Documented Asbestos Litigation

According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records (reviewed via CourtListener/RECAP), The Lincoln Electric has been named as a defendant in 400+ documented asbestos dockets filed between 2001 and 2022 — concentrated in the federal asbestos multidistrict litigation (In re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation, MDL 875, E.D. Pennsylvania) and other U.S. district courts. Plaintiffs allege that The Lincoln Electric manufactured or supplied asbestos-containing products — Manufactured welding rods/electrodes whose flux coating contained up to 15% asbestos (asbestos-free after 1981). — and that workers were exposed while handling or working around them.

Companies Frequently Named Alongside The Lincoln Electric

In these publicly filed cases, The Lincoln Electric is most often named as a co-defendant alongside General Electric, John Crane, Union Carbide, Crane Co., Hobart Brothers, IMO Industries, Cleaver-Brooks, Goulds Pumps — reflecting the multi-defendant nature of asbestos litigation, in which plaintiffs name the range of companies connected to their exposure history.

Occupational Exposure and Asbestos Disease

Asbestos exposure is associated with mesothelioma, asbestosis, and asbestos-related lung cancer, typically after a latency period of two to five decades. Workers in industrial trades — maintenance, construction, shipyard, power generation, and manufacturing — are among those most frequently represented in asbestos litigation.

The litigation record above reflects allegations from publicly filed asbestos cases; these are plaintiff allegations, not findings of fact, and liability is determined case by case. An attorney experienced in asbestos litigation can evaluate whether a specific work and exposure history supports a claim involving The Lincoln Electric.