As Aerojet Rocketdyne plans to consolidate in Rancho Cordova by 2019, the space engine company continues to deal with asbestos lawsuits.
Aerojet has 64 pending asbestos cases, according to the company's March 10-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
"While there are some cases that actually involve Aerojet Rocketdyne, most are connected to long-discontinued subsidiaries, alleging asbestos exposure in the 1960s through the early 1980s when working on products, i.e. gaskets for industrial pumps, or premises where asbestos containing materials may have been used in construction," said Aerojet spokeswoman Lynn Machon.
Machon noted that most of the cases listed in the company's 10-K filings over the past decade have been in Texas and Pennsylvania. None are currently pending in California.
Moreover, the 10-K filing indicates Aerojet has been "subject to toxic tort and asbestos lawsuits as well as other third-party lawsuits, due to either our past or present use of hazardous substances or the alleged on-site or off-site contamination of the environment through past or present operations."
Nationwide, the effects of asbestos remain prevalent.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis published last month, mesothelioma, a disease borne out of asbestos exposure, continues to be deadly.
The CDC reports almost a 5 percent increase overall in annual mesothelioma deaths from 1999 to 2015.