Emerson Electric Company is a St. Louis, Missouri-based electrical and electronics manufacturer whose White-Rodgers Division produced line-voltage electric heat controls — thermostats and control housings for baseboard heaters, cable heat systems, floor and duct insert heaters, wall and ceiling units, and portable heaters.

Industry documentation confirms that White-Rodgers specified Plenco 755 — an electrical-grade melamine-phenolic molding compound manufactured by Plastics Engineering Company (Plenco) of Sheboygan, Wisconsin — for the housings of their thermostat and heating control products. The specification was driven by Plenco 755’s “excellent arc resistance, both ASTM and wet-arc tracking” properties required for line-voltage electrical control enclosures.

Asbestos use period

Melamine-phenolic and phenolic molding compounds of the Plenco 755 type used during the asbestos era contained asbestos fiber as a reinforcing filler, consistent with Plenco’s product line during that period. Workers at the White-Rodgers Division who loaded compound into press equipment, operated compression or transfer presses, trimmed finished housings, or machined cured parts were exposed to asbestos-containing compound dust.

Facility

  • White-Rodgers Division, Emerson Electric Co. — St. Louis, Missouri
  • Products: Line-voltage electric heat controls; baseboard, cable heat, floor/duct insert, wall/ceiling, and portable heater thermostats and control housings

Worker exposure pathways

Workers at the St. Louis White-Rodgers facility were exposed during:

  • Compound loading — scooping or pouring granular melamine-phenolic compound (Plenco 755 or equivalent) into mold cavities or press hoppers
  • Press operation — curing compound under heat and pressure; mold opening released fine dust
  • Deflashing and trimming — removing mold flash from finished control housings
  • Machining — drilling mounting holes and finishing cured thermostat enclosures

Emerson Electric corporate context

Emerson Electric has been named as a defendant in asbestos litigation arising from multiple product lines and facilities. The White-Rodgers Division’s documented use of Plenco melamine-phenolic compound connects the St. Louis facility to the broader phenolic molding compound asbestos litigation chain, with Plenco as a compound supplier defendant.

If you worked at Emerson Electric / White-Rodgers in St. Louis

Workers in molding, trimming, or machining operations at the White-Rodgers Division may have been exposed to asbestos from phenolic molding compound.

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References to manufacturers, products, and litigation history reflect what has been alleged or documented in publicly filed asbestos litigation, industry archives, and published trade documentation. This information does not constitute a finding of fact or liability.