Kaiser Aluminum made and sold asbestos-containing products, including firebrick and refractory cement, from the 1950s through the 1970s. Asbestos litigation forced it to file for bankruptcy in 2002. A trust was created with $1.2 billion to handle future asbestos claims.
Kaiser Aluminum used asbestos from the 1950s to 1978 to protect equipment from extreme heat. The company added asbestos to fireboard for U.S. Navy ships and to construction materials.
The company began in 1946 and grew quickly through vertical integration. It mined bauxite, the raw rock used to make aluminum, and refined it into finished products. Asbestos was part of this process because of its heat-resistant qualities.
Kaiser Aluminum later stopped using asbestos and shifted its focus to high-grade aluminum products. Today the company makes components for industries such as aerospace. However, its decades of asbestos use continue to affect people exposed to its products. Many workers and consumers who handled these products later developed diseases like mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.
Development of Kaiser Aluminum Trust
Kaiser Aluminum filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002 because of the financial strain from mesothelioma lawsuits. When the company came out of bankruptcy in 2006, it set up the Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation Asbestos Personal Injury Trust with $1.2 billion. The trust was created to handle claims from people who developed diseases after asbestos exposure linked to Kaiser products.
For many years, the trust paid claims at a relatively high percentage compared to other asbestos trust funds. That percentage has been adjusted several times. In June 2023, trustees lowered the payment percentage to 15.5%. In February 2025, the trust announced a reduction to 10.6%, which is the current level.
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Kaiser had faced more than 120,000 asbestos-related claims prior to filing for bankruptcy. Former Kaiser employees filed some of these suits. U.S. military veterans exposed to Kaiser’s asbestos products also filed lawsuits.
Notable Verdicts and Settlements
$2.5 million: John Henderson said asbestos products from Kaiser and other companies caused his mesothelioma. A Washington state court awarded him this amount in 2001.
$72,300: Julius Egan, a former Kaiser welder, developed mesothelioma after working around asbestos products in the company’s carpenter shop. A Louisiana court awarded him this sum in 1996.
$39,675: Henry Barabin developed mesothelioma after years of work at a refinery and paper mill. He reported exposure to amphibole asbestos in insulation and chrysotile asbestos in dryer felts. Kaiser joined at least 17 companies in settling his claim.
Courts awarded mesothelioma compensation for medical expenses, lost wages and other costs to people who developed cancer after exposure to Kaiser asbestos products. Today, those with new claims file with the Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation Asbestos Personal Injury Trust. You may also be able to file lawsuits against other asbestos companies that are still in business. A mesothelioma lawyer can help determine your options.
Kaiser Aluminum produced and sold a range of asbestos-containing products. These included items used in industries such as construction, shipbuilding and manufacturing.
Kaiser Aluminum’s Asbestos Products
Birdsboard
Blast Furnace Castable Insulating Cement
Coelex 60 Unitab Brick
Hard Top Finishing Cement
Kaiser Mineral Wool Cement
M-Block Insulation
Metal Encased Firebrick
Panels
Plastic Chrome Ore
Plastic Insulation
Plastic K-N Refractory Cement
Raw chrysotile asbestos fibers
Siding
Super D Block Insulation
Vee Block Mix
Vee Block Insulation
Kaiser Aluminum manufactured these asbestos products mainly from the 1950s through the late 1970s. The company made asbestos-containing firebricks and refractory cement and also sold asbestos products from other companies under its own brand. Several Kaiser subsidiaries produced asbestos materials used in shipbuilding, construction and the air and space industries.
Some products included amosite asbestos, a type that is more harmful and linked to higher cancer risks. For instance, Super D Block Insulation contained 6% amosite.
Occupations at Risk of Exposure to Kaiser Aluminum’s Asbestos Products
Many different types of workers were at risk of asbestos exposure from contact with Kaiser Aluminum products. Kaiser exposed workers to asbestos, using the mineral during refining and fabricating operations. This continued until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classified asbestos as a carcinogen and issued regulations restricting its use in the late 1970s.
Jobs at Higher Risk
Aerospace workers
Asbestos factory workers
Asbestos miners
Boiler workers
Brake and clutch mechanics
Construction workers
Electricians
Foundry workers
Furnace workers
Insulators
Maintenance workers
Masonry workers
Metal workers
Pipefitters
Plumbers
Steamfitters
U.S. veterans of the armed forces
Welders
Kaiser used asbestos to insulate vessels during alumina refining, where high heat required durable, fire-resistant materials. The company also used asbestos in aluminum products for the aerospace and automotive industries, taking advantage of its heat resistance and electrical insulation. Workers in metal works, power generation, chemical processing, shipbuilding, manufacturing, oil refining and paper production were also exposed to Kaiser’s asbestos products.
A 2022 European Commission report noted that in 2019 alone, more than 70,000 workers died from past asbestos exposure. Previous research found former metal workers in Belgium were almost 3 times more likely to die of mesothelioma than the general population.
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