Why Company Identification Matters
Asbestos litigation has been shaped as much by corporate history as by medicine. Most of the companies listed here filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy under the weight of asbestos claims and were required to establish Section 524(g) trusts — dedicated pools of money set aside to pay future claimants long after the company reorganized or dissolved. Knowing which company's pipe insulation was installed in the shipyard where you worked in 1974, or which floor tile product was laid in the school where you taught, can determine whether you file against an active defendant, a trust fund, or both.
Each profile below covers the company's core asbestos-containing products, the occupations and facilities most commonly exposed, their bankruptcy and trust fund status, and key dates. If you were diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer related to asbestos, an attorney experienced in asbestos litigation can cross-reference your work history against this database and identify every potential source of compensation.
Insulation & Building Products
This sector accounts for the majority of all asbestos trust fund assets. Manufacturers in insulation, drywall, roofing, and flooring incorporated chrysotile and amosite fibers into hundreds of product lines sold to contractors, builders, and industrial facilities nationwide from the 1930s through the late 1970s.
| Company | Key Products | Trust Fund |
|---|---|---|
| Johns-Manville Corp. | Pipe insulation, ceiling tiles, roofing shingles, joint compound | Yes — Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust |
| W.R. Grace & Co. | Zonolite attic insulation, Monokote fireproofing spray, vermiculite products | Yes — W.R. Grace Asbestos PI Trust |
| Owens Corning | Kaylo pipe insulation, block insulation, fiberglass batt with asbestos | Yes — Owens Corning Fibreboard Asbestos PI Trust |
| Owens-Illinois (O-I) | Kaylo high-temperature pipe covering (pre-1958), glass block insulation | Yes — Owens-Illinois Asbestos Settlement Trust |
| Pittsburgh Corning Corp. | Unibestos pipe insulation, block insulation for power plants and refineries | Yes — Pittsburgh Corning Corp. Asbestos PI Trust |
| Armstrong World Industries | Vinyl floor tile, ceiling tile, adhesives, resilient flooring | Yes — Armstrong World Industries Asbestos PI Settlement Trust |
| National Gypsum Co. | Gold Bond joint compound, drywall products, ceiling texture | Yes — National Gypsum Settlement Trust |
| United States Gypsum (USG) | Sheetrock joint compound, Durabond, ceiling texture products | Active defendant — no trust fund established |
| Kaiser Gypsum Co. | Joint compound, drywall board, texture coatings | Yes — Kaiser Gypsum Company Asbestos Trust |
| Georgia-Pacific / Bestwall | Ready Mix joint compound, Bestwall gypsum board, joint tape | Yes — Bestwall LLC Asbestos Trust (pending confirmation) |
| CertainTeed Corp. | Pipe insulation, roofing shingles, asbestos-cement siding, blown insulation | Active defendant (Saint-Gobain subsidiary) |
| Celotex Corp. | Asbestos-cement board, insulation board, roofing products | Yes — Celotex Asbestos Settlement Trust |
| The Flintkote Co. | Roofing felts, floor tile, pipe wrap, joint compound | Yes — Flintkote Asbestos Trust |
| GAF Corp. | Ruberoid roofing, asphalt roofing shingles, floor tile | Yes — GAF Corp. & Building Materials Corp. Asbestos Trust |
| Congoleum Corp. | Sheet vinyl flooring, vinyl asbestos tile, adhesives | Yes — Congoleum Plan Trust |
| Kentile Floors Inc. | Vinyl asbestos floor tile, adhesive, commercial flooring systems | Yes — Kentile Floors Asbestos Settlement Trust |
Automotive & Friction Products
Chrysotile asbestos was the preferred fiber in friction products — brake linings, clutch facings, and gaskets — because it dissipated heat without igniting. Auto mechanics, machinists, and railroad workers faced sustained exposure during brake jobs, clutch replacements, and equipment maintenance. Several of these manufacturers also supplied friction products to the military and industrial sectors.
| Company | Key Products | Trust Fund |
|---|---|---|
| Raybestos-Manhattan / Raymark | Raybestos brake linings, clutch facings, transmission parts | Yes — Raymark Industries Asbestos Settlement Trust |
| Federal-Mogul Corp. | Fel-Pro gaskets, T&N insulation, Champion brake products | Yes — Federal-Mogul Asbestos Personal Injury Trust |
| Honeywell International | Bendix brake linings, friction pads, clutch facings (via Bendix Corp.) | Active defendant — no trust; Honeywell assumed Bendix liabilities |
| Abex Corp. | Railroad brake shoes, industrial friction linings, valve packing | Yes — Pneumo Abex Asbestos Claims Settlement Trust |
| Borg-Warner Corp. | Borg & Beck clutch assemblies, transmission components, friction discs | Yes — Borg-Warner Morse TEC Asbestos Settlement Trust |
| Dana Inc. | Victor gaskets, Spicer driveshaft components, exhaust gaskets | Yes — Dana Asbestos Personal Injury Trust |
Automobile Manufacturers
The Big Three automakers used asbestos extensively in brake linings, clutch assemblies, gaskets, and heat shielding in vehicles they manufactured for decades. Factory workers who assembled vehicles, as well as mechanics who serviced them, were exposed to asbestos in components supplied both by the manufacturers and by aftermarket parts companies.
| Company | Key Products | Trust Fund |
|---|---|---|
| General Motors | Factory-installed brake linings, gaskets, heat shielding in GM vehicles | Active defendant — no trust fund |
| Ford Motor Co. | OEM brake components, gaskets, clutch facings in Ford vehicles | Active defendant — no trust fund |
| Bendix Corp. (see Honeywell) | Bendix brake linings, friction pads — Honeywell assumed liability | Active defendant — Honeywell assumed Bendix liabilities |
Industrial Equipment, Boilers & Marine
Boiler and industrial equipment manufacturers supplied the engines of American industry — power plants, refineries, shipyards, and steel mills — where asbestos insulation on high-temperature equipment created substantial and sustained exposure for maintenance and operations workers across the country.
| Company | Key Products | Trust Fund |
|---|---|---|
| Babcock & Wilcox Co. | Industrial and marine boilers, nuclear steam supply systems | Yes — Babcock & Wilcox Asbestos PI Settlement Trust |
| Combustion Engineering | Utility boilers, industrial furnaces, nuclear reactor systems | Yes — Combustion Engineering 524(g) Trust |
| Foster Wheeler Corp. | Process heaters, heat exchangers, fired heaters for refineries and chemical plants | Yes — Foster Wheeler Asbestos PI Trust |
Gaskets, Sealing & Industrial Components
Gasket and packing manufacturers supplied asbestos sealing products used throughout industrial piping, pressure vessels, and mechanical systems. Pipefitters, mechanics, and industrial maintenance workers who cut, installed, or removed asbestos gaskets and packing were exposed to asbestos fibers generated during those activities.
| Company | Key Products | Trust Fund |
|---|---|---|
| Garlock Sealing Technologies | Compressed asbestos sheet gaskets, rope packing, mechanical seals | Yes — Garlock GST Settlement Facility |
| John Crane Inc. | Mechanical seals, packing, gaskets for pumps and compressors | Active defendant (Smiths Group subsidiary) |
| A.W. Chesterton Co. | Packing, gaskets, mechanical seals for industrial pumps and valves | Active defendant |
| Crane Co. | Industrial valves, pumps, and pipe fittings with asbestos gaskets and packing | Active defendant |
Mining, Chemical & Raw Materials
Chemical companies and mining operations used asbestos as an insulating material throughout their high-temperature processing operations, and some also processed asbestos raw fiber as part of their mining portfolios. Workers at smelters, chemical plants, and mines faced exposure from equipment insulation and, in some cases, from the processing of asbestos-bearing ores.
| Company | Key Products | Trust Fund |
|---|---|---|
| Union Carbide Corp. | Chemical plant insulation, Calidria chrysotile fiber (mining), industrial chemicals | Active defendant (Dow Chemical / Bhopal successor) |
| ASARCO LLC | Copper, lead, and zinc smelting with asbestos-insulated processing equipment | Yes — ASARCO Asbestos PI Settlement Trust (35%) |
| Kaiser Aluminum | Aluminum smelting operations with asbestos insulation on high-temperature equipment | Yes — Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. Asbestos PI Trust |
| Unarco Industries | Pipe insulation, block insulation, industrial thermal insulation products | Yes — Unarco Industries Asbestos Settlement Trust |
Refractories
Refractory manufacturers supplied heat-resistant lining materials for the iron and steel industry, glass making, ceramics, and other extremely high-temperature industrial processes. Many refractory products contained asbestos for additional thermal resistance. Steelworkers, furnace operators, and industrial maintenance workers were exposed during installation, service, and removal of refractory linings.
| Company | Key Products | Trust Fund |
|---|---|---|
| North American Refractories (NARCO) | Asbestos-containing refractory brick and cement for iron and steel furnaces | Yes — NARCO Asbestos Disease Trust |
| Harbison-Walker Refractories | Refractory brick, castables, and cement for steel, glass, and chemical industries | Yes — Harbison-Walker International Asbestos PI Trust |
| Quigley Co. | Insulag and other asbestos-bearing refractory cements; steel industry products | Yes — Quigley Company Asbestos PI Trust |
| Turner & Newall (T&N) | British asbestos conglomerate; insulation, textiles, packing via Federal-Mogul | Yes — via Federal-Mogul T&N Subfund |
| Keasbey-Mattison / Nicolet | Pipe insulation, insulation cement, asbestos block — successor Nicolet Inc. | Yes — Nicolet Inc. Asbestos Settlement Trust |
Talc Products
Talc deposits frequently contain naturally occurring asbestos, and talc-based consumer and industrial products have been linked to mesothelioma in some exposed individuals. Litigation over asbestos-contaminated talc has been among the most significant asbestos liability developments of the twenty-first century.
| Company | Key Products | Trust Fund |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson & Johnson (Talc) | Baby powder, Shower to Shower, and other talc consumer products | Yes — Red River Talc LLC Asbestos PI Trust (via bankruptcy) |
| Imerys Talc America | Talc ore supplier (formerly Luzenac) for consumer and industrial products | Yes — Imerys Talc America Asbestos PI Trust |
How to Use These Profiles When Filing a Claim
Each profile on this site details the specific product lines associated with that manufacturer, the occupational groups most at risk, the states and facilities where products were most widely distributed, and the procedural steps for filing a trust fund claim. Trust funds operate independently of the court system — they have their own claim forms, payment matrices, and medical documentation requirements — so knowing which trusts apply to your situation can mean the difference between recovering compensation quickly and waiting years for trial.
If you or a family member has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer, a mesothelioma attorney can review your work history against company product databases and identify every applicable trust fund. Many claims qualify for payment from multiple trusts simultaneously. Learn more about your legal options at Mesothelioma.cam ›