Sheller-Globe Corporation (formerly Allen Industries, Inc.) operated a manufacturing facility in Herrin, Illinois that produced acoustical resinated fiber insulation for automobile applications. The plant used phenolic resin powder containing talc as a component in its Old Compound Room operations.

NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation — 1986

In 1986, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted a Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE Report No. 1986-0343-1822) at the Herrin facility in response to worker health concerns. NIOSH investigators reviewed the Material Safety Data Sheet for the phenolic resin powder used in the Old Compound Room and identified that talc was present as an ingredient.

Because certain forms of talc are known to contain naturally occurring asbestos fiber, NIOSH collected a bulk sample of the phenolic resin powder for asbestos analysis. This evaluation represents a documented federal health agency investigation into the asbestos-in-phenolics exposure pathway at a specific named facility.

The NIOSH evaluation at Herrin illustrates a broader industry risk: when phenolic compound manufacturers used talc as a filler — and when that talc was sourced from asbestos-contaminated deposits — workers downstream at molding facilities experienced asbestos exposure without necessarily handling visible asbestos fiber.

Facility and products

  • Location: Herrin, Illinois (Williamson County)
  • Prior name: Allen Industries, Inc.
  • Products: Acoustical resinated fiber insulation for automobile interiors
  • Process: Old Compound Room — dry mixing and processing of phenolic resin powder with talc filler

Worker exposure context

Workers in the Old Compound Room handled dry phenolic resin powder containing talc during blending, processing, and press operations. Dry powder operations in enclosed rooms consistently produce the highest airborne dust concentrations in phenolic molding environments. The NIOSH evaluation was triggered by workers’ own health concerns — a pattern common in asbestos-era industrial hygiene history.

If you worked at Sheller-Globe in Herrin, Illinois

Workers who handled phenolic resin powder or worked in the compound room or adjacent areas at the Herrin facility may have been exposed to asbestos fiber.

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References reflect what has been alleged or documented in publicly filed asbestos litigation and federal regulatory records, including NIOSH HHE 1986-0343-1822. This information does not constitute a finding of fact or liability.