The Nicolet Company (Keasbey & Mattison)

The Nicolet Company (Keasbey & Mattison) produced pipe insulation and other products using asbestos. Asbestos use led to exposure in workers and resulting lawsuits. Victims of Nicolet products can file claims for compensation through the Armstrong asbestos trust fund.

If you suffer from mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer, you may be eligible for a large amount of compensation. Fill out our form to receive our free Financial Compensation Packet. Our packet is loaded with information on experienced mesothelioma attorneys in your area, how to file a claim for asbestos trust funds, how to get paid in 90 days, and more. 

The Nicolet Company History

The Nicolet Company started in 1881 after Dr. Richard V. Mattison and Henry G. Keasbey moved their small pharmaceutical company to Ambler, Pennsylvania.

Known initially as Keasbey & Mattison, in the beginning, the company focused on manufacturing and marketing patent medications, which included their popular invention, Bromo Caffeine.

However, once the company learned of asbestos via its mixture in the milk of magnesia medication, it shifted its focus to creating asbestos-related products. Keasbey & Mattison became a leading company and employer in the small town of Ambler.

According to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, although the company helped people find employment and increased the town’s economy, Keasbey & Mattison’s asbestos products resulted in Ambler becoming known as the “asbestos capital of the world.”

During World War I, Keasbey & Mattison provided numerous asbestos-related products to the military.

The company went through an ownership change around the same and became known as The Nicolet Company.

Under its new name, the company continued to produce asbestos products. By then, thousands of people had already developed life-threatening diseases from asbestos exposure.

Asbestos-related lawsuits began flooding in against The Nicolet Company, resulting in the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The Nicolet Company Lawsuits

Many instances of asbestos diseases caused by The Nicolet Company involved not only employees and contractors, but also people exposed secondhand.

According to Riverfront Times-News (RTN), Ambler resident Mary Samsel grew up on Kilgore Drive, a short distance from The Nicolet Company’s asbestos-cement plant.

Her father worked at the plant, and on numerous occasions, she would accompany him to work.

Samsel later became a physician and never worked around asbestos or asbestos-containing products, yet at the age of 47, she was diagnosed with asbestos-related lung cancer.

Although doctors initially thought Samsel’s disease was caused by smoking, a closer look at one of her right lungs revealed asbestos fibers in it.

At the time of her exposure, a manufacturing company, CertainTeed, had taken over the plant. Samsel sued CertainTeed. They reached a settlement of an undisclosed amount.

The Nicolet Company was found responsible in many other asbestos-related lawsuits. In 1987, facing over 61,000 cases, the company filed for bankruptcy.

Many people felt that the company’s decision to file bankruptcy was not fair, including George Henry, whose 74-year-old father developed asbestosis after working at The Nicolet Company’s plant.

 “They’re more or less saying, ‘If you got it, there’s nothing we can do. . . . The hell with you.’ That’s bull.”

Henry’s statement came before establishing an asbestos trust fund to compensate victims, which was later to come.

The Nicolet Company Asbestos Trust Fund

Armstrong World Industries eventually acquired the Nicolet Company. 

When Armstrong took over the company, it also took over all its asbestos-related cases, which the Armstrong World Industries Asbestos Trust is handling.

The fund, created in 2006, started with over $2 billion. Over $200 million has already been paid out.

Occupations Affected by The Nicolet Company

The Nicolet Company’s asbestos products were distributed to and used in many industries, affecting numerous occupations and workers, including:

• Electricians
• Construction workers
• Plumbers
• Insulation installers
• Roof workers and carpenters
• Automobile factory workers
• Home decorators
• Automobile mechanics
• Sandblasters
• Sheet metal workers
• Welders and welder helpers
• Yard workers and laborers
• Blacksmiths
• Engineers
• Utility workers
• Technicians

Asbestos-Containing Products Manufactured by The Nicolet Company

The following are among the many types of asbestos products made by The Nicolet Company:

• K&M Kolor-Mate Asbestos-Cement Structural Sheets
• K&M Hy-Temp Pipe Insulation
• K&M Featherweight and Hi-Temp 85 percent Magnesia Pipe and Block Insulation
• K&M Bestfelt Pipe Insulation
• K&M Hi-Temp Block and Pipe Insulation
• K&M Fine Corrugated and Special Fine Air Cell Pipe Insulation
• Century Asbestos Corrugated
• K&M Century Asbestos Shingles
• Range Boiler Jacket
• “Featherweight” Pipe Insulation
• Hy-Temp Block Insulation
• Kaytherm Pipe Insulation
• Kaytherm Block Insulation
• Asbestos Cement Air Duct
• Zebra Pipe Insulation
• Bestfelt Lamino Sponge Pipe Insulation
• Air Cell Sheets and Blocks
• Simplex “Super Shrunk” Pipe Insulation
• Special Fine Corrugated Air Cell Pipe Insulation
• Duplex Pipe Insulation
• Asbestos Cloth Jacket for K&M Pipe Covering

The Nicolet Company and Pollution

On the western edge of Ambler, Pennsylvania, lies what’s known as the “white mountains.” For many years, The Nicolet Company dumped wastes in the area at the Wissahickon Creek site.

In the 1970s, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) noticed and ordered the company to stop dumping toxic wastes. The damage already done resulted in airborne asbestos fibers landing in peoples’ homes, cars, and playground equipment.

The EPA eventually fined The Nicolet Company $1.4 million, but because of the company’s bankruptcy, it never paid the fine.

An extensive cleanup of the site began in 1985. The EPA cleaned up toxic wastes that had reached up to 30 feet.

A mesothelioma lawyer can help you claim with the Armstrong trust if you have an asbestos illness related to Nicolet products.

Additional Help and Resources

Use our free Asbestos Attorney Locator Tool to find an experienced mesothelioma attorney in your area. Remember to fill out our form to get your free Financial Compensation Packet, with information on asbestos and mesothelioma lawyers in your area.