UNARCO’s History: Asbestos Insulation and the Unibestos Brand
Union Asbestos & Rubber Co., operating under the UNARCO name, was one of the major manufacturers of asbestos insulation products in the mid-twentieth century United States. The company produced a range of thermal insulation products for industrial pipe systems, boilers, and equipment, with its most widely recognized product being Unibestos—a brand of asbestos-containing pipe insulation that became a standard specification item for industrial construction projects across multiple industries.
Unibestos pipe covering was designed to provide thermal insulation for process and utility piping in high-temperature industrial applications. The product consisted of a pre-formed cylindrical shell of asbestos-containing insulating material that could be fitted around pipes of various diameters and secured with cloth-and-adhesive jacketing. This pre-formed format made Unibestos easier and faster to install than field-mixed insulation products, and it became popular with contractors building and maintaining industrial facilities throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and into the 1970s.
The critical hazard of Unibestos and similar pipe insulation products was the release of asbestos fibers during cutting, fitting, and installation operations. Insulators who installed Unibestos had to cut the pre-formed sections to length using hand or power saws, file and trim the cut ends, and handle the material throughout the installation process. Each of these activities released asbestos fibers. Because insulators and pipefitters worked in enclosed industrial spaces with limited ventilation and in close quarters with other tradespeople, asbestos fiber exposures from Unibestos installation were substantial and prolonged for workers who installed industrial insulation as their primary occupation.
Beyond installation, the long service life of asbestos pipe insulation meant that maintenance workers, inspectors, and renovation crews encountered Unibestos throughout their careers at industrial facilities where it had been installed years or decades earlier. Aged and damaged asbestos insulation is particularly hazardous because it is friable—it crumbles easily and releases fibers at the slightest disturbance. Workers who repaired, replaced, or worked near aging Unibestos installations may have received some of their heaviest asbestos fiber exposures from this “maintenance” contact rather than from original installation work.
In addition to Unibestos, UNARCO produced asbestos textiles, asbestos paper and cloth used in industrial insulation systems, and other asbestos-containing products. The full range of UNARCO’s product line meant that the company’s exposure reach extended beyond pipe insulators to include workers who applied asbestos-based textile and paper products in building insulation, gasket, and packing applications.
The Tyler, Texas Plant: UNARCO’s Most Notorious Facility
Of all UNARCO’s manufacturing facilities, the Tyler, Texas plant carries the most significant historical and public health legacy. The Tyler plant, located in the east Texas city of the same name, manufactured asbestos-containing pipe insulation and related products and was in operation during a period when asbestos manufacturing practices were extremely hazardous by any standard. Worker exposure to asbestos dust at the Tyler facility was severe, and the plant became one of the most studied occupational asbestos exposure sites in American public health history.
The Tyler plant’s operations generated levels of airborne asbestos fiber that far exceeded even the relatively permissive occupational exposure standards of the era. Epidemiological studies of Tyler plant workers documented extraordinarily high rates of mesothelioma, asbestos lung cancer, and asbestosis compared to the general population—rates consistent with what researchers had expected from animal studies and earlier human exposure investigations but shocking when quantified against a real workforce. The Tyler plant worker studies contributed to the scientific and regulatory momentum that led to progressively stricter federal asbestos workplace regulations throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
The Pittsburgh Corning Corporation also operated at the Tyler, Texas location at various times, and the Tyler Superfund site reflects the operations and contamination of multiple asbestos-product manufacturers who used the facility. The EPA designated the Tyler plant location and surrounding areas as a Superfund site requiring remediation of asbestos-contaminated soil and materials. The cleanup at Tyler has been one of the more extensive asbestos Superfund remediation efforts in the country, reflecting the severity of historical contamination at the site.
Community members who lived in the vicinity of the Tyler plant, and family members of plant workers who may have received take-home asbestos exposure, add to the population of individuals who experienced Tyler-related asbestos exposure. The Tyler case became a landmark in asbestos litigation history not only because of the scale of occupational disease but also because of early litigation and settlements that established precedents for how asbestos manufacturer liability would be adjudicated in subsequent decades.
Bloomington, Illinois: UNARCO’s Other Superfund Legacy
In addition to the Tyler, Texas facility, UNARCO operated a significant manufacturing plant in Bloomington, Illinois. The Bloomington facility produced asbestos insulation products and generated asbestos-containing waste that contaminated the plant site and surrounding areas. The Bloomington facility was also designated as a Superfund site, with the EPA conducting cleanup of asbestos contamination to address ongoing environmental health risks to the community.
The Bloomington plant employed a substantial local workforce over its years of operation, and former plant workers from Bloomington have filed significant numbers of asbestos disease claims through the UNARCO Trust and other compensation mechanisms. The Bloomington operations also involved the manufacture of asbestos textiles and related products in addition to pipe insulation, meaning the worker exposure profile at Bloomington differed somewhat from the Tyler plant, with textile workers facing somewhat different dust exposures than pipe insulation production workers.
The environmental contamination at the Bloomington site affected not only former plant workers but also, potentially, community members who lived near the facility and were exposed to asbestos fibers from plant emissions or from the movement and storage of asbestos-containing materials on and around the site. The Superfund designation and subsequent cleanup program addressed the most significant contamination pathways, but historical exposures that occurred before cleanup cannot be undone.
Former workers at the UNARCO Bloomington facility are encouraged to review their employment history and health status with an asbestos attorney, particularly if they worked in production areas, maintenance roles, or other positions that would have involved direct contact with asbestos-containing materials or with the dusty plant atmosphere generated by production operations.
The UNARCO Asbestos Trust: Filing Process and Eligibility
When UNARCO Industries filed for bankruptcy, the reorganization resulted in the establishment of the UNARCO Asbestos Trust—a Section 524(g) trust designed to compensate current and future claimants who developed asbestos-related diseases from exposure to UNARCO products. The trust is administered according to a Trust Distribution Procedure (TDP) that defines eligible diseases, the evidence required to establish disease and exposure, and the scheduled payment amounts for each disease category.
To file a successful claim with the UNARCO Trust, a claimant must demonstrate two core elements: a qualifying diagnosis and a documented history of exposure to UNARCO asbestos products such as Unibestos. The diagnosis requirement is typically satisfied through pathology reports, imaging studies, and medical records from treating physicians. The exposure requirement is satisfied through employment records, Social Security earnings records showing work at facilities where Unibestos was installed, co-worker testimony, contractor records, and other evidence establishing that the claimant worked with or in proximity to UNARCO products.
Eligible diseases under the UNARCO TDP include mesothelioma (all subtypes), asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis (clinically confirmed), and various other asbestos-related conditions arranged in a hierarchy from most severe to less severe, with corresponding scheduled payment values. Mesothelioma claims are the highest-value category and receive priority processing by most trust administrators. Other asbestos cancers and severe asbestosis cases are also compensable at significant values.
The UNARCO Trust claim is typically one component of a broader asbestos compensation strategy. Because most mesothelioma victims were exposed to asbestos products from multiple manufacturers throughout their careers, their attorneys will simultaneously file claims against multiple applicable trusts and, where appropriate, file lawsuits against solvent defendants. The cumulative compensation from a multi-trust, multi-defendant strategy can be substantially larger than any individual trust claim would yield on its own. An experienced asbestos attorney will identify all compensable exposures and pursue each available compensation source on the client’s behalf.
UNARCO Product Lines and Plant Locations
| Product / Brand | Type | Application | Asbestos Type | Plant Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unibestos | Pre-formed pipe insulation | Industrial and power plant piping | Amosite (primary), chrysotile | Tyler TX; Bloomington IL |
| UNARCO Pipe Covering | Cylindrical pipe insulation | Process piping, utility systems | Amosite, chrysotile | Tyler TX; Bloomington IL |
| UNARCO Asbestos Cloth | Woven asbestos textile | Gaskets, packing, heat shields | Chrysotile | Bloomington IL; Paterson NJ |
| UNARCO Asbestos Paper | Asbestos paper/board | Insulation wrap, fire barriers | Chrysotile | Bloomington IL |
| UNARCO Block Insulation | Block and section insulation | Boiler, vessel, and equipment insulation | Amosite, chrysotile | Tyler TX; Bloomington IL |
| UNARCO Insulating Cement | Insulating cement | Fitting covers, valve boxes, irregular shapes | Chrysotile | Various |
Frequently Asked Questions: Unarco Industries & UNARCO Trust Claims
Unibestos was UNARCO’s flagship brand of pre-formed asbestos pipe insulation, primarily made with amosite (brown asbestos) and chrysotile. It was widely specified for industrial pipe insulation in power plants, chemical processing facilities, petroleum refineries, shipyards, paper mills, and other heavy industrial operations from the 1950s through the early 1970s. Pipe insulators, insulation mechanics, pipefitters, boilermakers, and tradespeople working in proximity to insulation installation were the primary exposure groups. Maintenance workers who later repaired or removed aged Unibestos in existing facilities also received significant exposures.
UNARCO Industries operated a pipe insulation manufacturing plant in Tyler, Texas that became infamous for the extraordinary rates of asbestos disease among its workers. The Tyler plant was one of the most heavily studied asbestos manufacturing facilities in medical history, and worker exposure levels there were severe. The site was later designated an EPA Superfund site requiring extensive environmental remediation. Pittsburgh Corning also operated at the Tyler location at various periods. Former Tyler plant workers and their families are eligible to file claims with the UNARCO Trust and should consult with an asbestos attorney to explore all available compensation options.
UNARCO Trust claims are filed through the trust’s administrative claims process, which requires submitting (1) medical evidence of a qualifying asbestos-related diagnosis, typically supported by pathology reports and physician documentation; and (2) evidence of occupational or other exposure to UNARCO products such as Unibestos, typically established through employment records, Social Security earnings records, and testimony. An experienced asbestos attorney will prepare and submit the claim, ensure all required documentation is assembled, and advise on whether additional trust or litigation claims should be filed simultaneously.
The occupational groups most likely to have valid UNARCO Trust claims are: insulation workers (pipe insulators and insulation mechanics who applied Unibestos and similar products); pipefitters and plumbers who worked in close proximity to insulation installation operations; boilermakers who worked on boiler insulation systems; power plant workers at facilities where Unibestos pipe covering was standard; chemical and refinery workers at facilities using UNARCO insulation products; and shipyard workers at Navy and commercial shipyards where pipe insulation was routinely applied. Former workers at the Tyler TX and Bloomington IL UNARCO plants are also direct claimants.
Mesothelioma has a latency period of 20 to 50 years after the initial asbestos fiber exposure. A pipe insulator who installed Unibestos in the late 1960s may not develop mesothelioma until the 1990s, 2000s, or even the 2020s. This very long latency period is one of the factors that makes mesothelioma particularly devastating: by the time the disease appears, the causal exposures are often 30 or 40 years in the past. In most US states, the statute of limitations for asbestos claims is measured from the date of diagnosis or discovery of the asbestos-related cause, not from the date of exposure, preserving legal rights even for exposures that occurred many decades ago.
Worked with Unibestos or Other UNARCO Products?
If you worked as an insulator, pipefitter, boilermaker, or at an industrial facility where Unibestos pipe insulation was installed and you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or asbestos cancer, you may have a UNARCO Trust claim and additional rights. Speak with an asbestos attorney today at no cost.