Putty Maker Sued for Connection to Asbestos Diseases
A Des Moines, Iowa company that makes putty used for repairs to wood and plaster, model building and sculpting is being sued by four cancer patients who believe its products have made them sick with mesothelioma, an asbestos-caused disease.
According to an article in the Des Moines Register, the Donald Durham Company has been making putty since 1932 and this is only the second time they have been included in any asbestos-related lawsuits. The first case was dismissed in 2005 when tests conducted on behalf of the plaintiff found no asbestos, said Hayward Draper, the company’s legal counsel.
Durham’s product is sold nationwide under the name Durham’s Rock Hard Water Putty. The article notes that the company has three employees and four contract workers that prepare the dry-form putty, which is then mixed with water by the consumer. The company’s annual sales are between $1 million and $5 million, according to the Iowa Manufacturers Register.
An attorney for the plaintiffs noted that tests showed the presence of asbestos in the Durham putty, but Durham’s president, Ron Lindhart, said several tests on behalf of the company show the putty has no asbestos. The plaintiffs’ attorneys maintain that the alleged source is a talc ingredient mined by R.T. Vanderbilt Co. of Norwalk, Conn.
