General Motors (GM) Asbestos Trust

As one of the Big Three automakers in the United States, General Motors manufactured scores of vehicles with asbestos-containing clutch facings and brake linings that put workers at risk for asbestos exposure.

GM, based out of Detroit, Mich., used asbestos-containing parts that included heat seals, gaskets, engine components and insulation in its vehicles despite the known dangers. Diversifying in 1930, GM also started producing appliances, like asbestos-lined Delco-Heat boilers. Between asbestos products purchased from third-party sources and GM’s own product lines, asbestos was being used to control heat and friction in their products early on in the company’s development. By the 1970s, scientific studies found working with brakes exposed workers to dangerous levels of asbestos.

Asbestos was also used in GM engine and brake plants nationwide, putting assemblers, fabricators, assembly line workers, skilled trade works and others at risk for exposure. Even today, GM may be one of the many car parts manufactures that still use asbestos. The deadly fibrous mineral is not banned in the United States.

By 2009, GM faced more than $636 million in asbestos claims and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The GM asbestos bankruptcy trust was established in 2012 and funded with $625 million for asbestos personal injury claims.

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General Motors Asbestos Containing Products

Through the 1980s and despite repeated warnings about health hazards, asbestos was used in GM brake and clutch systems to prevent overheating from friction. Later the company purchased appliance companies including Frigidaire and Delco-Heat, which used asbestos in its products as well. Some of the asbestos-containing materials used or manufactured by GM include the following:

Anyone who has been exposed to asbestos and developed any asbestos-related disease has the right to make a trust claim. The funds can be used to pay for anything from medical bills to living expenses. Contact us today to find out how we help asbestos victims get the compensation they deserve.

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GM High Risk Occupations

There are several occupations both inside the General Motors plants and in outside employment that are at risk for exposure to asbestos, as follows:

• Factory workers – GM plants nationwide were known to have toxic levels of asbestos. Today, many of those plants have been abated and renovated, abandoned or slated for demolition. Sites including the GM stamping plant in Wyoming, Ohio, New York, Wisconsin and Tennessee. Factory workers could include anyone who assembled, repaired or handled GM asbestos-containing parts.
• Auto mechanics – From the earliest days of car manufacturing, auto mechanics who worked on asbestos brakes were at risk for developing mesothelioma. Even today, mechanics are advised against using compressed air to blow out Chrysotile asbestos dust and beveling, grinding and sanding asbestos brakes.
• Other automobile enthusiasts – The Motors Liquidation Company Asbestos Trust identifies other possible claimants, including “shade tree” mechanics (do-it-yourselfers), automobile hobbyists, individuals who occasionally performed brake and/or clutch work on their own vehicles or their friends’ and neighbors’ vehicles and individuals who were not regularly employed as professional auto mechanics.
• Engineers and railroad brakemen –Engineers who repaired appliances created by GM experienced similar risk. Asbestos exposure was also common in the rail industry, as asbestos was commonly found in brake linings.

Have there been any recent studies on auto mechanics developing asbestos cancer?

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How GM Exposed Workers to Asbestos

In the 1930s, an internal survey of GM brake plants found airborne asbestos concentrations were the highest in areas where asbestos cord was unwound for use in clutch manufacturing, areas where clutch facings were sanded, and areas where dry ingredients were mixed for brake lining composition. Industrial hygiene experts recommended better ventilation for the areas. It wasn’t until the early 1960s that the company installed industrial ventilation in some plants.

GM used auto parts that had heavy concentrations of asbestos. When GM received these products from the manufacturers, employees were ordered to vacuum the asbestos dust from the shipping containers, package the dust in plastic bags and ship the bags to the landfill. Today, dozens of former GM plants are considered environmental hazards from the use of dangerous toxins including asbestos.

In 1986, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) passed regulations that required warnings on brake products, but GM didn’t begin applying the warnings until 1989. GM, along with automakers Ford and Chrysler, have paid more than $43 million to scientific experts who testified in court that the amount of asbestos used in brake shoes and pads was harmless.

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GM Scheduled Values and Payment Percentage

Similar to other asbestos-related bankruptcy trusts, the GM asbestos trust distributes funds in one of two ways: expedited review or individual review.

Asbestos victims who are gravely ill or in need of fast access to funds can choose the expedited review, which provides quick access to a settlement based on predetermined sums per disease type.

The GM trust provides settlements based on the severity of disease and the means of exposure. In all cases, claimants who were exposed to asbestos as a result of their work as auto mechanics may receive higher settlements.

General Motors Settlements – Expedited Claims

Disease	Compensation
Mesothelioma	$175,000
Lung Cancer	$50,000
Other Cancer	$10,000
Severe Asbestosis	$50,000
Asbestosis/pleural disease	Up to $4,000

General Motors Settlements – Individual Review

Claimants who opt for an individual review typically receive larger settlement amounts over the expedited review. However, the claims take much longer to process.

In making a determination for an individual review, trustees take several factors into account including the claimant’s age, level of disability, employment status, the number of dependents, the amount of pain and suffering, the disruption of the household and typical family recreational activities.

Disease	Compensation
Mesothelioma	$220,000
Lung Cancer	$80,000
Other Cancer	$16,000
Severe Asbestosis	$80,000

For non-mechanics who make an individual claim, the GM trust allows for the following level of compensation:

Disease	Compensation
Mesothelioma	$35,000
Lung Cancer	$9,000
Other Cancer	$2,500
Severe Asbestosis	$9,000