Mesothelioma Brewing Facilities and Asbestos Exposure at Schaefer

Legally Reviewed by Joseph P. Williams on June 9, 2026

The F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company was one of America’s most storied breweries — and one of its most significant sources of industrial asbestos exposure in New York. Workers who built, maintained, and operated the Schaefer facilities in Brooklyn and later Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania spent decades surrounded by asbestos-containing insulation, construction materials, and filtration systems at a time when the full dangers of asbestos were actively concealed by manufacturers. Many of those workers and their family members are now facing diagnoses of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases decades after the fact.

At The Williams Law Firm, P.C., New York asbestos attorney Joseph P. Williams has spent more than 30 years representing Brooklyn workers and their families in exactly these cases. If you worked at the Schaefer brewery or any other New York industrial facility and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or an asbestos-related disease, contact us today for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we win.

History of Asbestos at the Schaefer Brewing Company

The F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company was founded in 1842 by German immigrants Friedrich and Maximilian Schaefer. For most of the twentieth century, its primary production facility was a large industrial complex in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The Brooklyn plant operated through 1976 before production was consolidated to a new facility in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where the company operated until it was acquired by Stroh Brewing Company in 1981.

The Brooklyn plant was constructed and expanded during the peak decades of asbestos use in industrial construction. Like virtually all large industrial and commercial buildings of the era, it incorporated asbestos throughout its structure: in pipe insulation running through the boiler rooms and mechanical systems, in the fireproofing applied to structural steel, in floor and ceiling tiles throughout the facility, in gaskets and packing on brewing equipment, and in the roofing and cement materials used in construction and renovation. Workers who built, renovated, and maintained the facility from the 1940s through the 1970s faced sustained asbestos exposure throughout their careers.

Asbestos in the Brewing Process Itself

What made brewery asbestos exposure uniquely severe compared to many other industrial settings was that asbestos was not only in the building — it was a direct component of the brewing process. The beer and beverage industry used asbestos-fiber filtration systems as a production standard for decades.

Paper filters reinforced with asbestos fibers became the industry standard for beer and wine filtration beginning in the early 1900s, valued for producing clear, impurity-free beverages. These filters typically contained as much as 50 percent chrysotile asbestos by composition. Pure carded asbestos fibers were sometimes used directly in filtration processes, replaced as often as 100 times per day at high-volume facilities. Some filter configurations required replacement after every use. Each replacement event released clouds of asbestos fiber into the air around the filter operator.

By the early 1970s, approximately 900 tons of asbestos were used annually across the beverage filtration industry. A 1982 EPA report confirmed that as of 1979, approximately 30 percent of wine producers, 10 percent of beer producers, and 25 percent of distilling producers in the United States were still using asbestos-based filtration. Workers handling these filters had no effective protection — the required replacements made continuous exposure nearly unavoidable.

Which Workers Were Exposed at Schaefer?

Asbestos exposure at the Schaefer brewery affected workers across virtually every department and trade that operated within the facility. The positions at highest risk included:

• Construction and renovation workers who built and expanded the facility and disturbed asbestos-containing insulation, tiles, and fireproofing during construction work
• Maintenance workers and pipefitters who repaired and replaced asbestos-insulated pipes and mechanical systems throughout the boiler rooms and production areas
• Insulators who applied, removed, and replaced asbestos pipe and equipment insulation
• Boilermakers and millwrights who worked on asbestos-wrapped brewing equipment and steam systems
• Filter operators and production workers who handled asbestos-containing beverage filters directly in the brewing process
• Electricians who worked throughout the facility’s electrical systems within asbestos-contaminated environments
• Warehouse and administrative workers who spent extended time in the facility and were exposed through building contamination

Many of these workers were members of Brooklyn and New York union locals whose members Attorney Williams has represented throughout his career. If you are a former Schaefer worker or family member of one, he will personally review your case.

Secondary Asbestos Exposure: Families of Schaefer Workers

Asbestos exposure at Schaefer was not limited to those who worked at the facility. Workers who handled asbestos-containing materials carried microscopic fibers home on their work clothing, skin, and hair at the end of every shift. Spouses who laundered those work clothes were directly exposed to released fibers. Children who greeted parents returning from work, sat on their laps, or were present when work clothing was removed or shaken out were also exposed.

Many family members of Schaefer workers and workers at similar brewing and industrial facilities have developed mesothelioma, asbestosis, and asbestos-related lung cancer from this secondary exposure — having never set foot in the brewery themselves. If a family member’s occupational exposure at Schaefer or another New York brewery contributed to your diagnosis, you may have a valid legal claim in your own right. Learn more about asbestos exposure in New York and secondary exposure claims.

The 2026 Pabst Brewing Ruling: Why It Matters for Brewery Workers

In April 2026, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in a case involving Pabst Brewing Company and a union steamfitter named Gerald Lorbiecki who developed mesothelioma after working with asbestos-insulated pipes at a Pabst brewery in the 1970s. The court ruled 5-2 that Pabst owed a duty of safety to all workers on its premises, including independent contractors and subcontractors — not just its own direct employees. The Lorbiecki estate was awarded a $7 million verdict.

The ruling reinforces a principle that applies broadly in New York and New Jersey asbestos litigation: building owners and facility operators who knew their premises contained asbestos cannot escape liability simply because the injured worker was a contractor or subcontractor rather than a direct employee. Breweries, including Schaefer, that used asbestos throughout their facilities and in their production processes owed a duty of care to every worker who set foot in the building — regardless of who signed their paycheck.

This decision is directly relevant to former Schaefer workers and contractors who performed construction, maintenance, or filter work at the Brooklyn or Pennsylvania facilities. If you were told you cannot pursue a claim because you were a contractor or union tradesperson rather than a Schaefer employee, this ruling — and New York law — may tell a different story.

Diseases Caused by Asbestos Exposure at Schaefer

Workers and family members exposed to asbestos at the Schaefer brewing facilities may develop any of the recognized asbestos-related diseases, all of which have latency periods of 20 to 50 years. The most serious conditions include mesothelioma (a cancer of the lining of the lungs, abdomen, or heart), asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis (progressive and irreversible scarring of lung tissue), and pleural thickening and pleural plaques. Symptoms that may indicate asbestos-related disease include persistent shortness of breath, a dry cough that does not resolve, chest pain or tightness, unexplained weight loss, and abdominal pain or swelling. Anyone with a history of work at Schaefer or another brewing facility who develops these symptoms should inform their physician of their exposure history immediately.

Your Legal Rights After Schaefer Asbestos Exposure

Former Schaefer workers and their families have legal options through both civil litigation against the manufacturers of asbestos-containing products used at the facility, and through claims against the more than 60 active asbestos trust funds established by bankrupt manufacturers whose products caused occupational exposure at breweries and industrial facilities across New York.

In New York, the statute of limitations for mesothelioma personal injury claims is three years from the date of diagnosis. For wrongful death claims, the deadline is two years from the date of death. Because mesothelioma develops 20 to 50 years after the original exposure, many workers exposed at Schaefer in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s are still within the filing window today if they have recently received a diagnosis. Contacting an attorney as soon as possible after diagnosis is the most important step to preserving your legal rights.

Contact The Williams Law Firm, P.C.

Attorney Joseph P. Williams has never lost a mesothelioma case and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for asbestos exposure victims and their families, including former construction tradespeople, union members, and industrial workers from Brooklyn and throughout New York City. He handles all asbestos cases on a contingency fee basis — no upfront fees, no costs unless compensation is recovered — and will come to your home so that seriously ill patients never have to travel. Reach out through our contact form to schedule a free consultation today.

Frequently Asked Questions: Schaefer Brewing and Asbestos