Blodgett Corporation Asbestos Exposure: Pizza Ovens, Transite Baking Sheets & Claims

Blodgett Corporation, historically known as G.S. Blodgett Corporation and Blodgett Oven Company, is a long-established commercial oven manufacturer. Federal asbestos litigation documents allegations involving Blodgett pizza ovens that used Transite® baking sheets manufactured by Johns-Manville. A California appellate case also records testimony concerning older Blodgett oven stones described as containing asbestos, while emphasizing that Blodgett disputed whether the particular ovens involved in that case contained asbestos.

Blodgett remains an operating commercial-oven company and is part of The Middleby Corporation’s foodservice-equipment business. Historical asbestos claims involving Blodgett require product-specific evidence: the oven model, baking deck or sheet, manufacturer of the asbestos-containing component, installation date, maintenance history and the claimant’s actual work around the equipment all matter. No Blodgett-specific §524(g) asbestos personal-injury trust was confirmed from the primary court and SEC records reviewed for this page.

🏢 Blodgett Corporation History

Blodgett has a long history in commercial cooking equipment. Current company materials identify its factory in Essex Junction, Vermont, and Middleby SEC filings identify Blodgett-branded convection, conveyor and deck ovens among the company’s commercial foodservice equipment. Historical environmental records also document G.S. Blodgett Corporation and Blodgett Oven Company operations at Lakeside Avenue in Burlington, Vermont.

Documented Company Facts

Topic	Verified Information
Historical names	G.S. Blodgett Corporation / Blodgett Oven Company / Blodgett Corporation appear in company, court and public records.
Primary business	Commercial ovens and related foodservice cooking equipment.
Historical Vermont operations	Public environmental records document Blodgett operations at Lakeside Avenue in Burlington.
Current factory contact	Blodgett’s official site lists its factory at 42 Allen Martin Drive, Essex Junction, Vermont.
Middleby relationship	Middleby SEC filings identify Blodgett-branded ovens within its commercial foodservice equipment business.
Current status	Operating commercial-oven brand.
Blodgett-specific §524(g) asbestos trust	No such trust confirmed from primary court and SEC records reviewed.

For broader manufacturer research, see Industrial Equipment Manufacturers & Asbestos Exposure.

🔥 Blodgett Pizza Ovens & Transite Baking Sheets

The strongest court-documented asbestos allegation involves pizza ovens fitted with Transite baking sheets. In Tycz v. Asbeka Industries of New York, a federal court summarized the plaintiff’s allegation that Blodgett manufactured pizza ovens using Transite baking sheets manufactured by Johns-Manville. The court was deciding jurisdiction rather than whether Blodgett was ultimately liable, so the allegation should not be converted into a finding that every Blodgett oven contained asbestos.

Historical Product Evidence

Product / Component	What the Record Supports
Pizza ovens	Federal asbestos litigation identifies Blodgett as a manufacturer of pizza ovens.
Transite baking sheets	Tycz records plaintiff’s allegation that Blodgett pizza ovens used Transite baking sheets manufactured by Johns-Manville.
Older oven stone / baking surface	Belvedere records testimony that a Blodgett representative described an older oven stone as containing asbestos; Blodgett did not concede that the specific ovens in the case contained asbestos.
Deck ovens	Middleby SEC filings confirm Blodgett-branded deck ovens as a commercial product category; historical asbestos content must be separately established.
Convection ovens	Middleby filings confirm the product category but do not establish asbestos content.
Conveyor ovens	Middleby filings confirm the product category but do not establish asbestos content.
Current replacement parts	Modern Blodgett parts include numerous gaskets, but present-day parts do not establish historical asbestos composition.

Product Identification Questions

Question	Why It Matters
Was the oven manufactured by Blodgett?	Brand and model identification are the starting point.
Did the specific oven contain a Transite baking sheet?	The federal record documents this allegation for particular pizza-oven exposure, not every Blodgett oven.
Who manufactured the baking sheet?	Tycz identified Johns-Manville as the alleged Transite manufacturer.
Was an older oven stone involved?	Belvedere contains testimony about older versus newer Blodgett oven stones.
Was the component damaged, cut or removed?	Condition and work activity affect potential fiber release.
When was the oven installed?	Product design and component composition changed over time.

👨‍🍳 Workers & Blodgett Oven Exposure Settings

Published asbestos litigation involving Blodgett includes restaurant and catering work. Commercial ovens are also serviced by installers, repair technicians and maintenance personnel. Potential asbestos exposure should be tied to a verified asbestos-containing component rather than ordinary use of a modern Blodgett oven.

Potentially Exposed Worker Groups

Worker Group	Potential Historical Activity
Pizza cooks / restaurant workers	Working around historical pizza ovens and baking surfaces.
Caterers	Tycz involved a caterer alleging exposure to an asbestos-laden baking sheet.
Oven installers	Moving, assembling or installing commercial oven equipment and baking decks.
Appliance repair technicians	Removing or replacing internal oven components.
Restaurant maintenance workers	Repairing or cleaning older ovens and baking surfaces.
Manufacturing employees	Potential historical contact depends on verified use of asbestos-containing components at the relevant facility and period.
Demolition / renovation workers	Removing old commercial ovens and associated heat-resistant materials.
Nearby workers	Potential bystander exposure if a verified asbestos-containing component was cut, broken or otherwise disturbed.

Documented / Relevant Exposure Settings

Setting	Connection
Restaurants / pizzerias	Central setting in Blodgett asbestos litigation involving historical pizza ovens.
Catering operations	Tycz involved a caterer alleging exposure from a baking sheet in a Buffalo-area restaurant.
Commercial kitchens	Blodgett equipment is designed for commercial foodservice operations.
Institutional kitchens	Middleby filings describe foodservice equipment serving hotels and other institutions.
Blodgett manufacturing facilities	Vermont public records document historical Blodgett manufacturing operations; asbestos exposure at a particular facility requires separate proof.

See High-Risk Jobs Asbestos Exposure and Job Site Asbestos Exposure.

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🔧 How Blodgett Oven Asbestos Exposure Could Occur

If a historical oven contained a Transite or other asbestos-cement baking surface, the greatest concern would generally involve work that damaged or mechanically disturbed the component. Simply cooking food in the presence of an intact oven does not establish a particular dose of asbestos exposure, and the court records reviewed do not justify assigning a universal exposure level to Blodgett oven users.

Potential Exposure Activities

Activity	Potential Exposure Issue
Installing a baking sheet / deck	Handling a verified historical asbestos-cement component.
Removing a baking surface	Old material could be damaged during removal.
Cutting or modifying a component	Mechanical alteration could disturb asbestos-cement material if asbestos was present.
Repairing a cracked baking sheet	Damage could increase the potential for debris.
Heavy cleaning / scraping	Potential relevance depends on whether the asbestos-containing component itself was abraded.
Oven demolition	Breaking apart older equipment could disturb verified asbestos-containing materials.
Manufacturing work	Potential exposure requires evidence that asbestos-containing components were handled at the facility and during the worker’s employment.

Asbestos-Related Health Conditions

Condition	General Relationship to Asbestos
Mesothelioma	A rare cancer strongly associated with asbestos exposure; Blodgett has been named in mesothelioma litigation.
Lung cancer	Occupational asbestos exposure can increase lung-cancer risk.
Asbestosis	Progressive pulmonary fibrosis caused by inhaled asbestos fibers.
Pleural disease	Asbestos exposure can cause pleural plaques, thickening and other abnormalities.

Presence of a historical Blodgett oven alone does not prove that the oven contained asbestos or that a worker experienced disease-causing exposure from it.

⚖️ Blodgett Asbestos Lawsuits & Current Claim Status

Blodgett has been named in asbestos personal-injury cases. Some records concern alleged Transite baking-sheet exposure, while others concern whether older Blodgett ovens contained asbestos. The available primary records do not support a company-wide assumption that every oven contained asbestos.

Current Claim Structure

Issue	Verified Status
Blodgett asbestos litigation	Documented in federal and state court records.
Current operating business	Yes; Blodgett continues to manufacture commercial ovens.
Middleby relationship	Middleby SEC filings identify Blodgett-branded commercial ovens in its foodservice business.
Blodgett-specific §524(g) asbestos trust	No such trust confirmed from primary court and SEC records reviewed.
Blodgett trust payment percentage	Not applicable.
Blodgett disease schedule	Not applicable.
Separate Johns-Manville trust issue	A separate Manville Trust claim may be relevant only if qualifying Johns-Manville product exposure is independently established; it is not automatically a Blodgett claim.

Claim Questions Requiring Evidence

Question	Evidence Needed
Which Blodgett oven?	Model, serial number, installation date or credible product identification.
Which baking surface?	Evidence identifying Transite, another asbestos-cement product or a non-asbestos replacement.
Who manufactured the asbestos component?	Historical records, invoices, manuals, testimony or product markings.
What work disturbed the material?	Installation, repair, replacement, cutting, cleaning or demolition evidence.
How often and how closely did the claimant work with it?	Frequency, duration, proximity and task evidence.

📊 Documented Blodgett Asbestos Cases

Published records establish that Blodgett has been named in asbestos litigation, but they also show why allegations and final factual findings must be distinguished.

Selected Court Records

Case / Record	Documented Significance
Tycz v. Asbeka Industries of New York, Inc. (W.D.N.Y. 2012)	Federal court recorded the plaintiff’s allegation that Blodgett pizza ovens used Transite baking sheets manufactured by Johns-Manville and that a caterer with pleural mesothelioma was exposed while working at a Buffalo-area restaurant.
Belvedere v. G.S. Blodgett Corporation (Cal. Ct. App. 2011)	Recorded testimony that a Blodgett representative described an older oven stone as containing asbestos and a newer stone as different; the decision also notes that Blodgett did not concede the ovens at issue contained asbestos.
Innamorato v. Bakers Pride Oven Company (D. Conn. 2018)	Federal asbestos docket named Blodgett Corporation as a defendant; claims against Blodgett were voluntarily dismissed without prejudice in that federal action.
Innamorato v. QCP, Inc. (D. Conn. 2020)	Another federal personal-injury asbestos docket listed G.S. Blodgett Corporation / Blodgett Corporation among defendants.
Vermont public-record request (2022)	Request sought 1960–1985 Blodgett facility records pertaining to asbestos installation, removal or abatement; a request itself is not proof that asbestos was present.

Statistics & Claims We Do Not Invent

Category	Verified Status
Total Blodgett workers exposed	No reliable company-wide total confirmed.
Total restaurant workers exposed	No defensible Blodgett-specific nationwide total confirmed.
Total asbestos-containing Blodgett oven models	No authoritative complete historical list confirmed.
Universal asbestos-use dates	No primary record reviewed supports a universal start/end date for all Blodgett ovens.
Total Blodgett asbestos claims	No authoritative cumulative company-wide figure confirmed.
Current Blodgett asbestos trust assets	Not applicable; no Blodgett-specific §524(g) trust confirmed.

📋 Blodgett Claim Evidence & Product Identification

A strong Blodgett exposure investigation should distinguish the metal oven from the baking surface or other component alleged to contain asbestos. In Tycz, the asserted asbestos product was a Johns-Manville Transite baking sheet used in a Blodgett pizza oven. That distinction can affect both product identification and potential claim paths.

Evidence That May Help Document Exposure

Medical documentation establishing an asbestos-related disease.
Employment, union, Social Security or restaurant work records.
Blodgett oven model and serial-number information.
Installation dates and historical kitchen-equipment inventories.
Blodgett manuals, parts books and historical catalogs.
Records identifying the baking deck, stone or Transite sheet.
Invoices or supplier records identifying Johns-Manville or another component manufacturer.
Repair and replacement records showing work on the baking surface.
Photographs or physical-product evidence where available.
Coworker testimony describing the oven, component and dust-generating work.

A separate asbestos trust claim may potentially exist when exposure to a qualifying bankrupt manufacturer’s product—such as a verified Johns-Manville product—is independently established. Each trust has its own medical, exposure and filing requirements. Compensation is not guaranteed.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Did Blodgett manufacture commercial pizza ovens?

Yes. Court records and Middleby filings document Blodgett commercial ovens, including pizza/deck oven equipment.

Were asbestos-containing baking sheets used in Blodgett ovens?

Federal litigation records a plaintiff’s allegation that Blodgett pizza ovens used Transite baking sheets manufactured by Johns-Manville. That record supports investigation of specific historical ovens but does not prove that every Blodgett oven contained asbestos.

What did the Belvedere case say about Blodgett oven stones?

The appellate decision records testimony that a Blodgett representative described an older oven stone as containing asbestos and a newer stone as different. The court also noted that Blodgett did not concede that the particular ovens involved in the case contained asbestos.

Who could have been exposed around historical Blodgett ovens?

Potentially relevant workers include restaurant employees, caterers, oven installers, appliance repair technicians and maintenance workers who handled a verified asbestos-containing component.

Does using a Blodgett oven prove asbestos exposure?

No. The specific oven, baking surface, asbestos content, condition, work activity, frequency and proximity must be established.

Does Blodgett Corporation have an asbestos bankruptcy trust?

No Blodgett-specific §524(g) asbestos personal-injury trust was confirmed from the primary court and SEC records reviewed.

Could a separate Manville Trust claim be relevant?

Potentially, but only if qualifying exposure to a covered Johns-Manville asbestos product is independently established under the Manville Trust’s requirements. A Blodgett oven by itself does not establish Manville Trust eligibility.

What evidence may support a Blodgett oven asbestos claim?

Medical records, employment history, oven identification, historical manuals, baking-sheet records, invoices, repair records and credible coworker testimony may help establish exposure.

🧾 Blodgett Corporation Summary

Detail	Information
Primary business	Commercial ovens and foodservice cooking equipment
Historical names	G.S. Blodgett Corporation / Blodgett Oven Company / Blodgett Corporation
Strongest asbestos allegation	Transite baking sheets used in historical Blodgett pizza ovens
Alleged Transite manufacturer in Tycz	Johns-Manville
Other historical evidence	Belvedere testimony concerning an older Blodgett oven stone described as containing asbestos
Important limitation	No evidence reviewed establishes that every Blodgett oven contained asbestos
Current status	Operating commercial-oven brand within Middleby’s foodservice equipment business
Blodgett-specific asbestos trust	No §524(g) trust confirmed from primary records reviewed
Current trust payment percentage	Not applicable
Exposure totals	No reliable nationwide total confirmed

📚 Confirmed Court, SEC & Public Sources

U.S. District Court, Western District of New York — Tycz v. Asbeka Industries of New York, Inc. (2012), documenting allegations involving a Blodgett pizza oven and Johns-Manville Transite baking sheet.
California Court of Appeal — Belvedere v. G.S. Blodgett Corporation (2011), documenting testimony concerning older Blodgett oven stones and the disputed asbestos-content issue.
U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut — Innamorato asbestos dockets identifying Blodgett Corporation / G.S. Blodgett Corporation as defendants.
The Middleby Corporation SEC filings — identifying Blodgett convection, conveyor and deck ovens in the company’s commercial foodservice-equipment business.
Blodgett Oven Company — official current company and factory information.
Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission Phase I Environmental Site Assessment — documenting historical Blodgett operations at Lakeside Avenue in Burlington, Vermont.

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Working around a Blodgett oven does not automatically establish asbestos exposure, disease causation, legal liability, trust eligibility or compensation. The particular oven, baking sheet or stone, component manufacturer, asbestos content, work activity, exposure history, medical evidence and applicable law must be evaluated individually. Compensation is not guaranteed.

⚕️ Legal & Medical Information Disclaimer
This page provides general educational information and is not legal or medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional about diagnosis and treatment and a qualified attorney about individual legal rights and filing deadlines.