New Jersey is historically significant in asbestos litigation: Manville, NJ was home to the Johns-Manville Corporation — the largest asbestos manufacturer in the United States. Beyond Manville, New Jersey’s dense industrial base of chemical plants, shipyards, and power facilities created widespread worker and community-level exposure.
| Facility | Location | Industry | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Johns-Manville Corporation | Manville (Somerset County) | Asbestos manufacturing | Critical |
| Keasbey & Mattison (asbestos products) | Ambler-area operations in NJ | Asbestos insulation manufacturing | Critical |
| GAF Corporation (Ruberoid) | Wayne / Linden | Asbestos roofing products | Critical |
| New York Shipbuilding (Camden) | Camden | Naval shipbuilding | Critical |
| Public Service Electric & Gas (PSEG) | Statewide | Electric utility | High |
| Hercules Chemical / Hercules Inc. | Gibbstown | Chemical manufacturing | High |
| Bethlehem Steel Shipbuilding (Sparrows Point operations in NJ) | Newark Bay area | Steel / shipbuilding | High |
| Allied Chemical (Honeywell predecessor) | Morristown / Linden | Chemical manufacturing | Moderate |
| Industry | Active Period | Primary Locations | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asbestos Manufacturing | 1900–1982 | Manville (Johns-Manville) | Critical |
| Naval Shipbuilding | 1920–1967 | Camden (New York Ship) | Critical |
| Chemical Manufacturing | 1940–1985 | Gibbstown, Linden, Bayonne | High |
| Electric Utility | 1930–1985 | Statewide (PSEG) | High |
| Oil Refining | 1920–present | Bayway (Linden), Woodbridge | Moderate |
| Claim Type | Deadline | Governing Law | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Injury | 2 years from diagnosis | N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2 | Discovery rule applies |
| Wrongful Death | 2 years from death | N.J.S.A. 2A:31-3 | Separate deadline from personal injury |
| Trust Fund Claims | Varies by trust | Federal trust agreements | Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust is most significant for NJ workers |
| VA Benefits | No deadline | Federal | Available for naval shipyard veterans |
Middlesex County Superior Court has developed specialized asbestos litigation procedures. The Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust, one of the largest asbestos trusts in existence, was created specifically to compensate workers exposed to Johns-Manville products — this trust is directly relevant to many New Jersey claimants.