About National Gypsum and Its Asbestos Liability
National Gypsum Company was a leading manufacturer of gypsum-based building products for most of the twentieth century. Founded in 1925 and headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company marketed its products under the Gold Bond brand name, which became one of the most recognized names in American construction. Gold Bond products included gypsum wallboard, joint compound, plaster, spackling compound, ceiling tile, and acoustical building products sold through lumberyards and building supply distributors to professional contractors and home builders across the United States.
From the 1940s through the early 1970s, National Gypsum’s powdered joint compound products — the Gold Bond compound that drywall workers mixed with water on the job site — contained chrysotile asbestos. The asbestos served as a functional additive, improving the compound’s workability and bonding properties. But when workers poured and mixed the dry powder, or when they sanded the cured compound smooth between coats, they released asbestos fibers into the air. Drywall finishers, who spent entire careers performing these tasks repeatedly in enclosed interior spaces, received substantial cumulative asbestos exposure.
National Gypsum filed for bankruptcy in 1990. The NGC Bodily Injury Trust was established under court supervision to compensate victims of Gold Bond and other National Gypsum asbestos-containing product exposure. The trust pays at 45%, a favorable rate reflecting the trust’s capitalization relative to its claim obligations.
Trust Fund Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Trust Name | NGC Bodily Injury Trust |
| Predecessor Company | National Gypsum Company |
| Brand Name | Gold Bond |
| Payment Percentage | 45% |
| Claims Administrator | Verus Claims Services |
| Products | Gold Bond joint compound, spackling compound, plaster, gypsum wallboard, acoustical ceiling products |
| Primary Exposed Occupations | Drywall finishers (tapers), plasterers, construction workers, renovation contractors |
| Claim Types Accepted | Mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural disease |
The 45% payment percentage makes the NGC trust one of the stronger-paying trusts in the joint compound category. Drywall workers who used Gold Bond throughout their careers — and most professional tapers used Gold Bond along with other brands — can receive significant compensation from this trust as part of a multi-trust filing that also captures claims from USG, Georgia-Pacific Bestwall, Bondex, and other applicable trusts.
Gold Bond Asbestos Products: The Exposure Mechanism
Understanding exactly how Gold Bond joint compound created asbestos exposure is important for documenting eligibility:
- Dry powder mixing: Pre-1972 Gold Bond joint compound was sold as a dry powder in bags. When workers poured the powder into a mixing bucket and mixed it with water, chrysotile asbestos fibers were released into the air of the work area. This was the initial and most intense exposure event for each bag of compound used.
- Application: Applying wet joint compound to drywall joints and fasteners involved repeated scooping, spreading, and feathering motions with compound that had dried asbestos fibers suspended within it. Some fiber release occurred during application.
- Sanding: After each coat of compound dried, drywall finishers sanded the surface smooth to prepare it for the next coat or for painting. Hand sanding and machine sanding of dried compound released asbestos fibers directly into the air in concentrated amounts. Sanding was the highest-exposure activity in the drywall finishing trade.
- Cleanup and bystander exposure: Asbestos fibers settled throughout work areas and were disturbed by cleanup activities. Other trades working in the same interior spaces — electricians, plumbers, painters — were exposed as bystanders during drywall finishing operations.
Who Is Eligible to File with the NGC Bodily Injury Trust?
Eligibility requires documented exposure to Gold Bond or other National Gypsum asbestos-containing products and a qualifying medical diagnosis:
- Drywall finishers (tapers): Professional workers who applied and sanded joint compound as their primary trade are the most commonly eligible claimants for the NGC trust.
- Plasterers: Workers who applied Gold Bond plaster and related products in commercial and residential construction may have claims.
- General construction workers: Carpenters, painters, and other construction trades who regularly worked in areas where Gold Bond compound was being mixed and sanded are eligible.
- Renovation contractors: Workers who remodeled older buildings, sanding or scraping surfaces with previously applied Gold Bond compound, have potential claims.
- Building maintenance workers: Personnel who repaired walls and ceilings in commercial or institutional buildings using Gold Bond products, or who disturbed existing Gold Bond compound, may be eligible.
Qualifying diagnoses: mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural conditions.
How to File an NGC Trust Claim
- Consult a mesothelioma attorney: Your attorney will evaluate your drywall finishing or construction history to establish Gold Bond and other National Gypsum product exposure.
- Document Gold Bond exposure: Co-worker testimony, contractor purchasing records, geographic market information, and your specific work history are used to establish Gold Bond product use.
- Compile medical records: Pathology reports and diagnostic documentation for mesothelioma or other qualifying disease are assembled.
- Submit to Verus: Your attorney submits the complete claim package to Verus Claims Services, the NGC trust administrator.
- Review and payment: The trust reviews the claim and pays at 45% of the scheduled disease value upon approval.
Workers who used Gold Bond also typically used products from USG, Georgia-Pacific, Bondex, and other manufacturers throughout their careers. All applicable trust claims can and should be filed simultaneously for maximum total recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
The NGC trust pays at 45% of the scheduled disease value. For a mesothelioma scheduled value of $175,000–$250,000, the actual NGC payment can be $79,000–$112,000. This is one of the stronger payment percentages in the joint compound trust category, making it an important claim for drywall workers with Gold Bond exposure.
National Gypsum phased asbestos out of its Gold Bond joint compound products in the early 1970s, consistent with the broader industry transition away from asbestos following regulatory action and scientific documentation of health hazards. Workers who used powdered Gold Bond compound before approximately 1972 are most likely to have had asbestos exposure from these products.
Yes. The NGC trust (for National Gypsum Gold Bond products) and the USG trust (for United States Gypsum products) are entirely separate trust proceedings. Workers who used both brands during their careers — which is common in the drywall finishing trade — can file claims with both trusts simultaneously, as well as with any other applicable trusts such as Bondex and Georgia-Pacific Bestwall.
You need to establish that Gold Bond products were used in the specific work environments where you worked, not just that you were a drywall worker in general. This is done through a combination of your own recollection and testimony, co-worker accounts, contractor purchasing records, geographic market evidence, and your attorney’s knowledge of which products were prevalent in specific markets and time periods. Experienced mesothelioma attorneys have established methods for documenting Gold Bond exposure even without personal purchase records.