After an influx of Duro Dyne asbestos claims alleging that the company is responsible for widespread asbestos exposure, the sheet metal manufacturer has declared bankruptcy.

The bankruptcy filing comes after the company allegedly exhausted insurance policies in an attempt to settle Duro Dyne asbestos claims. The first Duro Dyne asbestos claims were filed in 1988, seeking compensation for asbestos exposure from the 1950s to around 1978. The company said that it has settled over 650 Duro Dyne asbestos claims and won dismissal for over 8,100 other claims.

However, the company still faces nearly a thousand personal injury lawsuits. Duro Dyne reportedly plans to establish a trust to pay all current and future Duro Dyne asbestos claims.

When Duro Dyne asbestos claim began to trickle in, the plan was to pay them through insurance and cash flow. However, these avenues have reportedly been exhausted in recent years, prompting Duro Dyne’s Chapter 11 filing.

“This case is designed solely to address the company’s asbestos liabilities,” said counsel for Duro Dyne in a statement to Law360. “It’s a financially healthy, strong company that’s been dealing with asbestos overhang for a lot of years and because of the erosion of its insurance coverage, it has been paying larger and larger percentages of its settlements.”

Duro Dyne was founded in 1952 and has since become a major manufacturer of sheet metal and sheet metal accessories. The company often provides heating and cooling ducts, as well as accessories for these products including connectors, specialized screws, fasteners, sealers, adhesives, machinery and hand tools.

For years, Duro Dyne used asbestos in many of their products, including their flexible duct connectors. Products manufactured by Duro Dyne which may have contained asbestos include:

• Duro-Metal-Fab Flexible Duct Connectors
• Econ-O-Fab Flexible Duct Connectors
• Junior Flexible Duct Connectors
• Duro Dyne Duct Sealer

The asbestos content in these products may have put countless individuals in danger. Duro Dyne employees who worked with or around these products may have been affected by asbestos exposure as well. Factory workers, installers, and technicians may also have been exposed to asbestos when Duro Dyne products were moved or disturbed, causing the release of asbestos fibers into the air.

The families of these workers may also have been affected. Although the most obvious risk for asbestos exposure is the inhalation and ingestion of asbestos fibers, these fibers can also cling to clothing where they can be transported home. Once in the home, family members of workers have the risk of being exposed to these fibers as well.

Other individuals at risk include those who lived or worked in buildings that were built with Duro Dyne products. When these products are moved or as they deteriorate over time, asbestos fibers can be released and dispersed throughout an entire building.

The consequences of asbestos exposure can take years or even decades to show up. Diseases such as lung cancer and mesothelioma may even take decades to appear, and many individuals do not immediately link their disease to past asbestos exposure.

However, asbestos exposure can play a huge part in the development of disease and those affected may be eligible to take action against former employers and manufacturers of asbestos containing products. If you believe you were exposed to Duro Dyne products, you may be eligible to join the Duro Dyne asbestos claims or file your own.