Were you exposed to asbestos in your work with National Gypsum Company or its products? If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease, you could be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Keep reading to learn more about filing an asbestos claim against National Gypsum Company.
National Gypsum Company and Asbestos History
National Gypsum Company was founded in 1925 and started to manufacture a new type of wallboard that won rave reviews in the industry. The wallboard was marketed with a $5000 ‘Gold Bond’ guarantee that it would perform better than any other similar product in the industry.
The company became famous for this guarantee of its wallboard product. It eventually got a patent on its Gold Bond brand and sold many products under the Gold Bond name. It made many types of construction products that contained asbestos. After buying several competitors, including Universal Gypsum and Atlantic Gypsum, the firm started to manufacture products under three major brands: Gold Bond, ProForm, and PermaBase (asbestos.com).
National Gypsum Company started to use asbestos in more than 30 types of building materials. Asbestos was popular because it could fireproof and strengthen these many construction products at a reasonable price.
In the 1980s, the company finally stopped using asbestos products and all of its current product lines contain no asbestos. But by 1985, the company faced almost 5,000 asbestos personal injury lawsuits. If you worked with National Gypsum Company products in any capacity before the 1980s, you may have been exposed to asbestos.
Workers At Risk of Asbestos Exposure
National Gypsum Company’s employees who made asbestos-containing materials had the highest risk of asbestos exposure. Anyone who was employed at one of the firm’s factories was at risk of asbestos exposure because the toxic mineral fibers circulated throughout the many factories.
Unfortunately, the dangers of National Gypsum’s products were not just for its owner workers, but for workers in many occupations at other companies:
- Construction workers
- Demolition crews
- Drywall workers
- Sheetrock workers
- Plasterers
- Pipefitters
- Painters
- Carpenters
- Insulators
- Cement workers
- Acoustic workers
- Building maintenance workers
Asbestos exposure often occurred with the company’s products when the above workers drilled, sawed or cut the firm’s products. Asbestos fibers were released in the air and were often inhaled by any workers nearby. Inhaling asbestos fibers can lead to inflammation and scarring in the lungs, which can cause mesothelioma in some people.
According to a 2015 assessment by the Society for Risk Analysis, there were many dangers of asbestos exposure among drywall workers before the mid-1970s. Before that time, many joint compounds made by National Gypsum Company contained chrysotile asbestos for a filler.
Sanding joint compound specialists had the highest concentration of asbestos fibers and dust concentrations. Exposure to asbestos put all of these workers at higher risk of developing asbestosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer.
Companies Bought by National Gypsum Company
The company bought many other corporations over the years. Employees in the companies below may have been exposed to asbestos-containing products once their company became part of National Gypsum Company:
- Universal Gypsum
- Atlantic Gypsum
- Keene’s Cement
- Murray Tile
- Wesco
- National Mortar and Supply Company
- Allentown Portland Cement Company
- Huron Portland Cement Company
- Huron Portland Cement Company
The National Gypsum Trust
To resolve its serious asbestos exposure liability, National Gypsum Company became part of an industrywide settlement called the Wellington Agreement in 1985. The agreement set up the National Claims Facility to process asbestos claims. But the program disbanded after only three years.
National Gypsum Company was being crushed by more than $1 billion debt mostly from asbestos lawsuits in October 1990, which is why it filed for bankruptcy at that time. It came out of bankruptcy three years later when it created the National Gypsum Corporation Settlement Trust to deal with all asbestos claims in the future. National Gypsum put more than $5 million in cash and $600 million in insurance policies into the new trust.
However, in 1997, the trust was running low on capital to pay any claims in the future. Another filing for bankruptcy was needed in 2002 to reorganize again and fund the trust. In 2003, a new asbestos trust called the National Gypsum Company Bodily Injury Trust was made and $347 million was put into it to process new asbestos claims. (NGCBITrust.org).The current payment percentage for the new trust is 40%, which is higher than other trusts.
As of August 2019, the trust reported that $485 million had been paid to more than 213,000 asbestos exposure victims.
Companies and individuals can file an asbestos claim with the trust. For instance, the asbestos trust fund had to pay out funds to Mercer University after the school was forced to have expensive renovations to replace asbestos-containing products installed by National Gypsum. (mesothelioma.com)
National Gypsum Company Asbestos Lawsuits
By 1992, National Gypsum Company had been named in 45,000 asbestos lawsuits. Many claims were settled before a trial or dismissed, but a few did go to trial. In one settlement, the company paid $8.4 million to school districts in 20 states for damages caused by asbestos-containing materials.
SEE ALSO: Asbestos Death Claims Payout Timeline
All pending lawsuits were suspended when the company filed for bankruptcy in 1990. The claims were processed when the trust began to process claims in 1993. All asbestos claims have gone through the trust since its beginning.
Get Mesothelioma Legal Help Immediately
National Gypsum Company needlessly exposed thousands of workers at its company and countless others to asbestos-containing materials for decades. If you were a worker for National Gypsum or a company that used its products, you may have been exposed to asbestos.
If you are diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related condition, it is important to talk to a mesothelioma attorney in your area soon. The statute of limitations ‘clock’ begins on the day you learn of your diagnosis. The statute of limitations varies by state but usually is between one and four years. If you wait too long to file your asbestos claim, you will not be able to obtain compensation for your injuries. With over $30 billion available for victims through the Asbestos Trust Funds, you could be entitled to financial compensations without ever filing a lawsuit. Complete the form or call us toll free (800) 352-0871