What Are Asbestos Companies?
Asbestos companies are businesses that manufactured, distributed, supplied, or sold asbestos-containing products. Asbestos was inexpensive, insulating, and fireproof, so companies used it to make thousands of products from the 1930s until the early 1980s.
However, when asbestos products are installed, serviced, or damaged, they can release tiny fibers into the air, posing a danger to anyone nearby. People who breathe in or swallow these fibers are at risk of developing mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases 10-50 years later.
Court documents show that many asbestos companies not only knew of the health hazards of asbestos for decades but also took steps to hide this information from the public. It wasn’t until the early 1980s that government regulations restricted asbestos use in the United States.
While asbestos products are no longer sold in the United States, the damage has already been done. Thousands of Americans are diagnosed each year with mesothelioma cancer and other asbestos illnesses.
Quick Facts About Asbestos Manufacturers
- Companies: Armstrong Industries, Johns-Manville, National Gypsum Company, and W.R. Grace, and others
- Products: Asbestos insulation, brakes, drywall, gaskets, piping, pumps, valves, and more
- Industries serviced: Automotive, construction, manufacturing, and shipbuilding
- Compensation options for victims: Asbestos trust fund claims, mesothelioma lawsuits, and veterans benefits
Get our Free Asbestos Products Guide to learn more about the products that contain asbestos and the companies that made them.
List of Companies That Used Asbestos
Hundreds of companies throughout the U.S. made, sold, and distributed a wide range of asbestos-containing products that could be found in job sites, military bases, public buildings, and even private homes.
Examples of asbestos companies include:
- Allied Manufacturing Company
- American Brake Shoe/Abex
- Archer-Daniels-Midland Company
- Babcock & Wilcox Co.
- Borg Warner Company
- Celotex Corp.
- Chicago Bridge & Iron Company
- Crown Cork & Seal
- DuroDyne National Corp.
- Eagle Picher Industries
- Federal Mogul (T&N, Flexitallic, Ferodo)
- Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC
- Georgia-Pacific LLC
- H.K. Porter Co.
- Hennessy Industries Inc.
- Johns-Manville Corp.
- Kaiser Aluminum
- Leslie Controls, Inc.
- Mallinckrodt
- National Gypsum
- Owens Corning Fibreboard
- Owens-Illinois
- Pittsburgh Corning
- Quigley Co.
- Raymark Corp./Raytech Corp.
- SEPCO
- T.H. Agriculture and Nutrition, LLC
- United Gilsonite Laboratories
- United States Gypsum (USG)
- Vermiculite
- W.R. Grace
- Washington Penn Plastics
- Xerxes Corporation
- Yarway Corporation
This isn’t a complete list of asbestos companies — many other companies made, sold, and supplied asbestos products.
We can help you determine if a company you worked for exposed people to asbestos products. Call (866) 608-8933 right now to speak to a Patient Advocate.
Asbestos Company Bankruptcies
Some asbestos companies filed for bankruptcy to stay in business and escape mounting lawsuits. The courts forced these companies to establish asbestos trust funds to compensate current and future victims.
Over 100 companies created bankruptcy trusts, and an estimated $30 billion is available in these funds today.
Asbestos trust fund companies include:
- Armstrong World Industries
- Babcock & Wilcox
- DII Industries
- Federal Mogul Corp.
- Flexitallic
- Johns-Manville Corporation
- National Gypsum
- Owens Corning Fibreboard
- Pittsburgh Corning Corp. (PCC)
- Turner & Newall
- United States Gypsum (USG)
- Western Asbestos Company
- W.R. Grace
Many other asbestos companies filed for bankruptcy to avoid mesothelioma lawsuits.
Asbestos fund claims often award hundreds of thousands of dollars — without any time in court. See if you may be able to access asbestos trust fund compensation right now.
The Corporate Cover-Up by Asbestos Manufacturers
As early as the 1930s, medical journals published articles linking asbestos to different illnesses. Instead of informing the public or removing asbestos from their products, some asbestos companies engaged in a decades-long coverup to protect their profits.
Here is a timeline of key moments in this industry-wide cover-up:
- 1898: British researchers published information about the dangers of asbestos.
- 1918: American articles appeared warning workers of the health risks of asbestos.
- 1920s: Doctors identified asbestosis, a chronic lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos fibers.
- 1935: Dozens of the largest asbestos companies in the U.S. sent representatives to a “Symposium on Dust Problems,” which marked the start of the industry’s planned effort to hide the hazards of asbestos and protect their profits.
- 1942: Doctors established a link between asbestos and cancer, with the first reports of mesothelioma appearing in medical literature.
As time passed, asbestos company executives continued to cover up asbestos-related diseases among their workers. They hid company documents, reports, and other evidence that connected the illnesses to asbestos exposure.
In 1977, the cover-up was revealed when mesothelioma attorneys discovered 6,000 pages of documents called the Sumner Simpson papers. These pages showed that asbestos company executives had hid the truth about asbestos while exposing workers and their families.
Even today, some asbestos companies have denied that their products caused people to fall ill and have even tried to destroy or manipulate evidence. For example, Johnson & Johnson denies that its baby powder contained asbestos and could cause ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, even though tens of thousands of talcum powder lawsuits say otherwise.
Suing the Companies That Used Asbestos
Since the Sumner Simpson papers exposed the fraudulent activities of asbestos companies, thousands of mesothelioma victims and their families have filed lawsuits to hold them accountable.
“My lawyer said, ‘Dr. Snyder, you do realize that the companies who made the products that you worked with as a 16-year-old knew that asbestos causes mesothelioma?’” recalled Bonnie. “And I said no, I didn’t realize that. Where’s the literature to document that? And he said, ‘Well, I can show you the literature,’ and he did.”
You may be able to file a mesothelioma lawsuit if you or a loved one were exposed to asbestos and later developed mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, even if your exposure occurred decades ago.
A mesothelioma law firm can collect evidence to show how and where you were exposed and identify each asbestos company responsible for making you sick. They strive to make the legal process easy and stress-free so you can focus on your health and spending time with the people you love.
Lawsuit Compensation Amounts
Mesothelioma lawsuits award over $1 million on average, and in most cases, patients access this compensation without going to court.
Notable asbestos company lawsuit settlements and verdicts include:
- $40 million to a U.S. Navy veteran who serviced Goodyear asbestos-laden gaskets
- $30 million from J-M Manufacturing to a construction supervisor diagnosed with mesothelioma
- $20 million from Ford Motor Company to a mechanic exposed to asbestos in brakes
- $15 million to the family of a laborer exposed to Kaiser Gypsum joint compound
- $5.7 million for a repairman who worked for Worthington Corporation
- $3.8 million for the family of a Washington Penn Plastics maintenance worker
- $3 million from Crane Co. for a pipefitter who passed away after working with asbestos valves
Get a Free Mesothelioma Case Review to see if you may have been exposed and learn about your legal options.
Get a Free Mesothelioma Case Review
Jobs at Risk of Asbestos Exposure
Dozens of industries used asbestos-containing products before the health hazards were known. While anyone who worked with or near asbestos products is at risk, those who handled asbestos-based products on a daily basis are most likely to become sick.
Occupations with a high risk of asbestos exposure include:
- Asbestos mine workers
- Auto mechanics
- Boilermakers
- Bricklayers
- Building inspectors
- Carpenters
- Construction workers
- Demolition workers
- Drywallers
- Electricians
- Firefighters
- Insulators
- Ironworkers
- Maintenance workers
- Millwrights
- Painters
- Pipefitters
- Plasterers
- Plumbers
- Roofers
- Shipyard workers
- Steamfitters
- Tile setters
- U.S. military veterans
Those who worked around asbestos products weren’t the only ones at risk. Workers may have carried asbestos fibers home on their clothes or skin, causing family members to become ill due to secondhand asbestos exposure.
Products Made by Asbestos Companies
Asbestos manufacturers used asbestos to make thousands of products because the mineral was durable, lightweight, and fire-resistant. When these products were installed, repaired, or removed, asbestos fibers may have become airborne, putting anyone in the vicinity in danger.
Common asbestos-containing products include:
- Boilers
- Brake pads and linings
- Cement
- Drywall
- Floor tiles
- Gaskets
- Hood liners
- Insulation
- Joint compound
- Piping
- Pumps
- Roofing materials
- Textured paints and coatings
- Valves
Download our Free Asbestos Products Guide to learn more about the everyday items that caused people to be exposed to asbestos.
Get Help Holding Asbestos Companies Accountable
Negligent asbestos companies knew of the dangers of asbestos for nearly a century but hid this information to protect their profits. As a result, millions of workers and consumers were put in danger of developing mesothelioma and other related diseases.
The Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma Hope can connect those harmed by asbestos companies with personalized medical, financial, and support resources.
These resources include top mesothelioma doctors and lawyers who typically secure over $1 million for patients and their loved ones.
Call (866) 608-8933 right now or download our Free Asbestos Products Guide to learn more about all of the ways we can support families facing a mesothelioma diagnosis.
Asbestos Companies FAQs
Which companies used asbestos?
Hundreds of companies used asbestos to make a wide range of products up until the early 1980s when the hazards became known.
Some notable asbestos companies include:
- Eagle Picher Industries Inc.
- Fisher Scientific Company
- Flowserve Corporation
- Fluor Corporation
- Monsanto Company
- National Gypsum
- Owens Corning
- Pneumo Abex
- United States Gypsum
This is only a partial list. Many other asbestos companies manufactured products for the military and industries like construction, chemical refining, and manufacturing.
Are asbestos products still manufactured in the U.S.?
No, asbestos products are no longer manufactured in the U.S., but the cancer-causing mineral is still imported and used to make certain products like chlorine bleach.
The use of asbestos has dramatically decreased in recent years due to lawsuits filed against asbestos manufacturers by people who have developed asbestos-related illnesses like mesothelioma and lung cancer from their use.
Does anyone use asbestos anymore?
Yes, certain corporations in the chlor-alkali and oil industries still use asbestos during their manufacturing processes.
In March 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reintroduced a ban on chrysotile asbestos, one of the six types of asbestos and the only type still being imported into the U.S.
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