United States Gypsum Corporation, or USG, was formed in 1901 when 20 gypsum companies came together as the United States Gypsum Company. More companies joined, establishing a network of mines, quarries, and processing plants across the United States.[1] The company added more companies and product lines through the years, including many that incorporated asbestos. Many former employees and workers exposed to their products developed mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
United States Gypsum Corporation History and Asbestos
United States Gypsum Corporation traces its beginnings to the late 1890s when the process of creating plaster was improved by gypsum manufacturers, who added a retarder that allowed workers to control the setting time. This innovation had the unfortunate byproduct of driving more manufacturers into the market and driving prices down.
To counter this effect, in 1901 twenty of the new entrepreneurs came together to form the United States Gypsum Company. The group invited more companies to join over the next year. The new, national organization combined operations of 37 mining and processing plants that effectively controlled the plaster market.
As United States Gypsum grew more successful, it diversified its operations, purchasing the Sackett Plaster Board Company in 1909. Sackett was the inventor of the Sackett Board, a panel made of multiple layers of plaster and paper. By 1917, United States Gypsum had created a new manufacturing process that improved the product, which was renamed Sheetrock®.[2]
In the 1920s, USG began using asbestos as a component of some of the specialty products that it began manufacturing in the 1920s. The company continued including the mineral despite learning in the mid-1930s that it caused cancer in laboratory animals. It continued manufacturing and selling those products for the next five decades, until 1978.[2]
By 1994, U.S. Gypsum had been named in more than 250,000 asbestos-related personal injury claims and paid more than $450 million in compensation to victims, but claims continued to be filed, and by the beginning of 2001, over 22,000 new claims had been filed totaling more than $160 million additional dollars. Anticipating another $275 million in asbestos claims, the company declared bankruptcy under Chapter 11 on July 25, 2001, specifically to address its asbestos liabilities. By 2006, the company paid $900 million into an asbestos bankruptcy trust with promises to make subsequent payments totaling $3.05 billion within the next twelve months.[3]
Asbestos Products Manufactured and Sold by United States Gypsum Corporation
The U.S. Gypsum began using asbestos in its products as early as the 1920s. At that time and until the 1980s, almost all drywall contained the carcinogenic material: Though it was not always used in the drywall product itself, it was found in the tapes and sheetrock mud, or joint compound, used to finish seams between the boards. It was also used around fixtures, for patching, and as a coating over wall surfaces.[4]
Asbestos-contaminated products manufactured by U.S. Gypsum include:
- United States Gypsum “Sheetrock” Texture
- United States Gypsum Asbestos Felts & Covering
- United States Gypsum Asbestos Paper
- United States Gypsum Audicote Acoustical Plaster
- United States Gypsum Bondcrete
- United States Gypsum Ceiling Tile
- United States Gypsum Cement Plaster Regular
- United States Gypsum Corrugated Cool Felt Air C. Covering
- United States Gypsum Corrugated Wool Felt Covering
- United States Gypsum Durabond 90 Joint Compound
- United States Gypsum Durabond Joint Compound
- United States Gypsum Firecode Plaster
- United States Gypsum Glatex Asbestos Cement Siding
- United States Gypsum Gypsum Woodfibre Plaster
- United States Gypsum Hi-Lite Acoustical Plaster
- United States Gypsum Imperial Gypsum Cement Plaster
- United States Gypsum Imperial Gypsum Plaster
- United States Gypsum Imperial Tape
- United States Gypsum Oriental Exterior Stucco Finish Coat
- United States Gypsum Perf-A-Tape Compound
- United States Gypsum Perf-A-Tape Joint System
- United States Gypsum Pipe Covering
- United States Gypsum Pyrobar Mortar Mix
- United States Gypsum Pyrobestos PC Board & Stack Lining
- United States Gypsum Range Boiler Jackets Pipe Covering
- United States Gypsum Red Top Cement Plaster
- United States Gypsum Red Top Gypsum Plaster
- United States Gypsum Rigid Block Insulation (Generic)
- United States Gypsum Roofing Products
- United States Gypsum Sabinite Acoustical Plaster
- United States Gypsum Siding Shingles
- United States Gypsum Spray Texture Paint/Finish
- United States Gypsum Spraydon Fireproofing Plaster
- United States Gypsum Structo-Lite Perlited Gypsum Plaster
- United States Gypsum Super Hard Spray
- United States Gypsum Texolite
- United States Gypsum Textone
- United States Gypsum Texture Paint
- United States Gypsum Thermalux (Generic) 19
People at Risk of Asbestos Exposure from U.S. Gypsum Company Products
While most asbestos-contaminated products largely put workers who used them at risk, asbestos in U.S. Gypsum Company’s products also posed a threat to consumers who used their products for home improvements and repairs, and even those who simply work around the products as they break down.
When asbestos fibers in USG products become airborne, whether because of wear and tear, during application, the cutting of products, sanding, or removing them, they are easily inhaled. These microscopic particles then become lodged in the pleural lining and can lead to mesothelioma tumors. Additionally, family members of workers and do-it-yourselfers can also be sickened by secondary exposure to asbestos on their loved one’s hair, skin, and clothing.
Though asbestos has not been used in drywall products since the 1980s, those products are still present in drywall that was installed in properties built before it was no longer produced. That means that demolition workers and homeowners who tear down or repair any walls erected before 1980 continue to be at risk.
People at risk of exposure to United States Gypsum Corporation products include:
- Carpenters
- Construction workers
- Contractors
- Demolition workers
- Drywall installers
- Electricians
- Factory workers
- HVAC workers
- Maintenance workers
- Pipefitters
- Plumbers
- Roofers
- Shipbuilders
- Ship maintenance workers
- Teachers
Asbestos Lawsuits Against United States Gypsum Corporation
From the time that the U.S. Gypsum Company first began using asbestos in its products, its workers using its products began filing lawsuits seeking compensation for workplace injuries including silicosis, asbestosis, and eventually mesothelioma. The company faced more than 250,000 asbestos-related personal injury claims by 1994 and paid more than $450 million in compensation to victims long before it filed for bankruptcy. The United States Gypsum Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust lists almost 2,500 known sites where its asbestos-contaminated products were used and put people at risk for mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other pleural diseases. It is actively paying asbestos victims for valid claims.[4]
If you need information about the compensation available from the U.S. Gypsum asbestos bankruptcy trust, an experienced mesothelioma attorney will be able to provide you with all of the information you need on your eligibility and how to file a claim.
