General Electric — Capacitor Plant in Fort Edward NY

Plaintiffs allegedly, in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation, were exposed to asbestos while working at the General Electric Capacitor Plant in Fort Edward NY. This page documents the Fort Edward portion of GE’s multi-state industrial footprint. For the full corporate summary and other GE plants, see the General Electric manufacturer page.

Plant Description and Operating Era

The GE Fort Edward Capacitor Plant, located along the Hudson River in Washington County NY, operated as a major GE manufacturing site for electrical power capacitors from 1942 through its 2013 shutdown. Fort Edward is publicly known as one of two upstate NY GE capacitor plants (with Hudson Falls) whose 1947-1977 PCB discharge into the Hudson River became a landmark EPA Superfund case. During the U.S. asbestos era, the plant produced dielectric capacitor units for utility, industrial, and military customers.

Premises ACM Narrative

Plaintiffs allegedly, in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation, alleged that during the U.S. asbestos era (approximately 1930s-1980) the GE Fort Edward Capacitor Plant allegedly involved asbestos-containing materials across the following pathways:

  • Asbestos pipe covering on steam mains, process piping, and utility lines throughout the manufacturing bays and powerhouse
  • Asbestos-block hot-side lagging on capacitor impregnation ovens, curing ovens, and process heaters
  • Asbestos-fabric arc chute plates in plant switchgear, motor control centers, and load contactors
  • Asbestos sheet gaskets at process piping, boiler, and heat exchanger flanges
  • Asbestos-cement roofing and asbestos-fabric roof insulation on manufacturing bays and warehouses
  • Asbestos sprayed fireproofing on structural steel columns and floor decking (pre-1973 EPA ban)
  • Asbestos-fabric internal barrier and dielectric-adjacent materials at capacitor assembly stations
  • Asbestos insulation on Askarel / PCB fluid heating tanks and impregnation vessel jackets

Workers Exposed

Plaintiffs allegedly alleged that trade workers at the GE Fort Edward Capacitor Plant during the asbestos era included:

  • HFIAW Insulators — asbestos pipe covering and block insulation on steam and process lines
  • UA Pipefitters — flange bolt-up and gasket work on process piping and impregnation systems
  • IBB Boilermakers — powerhouse boiler and process-heater refractory work
  • IBEW Electricians — plant switchgear, motor-control center, and capacitor test-lab work
  • BAC Bricklayers — refractory relining on process ovens
  • IUE / GE Salaried and hourly production workers — capacitor winding, impregnation, and final-assembly lines
  • Millwrights — machine tool installation and heavy manufacturing equipment work

If You Worked at GE Fort Edward

If you or a family member worked at the GE Fort Edward Capacitor Plant in Fort Edward NY — or any other GE manufacturing site — before 1980 and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956