Texas City Exposure Map
● Critical ● High ● Moderate
Major Asbestos Exposure Sites
| Facility | Industry | Risk Level | Active Period | Est. Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BP / Amoco Texas City Refinery | Petroleum refining | Critical | 1934–present (asbestos use 1934–late 1980s) | ~4,000 peak |
| Marathon Oil – Texas City Refinery | Petroleum refining | Critical | 1940s–present (asbestos use through 1985) | ~3,000 peak |
| Union Carbide – Texas City Plant | Chemical manufacturing | Critical | 1950s–1990s (asbestos use through 1983) | ~2,000 peak |
| La Marque / Sterling Chemical | Specialty chemicals | High | 1960s–present | ~1,500 peak |
| Texas City Terminal Railway | Railroad / industrial switching | Moderate | 1890s–present | ~500 peak |
| Texas City Dike Industrial Area | Port / marine / industrial | Moderate | 1930s–present | ~800 peak |
Texas City in Industrial History
Texas City is most widely known outside the industry for the Texas City Disaster of April 16–17, 1947 — when ammonium nitrate aboard the cargo ship SS Grandcamp exploded in the harbor, triggering a chain reaction that killed nearly 600 people and destroyed much of the waterfront. The disaster accelerated the postwar rebuilding and expansion of the Texas City industrial complex, which brought a new wave of construction workers into contact with asbestos materials in the late 1940s and 1950s reconstruction period.
The BP Amoco refinery — which itself was the site of a major explosion in 2005 that killed 15 workers — has been a continuous source of employment and asbestos exposure since the 1930s. The facility contains miles of insulated pipe systems, most of which were insulated with asbestos-containing products through the late 1980s. Turnaround maintenance crews hired through Galveston and Harris County union halls rotated through Texas City facilities throughout their careers.
Connection to Houston Ship Channel Cases
Texas City was part of the same Gulf Coast refinery corridor as the Houston Ship Channel, and many of the same maintenance contractors and insulators worked both areas throughout their careers. Mesothelioma attorneys who handle Ship Channel cases are equally experienced with Texas City cases — the exposure pattern (multi-facility, multi-contractor, multi-decade) is nearly identical. Filing deadlines and trust fund eligibility are the same under Texas law regardless of which specific facility the exposure occurred at.