Kaiser Aluminum Trust

About the Kaiser Aluminum Trust

Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation was one of the largest aluminum producers in the United States throughout the mid-to-late twentieth century. Founded as part of Henry J. Kaiser's wartime industrial empire, Kaiser Aluminum operated reduction smelters and processing facilities in several states, with major operations at Gramercy, Louisiana, and Mead, Washington, as well as facilities in Ohio, West Virginia, and other locations. Aluminum smelting is an extremely high-temperature process, and for decades Kaiser Aluminum's facilities were heavily lined with asbestos insulation and asbestos-containing refractory materials that kept heat contained in furnaces, reduction pots, and other industrial equipment.

Workers at Kaiser Aluminum smelters were exposed to asbestos in multiple ways. Insulators and pipefitters installed and removed asbestos pipe covering and block insulation throughout the facilities. Maintenance mechanics repaired furnaces and reduction pots lined with asbestos-containing refractory cements. Electricians worked in areas where asbestos insulation on wiring and equipment was disturbed during repair work. General production workers in the smelting areas were also exposed as asbestos-containing materials deteriorated and shed fibers into the air of their work environments. This chronic, repeated exposure over years of employment placed many Kaiser workers at significant risk for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2002, citing a combination of asbestos liabilities, rising energy costs, and the financial strain of labor disputes. Kaiser had faced asbestos litigation for years, and the accumulating liability made the bankruptcy filing necessary to reorganize and address claims in an orderly fashion. After several years of proceedings, Kaiser's bankruptcy reorganization plan was confirmed, and the Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation Asbestos PI Trust was funded and became operational in 2006. The trust was capitalized with approximately $340 million to cover thousands of pending and future asbestos personal injury claims from former Kaiser workers and their families.

Trust Fund Details

The Kaiser Aluminum Trust payment percentage is set at 10.6%. The actual amount you receive depends on the scheduled value for your disease category, any individual review findings, and other factors your attorney will evaluate. Kaiser trust payments may be combined with recoveries from other trusts and civil lawsuits.

Who Is Eligible to File a Kaiser Aluminum Trust Claim

The Kaiser Aluminum Trust compensates individuals who were exposed to asbestos at Kaiser Aluminum facilities and who have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another qualifying asbestos-related disease. Eligibility requires both a confirmed medical diagnosis and documented exposure to asbestos at a Kaiser location during covered employment.

Occupations With High Kaiser Aluminum Exposure Risk

• Aluminum smelter workers and pot room operators who worked in reduction areas with asbestos-lined equipment
• Furnace maintenance workers who repaired and relined high-temperature smelting furnaces
• Insulators and insulation mechanics who installed and removed asbestos pipe covering
• Pipefitters who worked on high-temperature process lines at smelter facilities
• Maintenance mechanics and millwrights at Kaiser reduction plants
• Electricians who worked in facilities where asbestos electrical insulation was disturbed
• Refractory workers who installed and repaired asbestos-containing furnace and pot linings
• Boilermakers who worked on steam systems in Kaiser facilities
• General laborers who worked in and around smelting areas with deteriorating asbestos materials
• Construction and renovation workers employed at Kaiser facilities during expansions and repairs
• Contracted trades workers from unions who performed maintenance at Kaiser smelters

Key Kaiser Aluminum Worksites

• Gramercy, Louisiana alumina refinery and reduction plant
• Mead, Washington aluminum reduction smelter
• Ravenswood, West Virginia smelting facility
• Tacoma, Washington smelter operations
• Chalmette, Louisiana facility
• Spokane, Washington-area operations
• Other Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corporation plant locations nationwide

Exposure Timeframe

Kaiser Aluminum facilities used asbestos-containing insulation and refractory materials extensively from the 1940s through the 1970s and into the 1980s. Workers employed at Kaiser facilities during this period face the greatest risk of asbestos-related disease. The 20- to 50-year latency period of mesothelioma means that workers who were exposed during the mid-twentieth century are receiving diagnoses today.

Qualifying Diagnoses

• Mesothelioma (pleural, peritoneal, or pericardial)
• Lung cancer with documented asbestos exposure history
• Asbestosis confirmed by imaging and clinical evaluation
• Other asbestos-related diseases defined by the trust distribution procedures

How to File a Claim With the Kaiser Aluminum Trust

Trust claims are legal proceedings that require medical evidence, documented work history, and proper claim forms. Your attorney manages the process on your behalf. Here is a step-by-step overview:

1. Contact an experienced mesothelioma attorney. Kaiser trust claims involve specific procedural requirements. Asbestos attorneys work on contingency — no fee unless you recover. An attorney will evaluate whether you have a viable Kaiser claim and identify all other trusts and defendants you may also pursue.
2. Document your work history at Kaiser facilities. Provide your attorney with a detailed employment history including the specific Kaiser facility, your job title and duties, the years you worked there, and the names of co-workers or supervisors who can verify your presence and the asbestos-containing materials you encountered.
3. Obtain and organize medical documentation. A confirmed pathology report is the core of any mesothelioma trust claim. Your attorney will gather your diagnosis records, imaging results, and treatment history. They may also arrange for your records to be reviewed by an asbestos disease specialist.
4. Prepare and file the claim with the trust. Your attorney prepares a complete claim package — claim form, medical records, work history affidavits, and exposure evidence — and submits it to the Kaiser Aluminum Asbestos PI Trust on your behalf.
5. The trust processes and evaluates your claim. The trust reviews your submission against its Trust Distribution Procedures (TDP). Claims that meet the medical and exposure criteria are approved for payment. Terminal patients may qualify for expedited processing.
6. Review the payment offer. Once your claim is evaluated, the trust will make a payment offer based on the scheduled value for your disease category multiplied by the 10.6% payment rate. You and your attorney will review the offer and decide whether to accept or pursue individual review.
7. Collect your compensation. After accepting the offer, the trust disburses payment. Your attorney's contingency fee is deducted from the recovery at the time of payment.

Can You File Other Claims in Addition to a Kaiser Aluminum Claim?

Absolutely. Workers at Kaiser Aluminum smelters were typically exposed to asbestos from many sources beyond Kaiser's own operations. The asbestos insulation, pipe covering, and refractory materials present at Kaiser facilities were manufactured by dozens of companies — including Armstrong World Industries, Johns Manville, Owens Corning, Combustion Engineering, and many others — many of which have their own separate asbestos bankruptcy trusts.

An experienced mesothelioma attorney will review your entire work history — not just your time at Kaiser — and identify every trust fund for which you may be eligible. Kaiser trust payments and payments from other trusts are additive; you keep each recovery separately. Because the Kaiser trust pays only 10.6% of the scheduled value, most Kaiser claimants find that their total recovery is significantly larger when combined with claims against other trusts and, where applicable, civil litigation against solvent defendants who supplied asbestos products to Kaiser and other employers.

If you worked at Kaiser and at other worksites — such as shipyards, refineries, power plants, or construction sites — during other periods of your career, your exposure history may support claims against many additional trusts. The total combined recovery across all eligible trusts and lawsuits can be substantially higher than any single recovery from the Kaiser trust alone.

Frequently Asked Questions