Asbestos Companies

An asbestos company is a company that made or used asbestos-containing products. These products were common in the automotive industry, military applications, manufacturing, construction and shipbuilding. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned new uses of asbestos in 1989.

Asbestos exposure has been linked to the development of asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung cancer and other cancers. Asbestos companies faced (and still face) legal claims from consumers and workers harmed by asbestos exposure.

These asbestos lawsuits created a huge financial burden for asbestos defendants. Many went bankrupt after decades of claims. Bankrupt asbestos companies created asbestos bankruptcy trust funds to compensate valid claimants for asbestos-related diseases.

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral found in rocks and soil. It is relatively cheap and naturally resistant to heat, fire and chemicals. Because of these properties, asbestos was used in many insulation materials, building products and consumer products.

Asbestos manufacturers commonly used asbestos in:

• Adhesives
• Asbestos-containing paper, millboard and cement sheets
• Attic and wall insulation
• Automotive clutches and brakes
• Brakes and brake pads
• Boilers and boilers coverings
• Fire-resistant textiles
• Gaskets
• Insulation
• Patching compounds
• Pipe insulation
• Plastics
• Roofing and siding shingles
• Shipbuilding
• Textured paint
• Vinyl flooring

Concerns about the health risks of asbestos began to emerge as early as the 1930s. Internal documents obtained via court filings show product manufacturers knew for several decades that asbestos was a hazardous material. Lawsuits allege asbestos companies made intentional efforts to conceal this information from workers and the public.

The EPA did not begin regulating asbestos until 1973. At that time, the agency banned spray-applied surfacing asbestos-containing material for fireproofing and insulation. In 1989, the EPA attempted to ban most uses of asbestos. Legal challenges overturned the EPA’s rule in 1991, resulting in a ban on new uses of asbestos only. “Legacy” products made before 1989 are still in many buildings and applications. The U.S. still has not instituted a full asbestos ban.

There are many notable companies that historically used asbestos. These asbestos manufacturers span numerous industries, including oil and gas, mining, construction, automotive, textiles and shipbuilding.

The list of companies that used asbestos includes but is not limited to:

• A-Best Products Company
• A. P. Green Industries
• A.W. Chesterton Company
• ABB Lummus Global Inc.
• Advance Auto Parts
• Alcoa Corporation
• Allied Signal Inc.
• American Biltrite
• American Cyanamid Company
• American Olean Tile Company
• American Optical
• American Smelting & Refining Company (ASARCO)
• American Standard Inc.
• Anchor Packing Company
• API, Inc.
• Armstrong Contracting & Supply Corporation (AC&S Corporation)
• Armstrong International Inc.
• Armstrong World Industries
• Arthur H. Thomas Company
• Atlantic Richfield Company
• Aurora Pump Company
• Avon Products Inc.
• Babcock & Wilcox
• Bath Iron Works
• Bechtel Corporation
• Bell & Gossett
• Bethlehem Steel Corporation
• Bird Corporation
• Boise Cascade Corporation
• Bondex International
• Borg-Warner Automotive Inc.
• Buffalo Pumps Inc.
• Burnham Corporation
• Burns & Roe
• C.E. Thurston & Sons, Inc.
• Celotex Corporation
• CertainTeed Corporation
• Chevron and Texaco
• Cleaver-Brooks Company
• Colgate-Palmolive
• Combustion Engineering
• Congoleum
• Connecticut Light and Power Company
• Crown Cork & Seal Company
• DAP Inc.
• De Laval Steam Turbine
• Deere & Company
• Dow Chemical Company
• Dupont Company
• Durabla Manufacturing Company and Durabla Canada Ltd.
• Duro Dyne
• Eagle-Picher
• Ericsson Inc.
• Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
• Fairbanks International, Inc.
• Federal-Mogul Products Inc.
• Felt Products Mfg. Co. (Fel-Pro)
• Ferodo America Inc.
• Flintkote Company
• FMC Corporation
• Ford Motor Company
• Foseco Inc.
• Foster Wheeler Corporation
• GAF Corporation
• Gardner Denver Inc.
• Garlock Sealing Technologies
• Gasket Holdings Inc.
• General Dynamics Electric Boat
• General Electric (GE)
• General Motors
• Georgia-Pacific Corporation
• Gould’s Pumps Inc.
• H. K. Porter
• Halliburton
• Hamilton Manufacturing Company
• Harbison Walker
• Hercules Chemical Company
• Hollingsworth & Vose Company
• Hysol Aerospace Corporation
• Ingersoll-Rand Company
• International Paper Company
• J. T. Thorpe Company
• J.H. France Refractories Co. Inc.
• John Crane Inc.
• Johns-Manville
• Johnson & Johnson
• Kaiser Aluminum
• Keene Corporation
• Kelly-Moore Paints
• Kentile Floors
• Kewaunee Scientific Corporation
• Labconco
• Leslie Controls, Inc.
• Longo Labs
• Maremont Corporation
• Metalclad Insulation Corporation
• Milwaukee Valve Company LLC
• Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing (3M)
• Mobil Oil Corporation (ExxonMobil)
• Monsanto
• National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA)
• National Gypsum Company
• North American Refractories Company (NARCO)
• Owens Corning
• Owens-Corning Fiberglas
• Owens-Illinois, Inc.
• P&H Mining Equipment Inc.
• Pfizer
• Pittsburgh Corning Corporation
• Plant Insulation Company
• Plibrico
• Porter Hayden
• Procter & Gamble
• Quigley Company, Inc.
• R.T. Vanderbilt Company
• Raymark/Raytech Corporation
• Riley Stoker Corporation
• Sepco Corporation
• Shell Oil Company
• Sherwin-Williams Company
• Shook & Fletcher
• Sid Harvey Industries Inc.
• Spirax Sarco Inc.
• Syd Carpenter Marine Contractor Inc.
• Synkoloid Company
• T. H. Agriculture & Nutrition, LLC
• Thermo Fisher Scientific
• Thorpe Insulation Co.
• Trane U.S. Inc.
• Turner & Newall (T&N)
• Union Carbide Corporation
• Uniroyal Holding Inc.
• United Gilsonite Laboratories
• United States Gypsum Company
• United States Mineral Products Company
• United States Steel Corporation
• Vellumoid
• Viking Pump Inc.
• W.R. Grace & Co.
• Warren Pumps
• Weil-McLain Company
• Western Electric
• Western MacArthur
• Westinghouse Electric Corporation
• Yarway Corporation

Many asbestos companies faced financial hardships due to decades of asbestos litigation. Settlements, legal fees and other claim-related costs have risen into the billions, forcing many of these asbestos manufacturers to file for bankruptcy. These asbestos company bankruptcies have led to the creation of bankruptcy trusts.

When an asbestos company files for bankruptcy, all lawsuits against the company stop. The company must submit a bankruptcy plan to the courts. This plan must include the establishment of an asbestos bankruptcy trust fund. These trusts exist solely to compensate current and future asbestos claimants for personal injury, wrongful death and product liability.

A board of court-appointed trustees manages each fund. To access money from the trust, claimants must prove that the company exposed them to asbestos and that they have a related medical condition. A claimant’s recoverable compensation will also depend on the terms of the trust.

The following is a list of asbestos trust funds. This asbestos trust list includes companies with some of the largest active funds:

• ACandS
• API, Inc.
• Armstrong World Industries
• ASARCO LLC
• Babcock & Wilcox Company
• Burns and Roe
• Celotex Corp.
• Combustion Engineering
• DII Industries, LLC
• Eagle-Picher Industries Inc
• Federal Mogul (Turner & Newall, Flexitallic, Ferodo)
• G-1 Holdings Inc.
• H.K. Porter Company, Inc.
• Johns-Manville Corp.
• JT Thorpe Co.
• Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation
• National Gypsum (NGC)
• North American Refractories Corp. (NARCO)
• Owens Corning
• Pittsburgh Corning
• Plibrico Co.
• Swan Transportation Co.
• T. H. Agriculture & Nutrition, LLC (THAN)
• United States Gypsum (USG Corp.)
• UNR Industries
• Western Asbestos Company
• W.R. Grace & Co.

U.S. courts began to hear asbestos-related personal injury claims in the 1960s. From 1973 to 2002, approximately 730,000 people filed asbestos liability claims against over 8,400 asbestos manufacturers.

The Johns-Manville Corporation filed one of the first asbestos-related bankruptcy petitions in 1982. This led to the creation of the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust in 1987. The fund was the first asbestos bankruptcy trust to be established.

Asbestos lawsuits are still ongoing, and not all asbestos companies have filed for bankruptcy. Currently, an estimated additional 40,000 new asbestos claims are filed annually. Because mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases can have decades-long latency periods, new claims may continue to be filed for another 50 years.

Much of what we know about asbestos companies’ attempts to conceal the health risks of asbestos comes from internal corporate documents and depositions. This evidence was obtained through legal discovery during asbestos lawsuits. The records show that asbestos manufacturers knew about the hazards of asbestos and hid this information from workers and the public. Records also show that asbestos companies deliberately manipulated scientific studies regarding the health risk of asbestos.

Companies have been held liable for injuries caused by asbestos exposure through civil lawsuits and trust fund claims. Successful litigation has resulted in verdicts and settlements in favor of the plaintiffs. Some recent notable case outcomes include:

• February 2022: A Great Falls, Montana, jury issued a $36 million verdict against W.R. Grace in favor of the plaintiff, Ralph Hutt. The jury found that the company exposed Hutt to asbestos at its vermiculite plant in Libby, Montana. The suit claimed W.R. Grace knew about the hazardous presence of asbestos and did not warn workers.
• December 2022: A Pennsylvania jury awarded $25 million to Richard and Winifred Daciw. The Daciws’ lawsuit against John Crane Inc. alleged that Richard was exposed to asbestos via contact with gaskets and packaging made by the company. Richard developed asbestosis after working with John Crane, Inc., products in multiple jobs from 1965 until the late 1980s.
• September 2020: A Washington state jury awarded drywaller Raymond Budd $13.5 million in a mesothelioma lawsuit against Kaiser Gypsum. The lawsuit alleged that Budd developed mesothelioma after working with asbestos-containing products, including Kaiser’s asbestos-containing joint compound. Gypsum appealed the lower court’s decision, which the state supreme court upheld in April 2022.
• July 2018: A California jury decided in favor of plaintiffs Robert Whelan and his wife in another asbestos lawsuit involving John Crane, Inc. Whelan was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2013. The lawsuit alleged Whelan was sickened by exposure to asbestos-containing materials made by John Crane while working as a Navy machinist. The court awarded the Whelans $70 million.
• January 2015: Motley Rice co-founder Ron Motley (1944-2013) played a key role in the bankruptcy proceedings that led to the creation of the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust, where our firm still holds an advisory position. In 2004, Travelers Insurance, the company that insured Johns-Manville from the 1940s through the 1970s, was ordered to pay $500 million to settle more than 500,000 asbestos claims. Travelers fought the order, but Motley Rice pushed back. After more than a decade of litigation, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that Travelers must pay.

Individuals diagnosed with asbestosis, mesothelioma or another condition linked to asbestos may be eligible to seek compensation from asbestos companies. You may also be eligible for compensation if your loved one died from an illness caused by asbestos.

Your legal options may include:

• An asbestos lawsuit: You may be able to file an asbestos lawsuit against an existing asbestos manufacturer. A successful lawsuit could result in a monetary settlement (an agreement between the involved parties) or a verdict handed down by a jury.
• An asbestos trust fund claim: You may have a claim against an asbestos trust fund if your asbestos exposure was caused by an asbestos manufacturer that has gone bankrupt.
• Workers’ compensation: Workers who suffered occupational asbestos exposure may be eligible for workers’ compensation. Motley Rice does not handle these types of claims. However, securing workers’ comp can be challenging, and we can represent individuals who have been denied benefits in an asbestos lawsuit.

You must file asbestos lawsuits before the statute of limitations where you live expires, so do not delay. Our toxic exposure attorneys can inform you about time limits that may affect you.

How do I know if an asbestos company exposed me?

All asbestos exposure comes from contact with asbestos or asbestos-containing products. All asbestos-containing products were made by asbestos companies. If you were exposed via a product or through your job with an asbestos manufacturer, an asbestos company exposed you.

Motley Rice asbestos attorneys have extensive knowledge of asbestos companies. We can use this knowledge and our experience litigating asbestos cases to help you pinpoint the company that may be responsible for exposing you.

What is an asbestos bankruptcy fund?

Asbestos bankruptcy trust funds were established by an asbestos company to pay personal injury, wrongful death and product liability claims. These funds were created after the cost of asbestos litigation caused many asbestos manufacturers to file for bankruptcy.

Can I file a lawsuit if a company went bankrupt?

If your case is against a bankrupt asbestos company, you may be eligible to file a claim for compensation with its bankruptcy trust fund if the company has one. If your case is against an asbestos manufacturer that is still solvent, you may be eligible to seek compensation with an asbestos lawsuit.

What documents do I need to make a claim?

To make an asbestos claim, you will need to provide medical documents showing you have been diagnosed with and treated for an asbestos-related disease. You will also need to prove that you were exposed to asbestos. Expert and eyewitness testimony, employment records and medical records may all be a part of your claim or lawsuit.

Motley Rice’s toxic exposure attorneys have fought for individuals, families and communities nationwide who were harmed by hazardous substances. Our firm has been a leader in asbestos litigation for decades. We have experience seeking compensation for victims through asbestos bankruptcy trust funds and asbestos lawsuits.

We have handled asbestos claims involving:

• Asbestos in Canada
• Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA)
• Household exposure to asbestos
• MARDOC
• Secondhand asbestos exposure

If you or someone you love has an asbestos-related illness caused by asbestos exposure, our lawyers can discuss your legal options. Contact Motley Rice by filling out our online form or calling 1.800.768.4026.

Read more about our toxic exposure litigation experience.