Union Carbide
Union Carbide was established in 1917 as Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation. The ethylene producer and purchaser filed its first patent to prepare the chemical in 1919. In 1920, the company established Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation. Shortly after, the company opened the first commercial ethylene plant in Clendenin, West Virginia. This marked the beginning of the petrochemical industry.
The Clendenin commercial plant manufactured a variety of ethylene-based chemicals such as ethylene glycol, which was used for automotive antifreeze.
Between 1920 and 1957, Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation continued to grow. It merged with Bakelite Corporation and began a lucrative chemical production business in Texas. The company also purchased Plant Institute, which was a plant the company operated at the start of World War II for the U.S. government. The plant produced butadiene and styrene. In 1957, the company became Union Carbide Corporation and proceeded to grow and pursue various acquisitions and business opportunities.
Union Carbide and Asbestos
Union Carbide Corporation manufactured:
- Electronic chemicals
- Polyurethane intermediates
- Industrial, gases
- Carbon products
- Calidria chrysotile asbestos
Chrysotile asbestos is the most common type of asbestos used in products. Union Carbide products were used in the following industries:
- Agriculture
- Automotive
- Construction
- Household Products
- Oil and Gas
- Packaging
- Paints and Coatings
- Pharmaceuticals
- Textiles
- Wire and Cable
The company also used asbestos in pipe insulation throughout its many production plants.
Working with or around asbestos-containing products day-to-day led to excessive exposure. This caused asbestos-related illness in thousands of workers, which led to thousands of personal injury lawsuits against the company. Before the asbestos epidemic, there were mineral silica and methyl isocyanate (MIC) exposures; all leading to massive lawsuits against Union Carbide.
Union Carbide and Asbestos Litigation
Before becoming Union Carbide Corporation, the company was at the center of a disaster involving mineral silica and miners that worked for UCC. A project managed by the company led to the deaths of more than 700 men. The mineral silica was being mined for use in electro-processing steel. The workers were not provided with masks or other protective equipment. While working, they inhaled silica dust. This exposure led to the fatal lung disease silicosis in many workers.
The company paid millions in claims, but more than 50 years later, Union Carbide Corporation found itself at the center of an even bigger disaster. Methyl isocyanate (MIC) leaked from a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, exposing more than 500,000 people to MIC and other chemicals. Nearly 4,000 people died as a result. The government of India sued the company, which settled out of court for $470 million in 1989.
Asbestos-related personal injury claims have been filed by individuals that were exposed to the mineral in Union Carbide plants from 1945 to 1980 and to the company’s products containing calidria chrysotile asbstos from 1964 to 1972. Union Carbide has been ordered to pay more than $300 million in asbestos claims. Many have been settled but some remain unpaid. One particular case — one of the largest in history — involved a shipbuilder and other defendants who were exposed to asbestos and others who were dying of mesothelioma resulting from exposure. The verdict for $4.2 million in favor of the plaintiffs was announced in a San Francisco courtroom. The Dow Chemical Company, Union Carbide’s parent company, is appealing the decision.
Union Carbide Future
Union Carbide became a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company on February 6, 2001 during a transaction valued at $11.6 billion. Since Union Carbide's acquisition by TDCC, Union Carbide sells most of the products it manufactures to TDCC. According to the official Union Carbide website, the company primarily produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some of these materials are high-volume commodities, while others are specialty products. The end-uses served include paints and coatings, packaging, wire and cable, household products, personal care, pharmaceuticals, textiles, agriculture, and oil and gas. Union Carbide has 2,400 employees in seven locations across the United States.
Because asbestos-related disease does not develop for 20 to 50 years or more after exposure, the company will continue to receive lawsuit claims for injuries ranging from asbestosis to lung cancer and mesothelioma. To date, neither Union Carbide nor The Dow Chemical Company have filed bankruptcy and a trust has not been set up. The companies have decided instead to continue to defend themselves in court against current and future claims.
If you or anyone you know has been exposed to asbestos products made by Union Carbide, you should seek regular medical exams to monitor signs of asbestos-related disease. The Mesothelioma Center’s Doctor Match Program pairs patients with expert mesothelioma doctors throughout the country. Those seeking additional information can fill out the form on this page to receive an information packet tailored to your diagnosis.
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© 2012 The Mesothelioma Center |
Last Modified Thursday, February 9th, 2012 | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy |
The information provided by The Mesothelioma Center is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Sponsored by a law firm concentrating in asbestos litigation, The Peterson Firm, LLP with offices at 1350 Connecticut Ave, NW, Fifth Floor, Washington DC 20036.
