Located along the shores of Lake Superior, in Alger county, Munising, Michigan, sits the Neenah/Munising Paper Mill. The Munising Paper Co., LTD. Started in 1902. In 1952 the Kimberly Clark Paper Company of Wisconsin, purchases the mill and begins producing durable materials, saturated and coated papers, and coated synthetic materials. Soon after, in 1956, the Neenah Paper Company of Neenah, WI was purchased and made a division of Kimberly Clark. The Munising mill was then put under the Neenah Paper, Inc. Division. In 2004 Kimberly Clark divest itself of its technical products and fine paper businesses. They proceed to spin off Neenah Paper into its own company. During this process, Neenah Paper retained possession of the mill. The Neenah/Munising Paper Mill remains fully in operation to this day. Initially the mill was a fully integrated mills with both a pulp mill and paper machines. The mill now purchases pulp which is broken down in a hydro-pulper which is then sent to the headbox to make paper.
The plant consists of numerous departments including Beater Room, Paper Machines, Finishing, Roll Wrap, Coater, Saturator, Maintenance shops and rewinders. Due to the papermaking process a lot of steam, electricity and heat is required. The steam is generally produced by a number of boilers and the steam is sent to turbines to generate electricity and the various production departments to cook the pulp and run machinery such as the paper machines.
The Powerhouse had two steam generating boilers and one electrical generating steam operated turbine. The boilers had stokers and ash handling equipment for stoking the boilers with coal and removing the ash produced by burning the coal. There was also one hot water supply boiler on the premises. Other powerhouse equipment included deaerators, condensers, feedwater systems, heat exchangers, fans, pumps, valves and compressors. In addition to the two steam generating boilers there was also one hot water supply boiler at the plant. There were also steam powered turbines that drove pumps, paper machines, and other equipment.
Asbestos was used in products such as paper machine dryer felts, pipe coverings, chemical pipe, building materials, insulation, gaskets, packing and brakes used in paper mill machinery in mills that were built between the 1900s and 1970s.
Insulation: Asbestos-containing block, cements and pipecovering used on boilers, blowers, condensers, digesters, evaporators, heat exchangers, piping, pumps, and turbines.
Paper and Pulp Mill Equipment: such as boilers, compressors, heat exchangers, fans, stokers, paper machines, turbines, pumps, valves and also had asbestos-containing materials including brakes, dryer felts, gaskets, packing, steam hoses and joints.
Building materials: Industrial adhesives, ceiling and floor tiles, paint, corrugated roofing and siding.
Asbestos exposure in paper mills occurs through construction and equipment maintenance. Because pulping, recovery, and boiler operations involve high heat and steam asbestos was used to insulate boilers, piping systems, turbines and other vessels, which maintenance and production workers often came into contact with. Maintenance personnel were also at a high risk of exposure because asbestos gaskets, hoses, packing and other materials were present in the mill machinery that they were required to inspect and repair. The various materials used to build paper mills such as industrial adhesives, ceiling and floor tiles, insulated piping contained asbestos, and if workers encountered deteriorating materials, they may have been exposed to and inhaled asbestos fibers.
Maintenance workers were not the only paper mill employees at risk of asbestos exposure. Just working inside the plant posed a threat to asbestos exposure because the large amount of asbestos dust that collected in the air could be inhaled by any worker in the plant.
Production workers also were exposed during the making of the paper on the machines which included a drying process where asbestos containing dryer felts or fabrics are used to enhance the production of high-speed paper machines. After the pulp passes through the initial chemical and mechanical processing stages, the paper product is run through the paper machine and the dryer sections remove the leftover moisture. During daily routine operations and maintenance, asbestos dust was released from dryer felts in dryer machines. When the dryer felts had to be replaced, workers were exposed to asbestos particles when they hand cut and fitted the new felt into the machines. The paper machine sections are often run by steam turbines which drive line shafts. Each line shaft has a brake and clutch system.
Once these fibers are inhaled, they can become lodged in organ tissues and remain there throughout a workers life. The accumulation of these fibers can cause fibrosis and scarring that lead to the development of Mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses 10 – 40 years later. Even if you smoked you may be entitled to compensation if you are suffering from an asbestos related disease.
Maintenance: Construction and Maintenance Mechanics, Electricians, Insulators, Machinists, Oilers, Painters, Pipefitters, Welders and other trades. They construct, maintain, and repair the equipment throughout the plant.
Powerhouse: Boiler and Turbine Operators, and Maintenance Men, they operate and monitor the boilers, turbines, condensors, and compressors.
Material Handling: Hi-Lo Operators, Crane Operators, Equipment Operators, Laborers, Sludge Operators and Tractor Operators. They handle and move the logs, chips, and sludge for the mill.
Wood Processing: Chipman, Chip Plant Operator, Liquors Mixer, Operators, and Utility Workers. They operate and monitor the chipper and send processed wood to pulp mill.
Pulp Mill: Effluent Treater, Pulp Operator and Secondary Treatment. They cook the wood chips into pulp and treat it with chemicals.
Paper Mill Machine: Back Tender, Beater Room Operator and Helper, Brakeman, Paper Machine Tender. They take the pulp and turn it into paper through the various sections on the paper machine.
Shipping: Car loader, Power Trucker, Trackmobile Operator and Weigher. Prepare the paper for shipping to customers.
Maintenance Foreman and Supervisors: They schedule and supervise the maintenance and repair of the papermill buildings and equipment.
Truck and Tractor Operators: They operate truck and or tractors to move raw materials (forest logs), chips and equipment in the mill.
Lab Workers: They test and analyze pulp and paper,chemicals and water.
First Line Supervisors/Managers Production and Operating Workers: They directly supervise and coordinate production and operations employees (Precision Workers, Inspectors, Machine Setters and Operators, Assemblers, Fabricators, and Plant and System Operators.
Industrial Production Managers: They plan coordinate or direct the manufacturing process.
Engineers – They coordinate, plan and schedule construction and maintenance projects.
If you or a loved one have questions regarding asbestos exposure at Neenah/Munising Paper Company or anywhere in Munising, we have Michigan based and licensed lawyers with over 50 combined years of experience that would be able to assist you. John Kelsey and John Pomerville are Asbestos & Mesothelioma Attorneys in Goldberg Persky & White’s Michigan offices and have been representing Michigan asbestos victims in the lower and upper peninsulas for over 25 years. They are very knowledgeable in regard to asbestos exposure at Neenah/Munising Paper Company, Mesothelioma and the other asbestos diseases caused by asbestos exposure. If you have any questions concerning your exposure to asbestos and mesothelioma at Neenah/Munising Paper Company in Munising, call our Michigan-based mesothelioma lawyers, they may be able to give guidance if you were exposed to asbestos in Port Huron.
If you have been diagnosed with Mesothelioma you should immediately speak with an experienced Michigan based Lawyer to preserve your legal rights as this is a time sensitive matter and knowing the facts will help you make the best medical and legal decisions possible and help you recover financial compensation for medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering .
We have represented people injured by exposure to asbestos whose work histories include Neenah/Munising Paper Company in Munising, Michigan. Our extensive database of jobsites and asbestos product identification built over 30 years of specializing in asbestos lawsuits allows us to represent effectively and efficiently those injured by asbestos in the workplace.
In order to successfully pursue an asbestos claim, your lawyer needs to be familiar with the jobsites you worked at, including
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Neenah/Munising Paper Company is one of tens of thousands of jobsites in our database.
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Asbestos exposure can cause a variety of non-cancerous and cancerous injuries such as:
We have successfully represented hundreds of Michigan Asbestos Victims including Neenah/Munising Paper Mill Employees and Michigan Labor Union members in lawsuits against the responsible asbestos product manufactures. Millions of dollars in compensation has been recovered for our asbestos disease clients. We have the resources and experience to take on the Asbestos Industry and demand fair compensation for you.
Did you work at Neenah/Kimberly Clark/Munising Paper Mill in Munising, Michigan? Have you been injured by asbestos? Contact us today for a FREE, no obligation consultation: 1-800-799-2234.