Cancer

About Packaging Corporation Tomahawk Paper MILL Tomahawk Wisconsin

The Packaging Corporation of America paper and pulp mill in Tomahawk, Wisconsin operated for generations as a major industrial employer in Lincoln County. Like virtually every heavy industrial facility operating through the twentieth century, the Tomahawk mill reportedly relied on asbestos-containing materials throughout its infrastructure — in pipe insulation, boiler systems, steam lines, and process equipment.

If you worked at this facility or spent time there during its peak operating years, you may have been exposed to asbestos fibers that can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis decades later. Mesothelioma and asbestosis typically take 20 to 50 years to develop after initial exposure. Workers who handled asbestos-containing materials decades ago may only now be receiving diagnoses.

Time is your most critical resource right now. Wisconsin workers diagnosed with mesothelioma have specific legal rights under state law — including the right to file suit in Wisconsin courts and to pursue claims against asbestos bankruptcy trust funds simultaneously. Those are rights an experienced mesothelioma lawyer can help you exercise, but only before the three-year statute of limitations under Wis. Stat. § 893.54 expires.

This deadline runs from the date of your mesothelioma diagnosis, not from the date of your exposure — and it will not be extended because you were unaware of it or because your condition is still developing. This article gives former workers, tradespeople, and family members the facts about alleged asbestos-containing material use at the Tomahawk mill, occupational exposure risks, and the legal remedies available to those diagnosed with asbestos-related disease.

Facility History and Industrial Context in Wisconsin

The Tomahawk Paper Mill sits along the Wisconsin River in Lincoln County, in the heart of Wisconsin’s north-central paper-producing corridor. The facility operated under various ownership structures over the decades, with Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) among the names associated with its operation. The Wisconsin River valley was historically one of the nation’s most concentrated papermaking regions, and the Tomahawk mill was a significant part of that industrial base.

Wisconsin’s paper industry employed thousands of tradespeople connected through a network of union locals — including Boilermakers Local 107, IBEW Local 494, Asbestos Workers Local 19, and Pipefitters Local 601 — who moved between facilities throughout the state. Many workers at the Tomahawk mill may have carried asbestos exposure histories with them from multiple Wisconsin industrial facilities.

Paper and pulp manufacturing runs on steam. Mills in this region required:

• Enormous boiler plants operating at extreme temperatures
• Miles of high-pressure steam piping
• Chemical digesters for wood-to-pulp conversion
• Heavy processing machinery and drying equipment
• Turbines and turbo-generators for on-site power generation

From roughly the 1930s through the late 1970s, all of these systems were routinely insulated and sealed with asbestos-containing materials. The thermal demands of papermaking made insulation operationally essential, and asbestos-containing products were the industry standard for decades.

The facility allegedly underwent numerous expansions, equipment upgrades, and maintenance overhauls during the peak period of asbestos use. Each such project reportedly may have introduced additional asbestos-containing materials onto the property and, critically, may have disturbed previously installed asbestos-containing insulation — releasing respirable fibers into work areas.

Why Manufacturers Used Asbestos-Containing Materials in Wisconsin Paper Mills

Asbestos causes mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other serious diseases. This is established medical and scientific fact. The tragedy of the asbestos epidemic in American industry is that manufacturers knew about these dangers for decades while continuing to market their asbestos-containing products aggressively to industrial buyers throughout Wisconsin and the upper Midwest.

In paper and pulp mills specifically, asbestos-containing materials were favored for four reasons:

• Extreme heat tolerance. Steam systems operated at temperatures that required highly effective thermal insulation. Asbestos pipe lagging and block insulation could withstand temperatures that destroyed organic alternatives.
• Fire resistance. Large papermaking facilities with abundant combustible materials needed fire-resistant insulation around boilers and steam lines.
• Durability. Asbestos-containing materials withstood the moisture, chemical exposure, and vibration common in pulp and paper environments.
• Cost. Through the mid-twentieth century, asbestos-containing products were among the most cost-effective insulation options available.

The same properties that made asbestos-containing products attractive to industrial buyers also made them deadly. When disturbed, cut, applied, or removed, asbestos-containing materials release microscopic fibers that lodge permanently in lung tissue and the pleural lining of the chest — potentially causing mesothelioma decades later.

The Tomahawk mill was not unique among Wisconsin industrial facilities in its alleged reliance on asbestos-containing materials. Major Milwaukee-area facilities including Allen-Bradley on West Greenfield Avenue, Allis-Chalmers in West Allis, Falk Corporation on Canal Street in Milwaukee, and A.O. Smith Corporation on Capitol Drive in Milwaukee were similarly alleged to have incorporated substantial quantities of asbestos-containing materials into their operations.

What Workers at This Facility May Have Encountered

Based on the types of equipment and processes characteristic of paper and pulp mills of this era, and the documented distribution practices of major asbestos product manufacturers throughout Wisconsin and the upper Midwest, workers at the Tomahawk mill may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials from several major manufacturers.

Corporation

was one of the largest producers and distributors of asbestos-containing insulation materials in North America. Its products were distributed throughout Wisconsin through regional supply chains that served paper mills, power plants, and manufacturing facilities across the state. Workers at the Tomahawk mill may have encountered asbestos-containing materials, including:

• Pipe insulation and covering on steam lines
• Block insulation on boilers and digesters
• Asbestos-containing cement products for pipe fitting and repairs
• Asbestos-containing cloth and tape for joint sealing

is alleged to have known for decades that its asbestos-containing products were dangerous while suppressing that information from workers and customers. subsequently filed for bankruptcy and established the Personal Injury Settlement Trust**, one of the largest asbestos bankruptcy trusts available to Wisconsin claimants today.

If you worked at the Tomahawk mill, a Wisconsin asbestos attorney can evaluate whether you qualify for a trust claim — but only if you file before Wisconsin’s three-year statute of limitations expires.

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manufactured and distributed asbestos-containing insulation materials marketed under the calcium silicate pipe insulation brand name. Workers at the Tomahawk paper mill may have been exposed to calcium silicate pipe insulation asbestos-containing products, including:

• Pipe insulation on industrial steam systems
• Block insulation on boilers and digesters
• Associated fittings and accessories containing asbestos

calcium silicate pipe insulation products were widely distributed to industrial steam systems across Wisconsin and the upper Midwest throughout the peak period of asbestos use. subsequently established an asbestos bankruptcy trust through which Wisconsin claimants may be eligible to file claims.

Trust assets are finite — Wisconsin workers who delay filing risk reduced payouts as available funds diminish.

produced and broadly distributed asbestos-containing materials for industrial and commercial applications across the Wisconsin market. Workers at the Tomahawk mill may have encountered:

• Asbestos-containing floor tiles
• Ceiling and acoustic tile materials allegedly containing asbestos
• Industrial insulation products on equipment coverings and building systems

subsequently filed for bankruptcy and established a trust fund through which Wisconsin claimants may file claims.

manufactured boilers and associated equipment for industrial facilities throughout the Midwest, including facilities in Wisconsin. Workers at the Tomahawk mill may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials associated with equipment, including:

• Asbestos-containing boiler insulation
• Asbestos-containing refractory materials on combustion chambers

gaskets and packing

gaskets and packing produced asbestos-containing gaskets, packing materials, and sealing products that were widely distributed to Wisconsin industrial facilities. Workers at facilities of this type may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials from gaskets and packing when:

• Servicing or replacing valves and flanges sealed with asbestos-containing packing or gasket materials
• Removing old sealing materials during routine maintenance operations

gaskets and packing subsequently filed for bankruptcy and established a trust through which Wisconsin workers and their families may be eligible to file claims.

An experienced mesothelioma lawyer in Wisconsin can evaluate your work history and determine whether a gaskets and packing trust claim is appropriate — but only if you contact one before Wisconsin’s three-year filing deadline has passed.

manufactured industrial valves and associated equipment distributed to Wisconsin paper mills and manufacturing facilities. Workers may have encountered asbestos-containing materials from Crane, including:

• Asbestos-containing valve packing materials
• Asbestos-containing gasket materials on valve assemblies
• Asbestos-containing insulation associated with Crane-manufactured steam equipment

manufactured and distributed spray-applied asbestos-containing insulation products including the brand spray-applied fireproofing, distributed to industrial facilities throughout Wisconsin. Workers at the Tomahawk facility may have been exposed to asbestos-containing spray-applied materials during:

• Initial installation on steam piping, boiler exteriors, and process equipment
• Maintenance and removal work on spray-applied asbestos-containing insulation
• Renovation and repair work disturbing previously installed spray-applied fireproofing or related products

subsequently filed for bankruptcy and established a trust fund available to Wisconsin claimants.

, ceiling tile, and Additional Suppliers

Asbestos-containing materials, ceiling tile, and other regional and national suppliers may have been present at the Tomahawk facility, including:

• Pipe insulation and block insulation materials
• Cement products and bonding compounds
• Building materials and finishing products
• Specialty industrial insulation and refractory products

and ceiling tile each subsequently established asbestos bankruptcy trusts. Wisconsin claimants diagnosed with mesothelioma may be eligible to file claims against multiple trusts simultaneously while also pursuing civil litigation in Wisconsin courts — but only with the assistance of an experienced mesothelioma attorney who understands how to coordinate trust filings with active litigation to maximize total recovery.