U.S. Mineral Products Trust

About U.S. Mineral Products, Cafco, and Their Asbestos Liability

U.S. Mineral Products Company was the manufacturer of Cafco brand spray-applied fireproofing, one of the dominant commercial fireproofing products used in American construction from the 1950s through the early 1970s. Cafco was a cementitious spray-applied material designed to protect structural steel from heat during fire events — slowing the loss of structural strength and giving building occupants more time to evacuate. The product was sprayed in thick coats onto exposed steel beams, columns, and decking in the structural frames of high-rise office buildings, hotels, hospitals, factories, schools, and government facilities.

Cafco contained chrysotile asbestos at very high concentrations — typically 15% to 30% or higher by weight in its asbestos-era formulations. This asbestos content gave the product excellent heat resistance and bonding properties. But the spray application process was catastrophically hazardous: workers spraying Cafco created enormous clouds of asbestos fibers that settled throughout the floors of buildings under construction. Other construction trades — electricians, plumbers, ironworkers, carpenters — working on the same floors during or after Cafco application were exposed to these settled fibers.

Isolatek International acquired U.S. Mineral Products and reformulated Cafco without asbestos for continued sale. But the legacy liability from decades of asbestos-containing Cafco application was substantial. The U.S. Mineral Products asbestos trust was established to compensate victims, paying at 32% of scheduled disease values.

Trust Fund Details

The 32% payment percentage is solid, and the Cafco exposure scenario — construction workers in buildings during and after high-concentration spray fireproofing application — created exposure that affects workers across many trades, not just the fireproofing applicators themselves. A broad population of commercial construction workers from the 1950s through early 1970s may have Cafco exposure claims.

The Cafco Fireproofing Exposure Pathway

Cafco asbestos fireproofing created some of the most concentrated asbestos exposures documented in the construction industry. Understanding the exposure pathway is essential for identifying who may have claims:

• Spray applicators (fireproofers): Workers who operated the spray equipment to apply Cafco to structural steel were at the center of massive asbestos fiber releases. Despite being the most exposed individuals, applicators were often poorly informed of the hazard and given minimal or no respiratory protection.
• Adjacent trade workers (bystander exposure): Ironworkers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, painters, and other construction trades working on the same floors of buildings where Cafco was being applied were exposed to asbestos fibers that became airborne during spraying and that settled throughout the work area. This “bystander” exposure was severe and affected many more workers than just the applicators themselves.
• Subsequent construction workers: Even after Cafco application was complete, the settled asbestos fibers on floors and horizontal surfaces remained disturbed by later construction activity — demolition, renovation, HVAC installation, and other work that disturbed the settled fireproofing or surrounding dust.
• Renovation and demolition workers: Workers who later performed renovations or demolition on buildings with Cafco-applied structural steel disturbed the fireproofing material, releasing fibers from the dried, friable fireproofing.

Who Is Eligible to File with the U.S. Mineral Products Trust?

Eligibility requires documented exposure to Cafco or other U.S. Mineral Products asbestos-containing fireproofing materials along with a qualifying medical diagnosis:

• Fireproofing applicators: Workers who directly applied Cafco spray fireproofing to structural steel during commercial construction.
• Construction trades workers: Ironworkers, electricians, pipefitters, plumbers, carpenters, HVAC workers, and other construction trades who worked on the same floors or in the same buildings where Cafco was being applied during construction.
• Renovation and demolition workers: Workers who later disturbed Cafco-applied fireproofing during building renovation, modification, or demolition projects.
• Building maintenance workers: Maintenance personnel who drilled, cut, or otherwise disturbed Cafco fireproofing on structural steel in occupied buildings.

Qualifying diagnoses: mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural conditions.

How to File a U.S. Mineral Products Trust Claim

1. Consult a mesothelioma attorney: Your attorney will assess your construction work history to identify buildings and projects where Cafco fireproofing was applied during your employment.
2. Document Cafco exposure: Building specifications, construction project records, co-worker testimony, contractor records, and your attorney’s database of known Cafco-applied buildings are used to establish exposure.
3. Compile medical evidence: Pathology reports and diagnostic records for mesothelioma or other qualifying disease are assembled.
4. Submit to CRMC: Your attorney submits the claim package to CRMC, the administrator for the U.S. Mineral Products Trust.
5. Review and payment: The trust reviews the claim and pays at 32% of the scheduled disease value upon approval.

Workers exposed to Cafco fireproofing were often also exposed to W.R. Grace Mono-Kote (another spray-applied asbestos fireproofing brand) and Manville insulation on the same construction projects. All applicable trust claims can be filed simultaneously.

Frequently Asked Questions