airborne, causing severe illnesses such as mesothelioma and lung cancer when inhaled or ingested.

U.S. Military Veteran

Sherwin-Williams supplied the U.S. military with camouflage paints during WWII.

The military required its suppliers to use asbestos in many of the products it ordered because of its heat- and fire-resistant properties, exposing service members across all branches to high levels of asbestos. Veterans account for 30% of the new mesothelioma cases diagnosed each year.

Family Members Exposed Secondhand

Many asbestos workers accidentally brought home fibers on their work clothes. Family members who have developed an illness following secondary exposure in the home through chores like laundry may be eligible to file personal injury lawsuits.

Bereaved family members may qualify to file a wrongful death claim to recover damages related to their loss.

Sherwin-Williams Asbestos Products

Asbestos is durable, nonconductive, and resistant to heat, fire, and chemical corrosion. These qualities, and its abundance and price point, made asbestos a popular additive for most of the 20th century, with many manufacturers perfectly happy to ignore the dangers it posed to human health and the environment.

Sherwin-Williams not only used asbestos in its popular products from the 1940s until the 1980s, but also incorporated talc into some of those products. Talc was added to paints and coatings due to its smoothing properties, making products more durable and easier to use. 

Talc is also a naturally occurring mineral. However, during mining, talc is often contaminated with asbestos because the two minerals are usually found in proximity. Even products that weren’t advertised as containing asbestos might have been contaminated with it through talc. 

Top Asbestos-Containing Products

• Block Filler
• Brick & Stucco Buff
• Brick & Stucco coating 
• Caulk 
• Dexall sealant 
• Fibrasal roof coating 
• Glazing compound
• Heavy-Duty Latex White
• Hi-Bild Textured Coating
• Kem-Weld Cati-Coat
• Kem-Weld Part B epoxy 
• Kemax Part B epoxy
• Paint
• P.C. Special Latex White
• P.C. Weatherclad masonry block coatings
• R.B. Latex White
• Sher-Tar epoxy-enamel hardener
• Textured Paint

Securing Compensation From Sherwin-Williams

For over a century, businesses, homeowners, and even the military have relied on Sherwin-Williams products, but for decades, those products included hazardous materials that left employees and users sick.

If you or a loved one worked with these products and has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, you may be entitled to compensation. 

Many people with occupational exposure are eligible to seek compensation from multiple asbestos companies or trust funds. Some claimants may also be eligible for other forms of compensation, such as VA benefits or workers’ compensation.

We can help you determine your eligibility and explore your options for free.

Veterans exposed to asbestos during their service and their families have access to support through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Filing a lawsuit against a negligent asbestos manufacturer like Sherwin-Williams will not disrupt these benefits or require you to sue the U.S. government or military.

– Daniel Wasserberg, Attorney

Filing a Lawsuit

Sherwin-Williams has never filed for bankruptcy or created an asbestos trust fund to compensate victims of its negligence. Instead, the company handles claims against it through the civil court system.

Victims and their families typically use two types of lawsuits when pursuing compensation:

• Personal injury lawsuit: Allows living victims of asbestos exposure to seek compensation for their losses.
• Wrongful death lawsuit: Allows the dependents or family members of deceased asbestos exposure victims to recover damages for the loss of their loved one.

Most asbestos claims are settled out of court rather than going to trial. Out-of-court settlements allow claimants and their legal teams to negotiate a compensation package that suits their needs, providing a relatively quick and secure route to compensation without the stress of a trial.

Key Requirements to File

• Diagnosis: Claimants must have a diagnosis of an asbestos-related illness (such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis) OR proof of a wrongful death from an asbestos-related illness. 
• Proof of exposure: Documentation linking the victim’s illness to asbestos exposure from Sherwin-Williams through employment or use of their products. 
• Statute of limitations: Potential claimants have a limited time to file a claim. Deadlines vary by state, with most averaging just 2 to 3 years, so it’s critical to move quickly.

Notable Lawsuits Against Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams has been named as a co-defendant in thousands of lawsuits surrounding its asbestos-contaminated paints, roof coatings, and block filler. Its negligent use of asbestos and asbestos-contaminated talc products has left the company open to product liability and failure-to-warn lawsuits. 

The company has a long and troubled history with toxic substances. In addition to asbestos, the manufacturer has also faced significant liability for its historical use of lead in its paint.

In both cases, it has taken the stance that these materials were considered standard for the time, despite medical evidence of asbestos’s dangers dating back to the 1930s. 

Like many former asbestos manufacturers, it frequently seeks summary judgment to have cases against it dismissed.

However, it often settles strong claims out of court for undisclosed amounts. If you or a member of your family has developed an asbestos-related disease due to exposure from Sherwin-Williams’ products, you can contact us today to get a free case assessment.

Sherwin-Williams’s Involvement With Asbestos

The Sherwin-Williams Company was founded in 1870 as a maker of paste paints, putty, and oil colors. It bought its first factory in Ohio, where the company is still headquartered, just three years later. 

Sherwin-Williams was an innovator, patenting the first reclosable paint can in 1877 and becoming the first widely accepted brand of premixed paint. It also introduced the successful marketing concept that consumers needed different paints for different surfaces. 

Sherwin-Williams expanded its product offerings throughout the 20th century, offering a wide selection of paints, sealants, coatings, caulks, block fillers, and more. It sold these products for use in the construction, railroad, and automotive industries, marketed other products for home use, and was a major supplier of camouflage paints to the U.S. military during WWII. 

However, from the 1940s until the 1980s, the company used asbestos and asbestos-contaminated talc in many of its popular products. Asbestos added durability and increased heat and fire resistance. Talc was a smoothing agent that enhanced brushability and gloss retention. 

It did not warn workers or end users about the potential dangers of these products, ultimately putting thousands of employees and consumers at risk for serious asbestos-related illnesses decades later. 

Although victims have named Sherwin-Williams in thousands of asbestos claims, it has never declared bankruptcy. Today, the company has more than 64,000 employees and 5,000 company stores in 130 countries.  

Contact Us For a Free Case Assessment

Companies like Sherwin-Williams valued the heat resistance and fireproofing qualities of asbestos more than they valued employees’ and consumers’ health and safety. Its negligent use of asbestos and asbestos-contaminated talc in its products injured thousands of people.

Many of those injured are now dealing with the pain, suffering, and expenses that come with serious asbestos-related illnesses like mesothelioma and lung cancer. However, help is available. 

If you or a member of your family has been harmed by asbestos in Sherwin-Williams products, you may be entitled to legal compensation. Our partner law firm, Meirowitz & Wasserberg, has 

decades of experience helping asbestos exposure victims and their loved ones hold negligent manufacturers accountable. 

If you’re ready to get the support and compensation you deserve, don’t wait. We can help you determine your eligibility and learn more about your case for free. Reach out to us today to get a free case evaluation.

Written & Legally Reviewed By

Daniel Wasserberg, Esq. Attorney and On-Site Legal Advocate

Daniel Wasserberg was a New York metropolitan area “Super Lawyer Rising Star” from 2013 to 2018 (attorneys under age 40), and a Super Lawyer in 2019. In 2017, Daniel was named a “Top 100 Civil Litigator” by the National Trial Lawyers organization. This recognition is rarely awarded to attorneys under the age of 40. Daniel is proud to call himself a Trial Lawyer, and is often asked to speak at gatherings of the nation’s leading attorneys, from both sides of the bar.

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