Union Carbide Asbestos Claims

Union Carbide and Asbestos: What Workers Need to Know

Union Carbide Corporation was one of the largest chemical manufacturers in the United States for most of the twentieth century, operating petrochemical plants, research laboratories, industrial gas facilities, and manufacturing operations across the country and around the world. Among its many industrial activities, Union Carbide was a significant participant in the asbestos economy — both as a user of asbestos-containing insulation and construction materials at its industrial facilities, and as a manufacturer and supplier of certain asbestos-containing chemical products.

Unlike the majority of major asbestos defendants — companies like Johns Manville, Owens Corning, and Armstrong World Industries — Union Carbide Corporation never filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection over its asbestos personal injury liabilities. This is a critical distinction for workers pursuing compensation. Because Union Carbide did not go through an asbestos bankruptcy reorganization, there is no Union Carbide asbestos trust fund from which claims are paid. Instead, asbestos personal injury claims against Union Carbide are pursued as civil lawsuits in state and federal courts.

In 2001, Dow Chemical Company completed its acquisition of Union Carbide Corporation. As part of the acquisition, Dow assumed Union Carbide’s outstanding legal liabilities, including all pending and future asbestos personal injury claims. Today, lawsuits involving Union Carbide asbestos exposure are filed against Union Carbide LLC, which operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dow Inc. Because Dow is one of the world’s largest chemical companies, it is a well-capitalized defendant, and mesothelioma verdicts and settlements in Union Carbide cases can be substantial.

Union Carbide at a Glance

Sources of Asbestos Exposure at Union Carbide Facilities

Workers at Union Carbide plants and facilities were exposed to asbestos from several sources. The company operated large petrochemical and chemical manufacturing complexes that, like virtually all industrial facilities built before 1980, were extensively insulated with asbestos-containing pipe insulation, boiler insulation, equipment insulation, and asbestos-containing construction materials. Workers who maintained, repaired, or replaced this insulation — as well as workers in the vicinity of insulation work — faced significant asbestos exposure at Union Carbide plants throughout the country.

Occupations at Risk

• Insulators and pipefitters at Union Carbide petrochemical plants and chemical facilities
• Boilermakers who worked on steam boilers and process equipment at Union Carbide plants
• Maintenance mechanics and millwrights who repaired insulated equipment
• Construction workers who built or expanded Union Carbide plant facilities
• Process operators who worked in the vicinity of asbestos-insulated piping and equipment
• Carbon and graphite plant workers at UCAR International facilities
• Workers at Union Carbide nuclear fuel fabrication facilities
• Laboratory and research workers at Union Carbide facilities where asbestos was used

Key Union Carbide Locations with Asbestos Exposure

• Texas City, TX — petrochemical manufacturing complex
• South Charleston, WV — major chemicals research and production facility
• Institute, WV — chemicals and isocyanate production
• Seadrift, TX — ethylene and polyethylene production
• Taft, LA — chemical manufacturing on the Louisiana petrochemical corridor
• Brownsville, TX — petroleum and chemicals
• Clarksburg, WV — carbon products (UCAR International)

How to Pursue Compensation for Union Carbide Asbestos Exposure

Because there is no Union Carbide asbestos trust fund, workers diagnosed with mesothelioma from Union Carbide asbestos exposure pursue compensation through civil litigation. Here is how the process works:

1. Retain a mesothelioma attorney as soon as possible after diagnosis. Mesothelioma attorneys handle these cases on contingency — you pay nothing unless you recover. An attorney will evaluate your Union Carbide exposure, identify all other asbestos defendants in your work history, and build a comprehensive legal strategy.
2. Document your Union Carbide exposure. Employment records, union records, plant ID badges, co-worker testimony, and any records that establish your work at Union Carbide facilities are valuable. Your attorney has experience building exposure cases for chemical plant workers and knows what documentation is most persuasive.
3. Identify all other asbestos exposures in your work history. Chemical plant workers were exposed to asbestos from many sources and many manufacturers. Your attorney will identify all applicable asbestos trust funds (covering insulation manufacturers, gasket manufacturers, and others) and civil lawsuit targets in addition to the Union Carbide claim.
4. Your attorney files suit against Union Carbide LLC. The lawsuit proceeds in state or federal court. Dow Chemical / Union Carbide typically resolves mesothelioma cases through negotiated settlements, though cases do proceed to trial when necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions