Sangamo Electric Company was a Springfield, Illinois manufacturer of electrical instruments, meters, and measurement equipment. Industry documentation confirms that Sangamo used Bakelite phenolic molding compound for instrument housings — specifically documented in trade literature for the Tachograph vehicle recording instrument, distributed by Wagner Electric Corporation.
Corpus documentation
Period trade documentation states: “The instrument is made by the Sangamo Electric Company and distributed by the Wagner Electric Corporation. The housing for the Tachograph is molded from a Bakelite phenolic shock-resistant material.”
This confirms Sangamo’s direct use of Bakelite (Union Carbide’s asbestos-containing phenolic compound) in instrument housing production at the Springfield, Illinois facility.
Facility
- Location: Springfield, Illinois (Sangamon County)
- Products: Electrical meters, Tachograph vehicle recording instruments, aviation instrumentation, and industrial measurement equipment
- Bakelite compound use: Instrument housings — Tachograph and other meter/gauge enclosures
Products manufactured with phenolic compound
- Tachograph housings — vehicle speed and time recording instruments with Bakelite phenolic enclosures
- Electrical meters — utility and industrial metering equipment
- Aviation instrumentation — aircraft instrument housings
- Industrial controls and measurement devices
Sangamo’s instrument manufacturing required the dimensional stability, electrical insulation, and shock resistance that Bakelite asbestos-phenolic compound provided.
Worker exposure pathways
Workers at the Sangamo Electric Springfield facility who loaded Bakelite compound into molds, operated presses, trimmed deflashed housings, or machined cured instrument enclosures were exposed to asbestos-containing compound dust throughout the asbestos era.
Wagner Electric connection
Wagner Electric Corporation (St. Louis, Missouri) distributed Sangamo’s Tachograph instruments, connecting the Springfield Sangamo facility and the St. Louis Wagner Electric operation within the same product exposure chain. Wagner Electric workers who received and handled Sangamo instruments — including any machining or modification work on the phenolic housings — were part of the downstream exposure pathway.
If you worked at Sangamo Electric in Springfield
Workers in instrument manufacturing, molding, or finishing operations at the Sangamo Electric Springfield facility may have been exposed to asbestos from Bakelite phenolic 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 trade documentation, and federal regulatory records. This information does not constitute a finding of fact or liability.