About Rogers Corporation Thermoset Phenolic Molding Compound Asbestos Rogers Missouri

Rogers Corporation was one of the major commercial manufacturers of thermosetting phenolic molding compounds in the United States through the peak asbestos era. Rogers did not operate as a jobsite fabricator of plastic parts — it was a raw material supplier whose asbestos-containing compounds were shipped in bags and drums to downstream fabricating shops throughout the Midwest and nationally, where workers processed them into finished molded parts every day.

Rogers Corporation’s asbestos phenolic compound product line included RX462 — an asbestos-filled phenolic molding compound used primarily in automotive component production, including carburetor caps and related fuel system parts. Rogers RX466 was another asbestos-containing phenolic compound in the Rogers product line, used for electrical insulation components and general industrial applications. Occupational sampling studies cited in publicly filed asbestos litigation have documented asbestos fiber concentrations at Rogers Corporation facilities and at facilities processing Rogers compound measured at up to 140 times the then-current OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) during compound production, handling, and machining operations.

Rogers Corporation purchased crocidolite fibers from North American Asbestos Corporation (NAAC) for use in certain compound formulations during the relevant period. In approximately 1968–1969, Rogers Corporation sold its specialty phenolic molding compound business — including its customer lists — to Fiberite Corporation, headquartered in Winona, Minnesota. Fiberite was subsequently acquired by Cytec Industries.

General Equipment at Rogers Corporation Thermoset Phenolic Molding Compound Asbestos Rogers Missouri

The equipment below represents the systems and infrastructure documented or typically present at this facility during the era when asbestos-containing materials were specified in industrial construction. This is general facility-equipment reference — not a legal attribution of any specific product, manufacturer, or exposure event to this facility. Material-category and manufacturer information is addressed in the AsbestosIndex Product Crosswalk linked under the records table below.

Industrial Boilers View crosswalk › Process Piping View crosswalk › Pipe Insulation View crosswalk › Block Insulation View crosswalk › Valves View crosswalk › Gaskets View crosswalk › Pumps View crosswalk › Heat Exchangers View crosswalk › Cooling Equipment View crosswalk ›

Documented Asbestos Evidence

The records below are verified, state-documented asbestos removals at this facility. Each entry represents a regulated abatement project where the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (Missouri DNR) was notified under federal NESHAP rules, the work was logged, and the asbestos-containing material was confirmed and removed under regulated conditions. These are not allegations or estimates — they are paper records tying documented asbestos-containing material to this specific site.

No Missouri DNR NESHAP abatement notifications have been identified for this facility in current public records. Per the framing above, absence of state-agency documentation should not be read as absence of asbestos — only as absence of a formal, regulated abatement event meeting reporting thresholds. Workers who recall encountering pipe insulation, block insulation, gaskets, or other asbestos-era construction materials at this facility may still have viable claims regardless of whether a state record exists.

Material Categories in Documented Records

The materials documented above (and similar asbestos-containing materials commonly encountered in records of this type) appear in the AsbestosIndex catalog with historical manufacturer and trust-fund information. Click a category to view manufacturers historically associated with that material:

Thermal System Insulation View crosswalk › Asbestos-Cement Board View crosswalk › Pipe Insulation View crosswalk › Roofing & Flashing View crosswalk › Spray Fireproofing View crosswalk › Floor Tile & Mastic View crosswalk › Ceiling Tile View crosswalk › Gaskets & Packing View crosswalk ›

Who May Have Been Exposed at Rogers Corporation Thermoset Phenolic Molding Compound Asbestos Rogers Missouri

Workers who loaded Rogers phenolic compound into a press hopper, trimmed flash from molded parts, tumbled finished components, or machined or ground a part made from Rogers material potentially inhaled the asbestos fibers Rogers blended into that compound.

At Koller Craft LLC’s facility at 1400 S Old Highway 141 in Fenton, Missouri, Rogers RX462 was processed for carburetor cap production. Workers who loaded RX462 from bags and drums into compression press hoppers, trimmed flash from finished caps with hand and power tools, placed caps into tumbling machines, and blew compound dust from parts and equipment with compressed air may have been exposed to asbestos fiber allegedly released from the Rogers compound throughout every production run.

At the Square D Corporation plant in Columbia, Missouri, workers who operated presses using Rogers compound, performed secondary operations on Rogers-derived molded parts, or maintained equipment contaminated with Rogers compound dust were exposed to the asbestos content of that compound.

Critical Filing Deadline & Next Steps

Missouri law gives mesothelioma and asbestos-disease claimants 5 years from the date of medical diagnosis to file a personal-injury lawsuit (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120). For wrongful-death claims after an asbestos-related death, the filing window is 3 years from the date of death (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 537.100). The two deadlines run on separate tracks — preserving one does not extend the other.

The personal-injury clock runs from diagnosis, not from exposure. Mesothelioma latency is typically 20 to 50 years, so workers exposed in the 1950s–1980s are being diagnosed today.

Practical first steps

  1. Document what you remember. Pay stubs, W-2s, union cards, photographs, coworker names, and dates of employment. The WorkChain widget on this page can save a copy you can email yourself.
  2. Preserve medical records. Pathology reports, biopsy results, imaging, and pulmonary-function tests are central to both civil claims and trust-fund filings.
  3. Identify household members. Spouses who laundered work clothing and children of plant workers are eligible for secondary-exposure claims when diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease.
  4. Speak with an asbestos attorney with Missouri experience. The first conversation is free and confidential. Asbestos trust-fund claims and civil claims run on different tracks — both can be pursued in parallel.

Asbestos-Related Diseases

Asbestos fiber exposure can cause several specific diseases that typically appear decades after the original exposure. The latency period — the gap between exposure and diagnosis — usually runs 20 to 50 years. That's why workers exposed in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s are receiving diagnoses today.

Mesothelioma

A rare, aggressive cancer that affects the lining of the lungs (pleural mesothelioma), abdomen (peritoneal), or heart (pericardial). Mesothelioma is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure, which is why a mesothelioma diagnosis often points directly to historical workplace exposure. Average latency from first exposure to diagnosis is 30-50 years.

Asbestosis

A chronic, non-cancerous scarring of lung tissue caused by inhaled asbestos fibers. Asbestosis causes progressive shortness of breath, persistent cough, and reduced lung function. It does not improve with treatment, and it is a recognized basis for compensation under most trust schedules and civil claims.

Lung Cancer

Asbestos exposure significantly increases the risk of lung cancer, particularly when combined with a history of smoking. Asbestos-related lung cancer is compensable under the same trust schedules and civil claim avenues as mesothelioma.

Other Recognized Diseases

Pleural plaques, pleural thickening, laryngeal cancer, ovarian cancer, and certain gastrointestinal cancers are also recognized as asbestos-related under various trust schedules and case-law authorities, though eligibility and proof requirements vary by claim type.

If you have any of these diagnoses and you worked at this facility, lived with someone who did, or were exposed in any documented capacity, you may have a claim worth pursuing. Speak with an attorney before assuming you don't qualify.

Cross-State & Regional Corridor Workers

Rogers Corporation’s asbestos-containing compounds were shipped in bags and drums to downstream fabricating shops throughout the Midwest and nationally. Rogers RX462 was also processed at Carter Carburetor / ACF Industries facilities in the Chicago area, where occupational sampling documented asbestos fiber concentrations from handling and machining RX462. Durez Plastics and Chemicals — another major phenolic compound supplier — also purchased crocidolite from NAAC during the same era. The customer lists Rogers transferred to Fiberite document which fabricating shops received Rogers compound — establishing supply chain connections between Rogers and downstream processors like Koller Craft LLC and other Midwest facilities.

Data Sources

Information about facility equipment, industrial materials, and occupational records referenced on this page is drawn from publicly available sources where applicable, including:

If specific equipment or product claims in this article are sourced from a non-public database, the source is identified parenthetically within the text above.