Harbison-Walker Refractories Company

Harbison-Walker Refractories Company was founded in 1865 by J.K. Lemon. By 1910
the company had developed a diverse line of industrial products, such as, super-duty silica
refractories for steel mills, fire clay, forsterite refractories for glass manufacturing, products for
open-hearth steel furnaces, kilns, and copper converters. Harbison-Walker manufactured high-grade, fireproof, ceramic, refractory products, which are used for high-temperature
environments. Such products are needed by many industrial settings, such as the cement, lime glass, iron, and steel industries.

Harbison-Walker grew rapidly during the industrial expansion of the twentieth century.
The company's operations spanned from Canada to Peru. The company operated many iron
mills and clay mines. Eventually free trade lowered demand in the United States for domestic
steel, however, and Harbison-Walker downsized its works force. In 1998, Halliburton Company
bought Harbison-Walker for $7 billion.

Unfortunately, to make its products heat resistant, Harbison-Walker used asbestos in great
measure for decades. As early as the 1920s, physicians recognized that exposure to asbestos
caused severe sickness when asbestosis was identified by British medical journals. At the same
time, insurance companies in the United States and Canada stopped selling life insurance to
asbestos workers. Moreover, safer substitutes for most asbestos uses were known as early as the 1930s. Nevertheless, Harbison-Walker chose to protect its substantial profit margins rather than discontinue use of the mineral.

Additionally, the asbestos fibers remain in a person's lungs for years and symptoms may
not develop for decades. Harbison-Walker's victims might live for decades without knowing of
the deadly injury they sustained.

The company placed its own employees and customers in grave danger of the serious
health conditions caused by asbestos exposure. Harbison-Walker's use of asbestos placed
workers of many industries at severe risk, especially, steel workers, chemical plant employees,
potters, shipyard workers, glazers, miners, and boilermakers.

In 2002, Harbison-Walker filed bankruptcy protection due to asbestos injury claims. In
2005, Halliburton settled Harbison-Walker's asbestos claims with a $4.17 billion settlement. If
you or a loved one has been injured by Harbison-Walker, it is important that you contact Gori
Julian & Associates immediately for more information on your rights.

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