Mobil Oil Corporation

Mobil Oil’s Connection to Asbestos

Mobil Oil Corporation, now ExxonMobil, used asbestos on equipment that processed oil, gas and petroleum. Asbestos provided heat resistance and reduced the risk of fires on heavy-duty equipment, which was critical for handling flammable materials.

Mobil Oil employees were exposed to asbestos-containing products while working for the company. Many later developed serious diseases, including mesothelioma and asbestosis. Some of these workers then filed mesothelioma lawsuits seeking compensation for their injuries.

Mobil Oil merged with Exxon Corporation in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. The company eventually stopped using asbestos  in its operations, but legacy asbestos in older equipment continues to pose exposure risks in workplaces and industrial settings. Today, ExxonMobil operates 38 oil refineries in 21 countries, with a combined daily refining capacity of 6.3 million barrels.

Asbestos Litigation Involving Mobile Oil

Unlike many other asbestos companies that faced thousands of lawsuits, ExxonMobil hasn’t declared bankruptcy. Instead, it continues to fight asbestos claims through the court system.

• $25 million: A Virginia jury awarded ship repairman Bert Minton this amount in March 2011. He developed mesothelioma after working on 17 oil tankers over 10 years, where he was exposed to asbestos.
  
• $2.2 million: A Washington appeals court affirmed a verdict for the family of Wayne Wright in December 2021. Wright died of mesothelioma after asbestos exposure while removing asbestos insulation from pumps and pipes at an ExxonMobil refinery.
  
• $850,000: A jury awarded the estate of James Bailey this amount in 2005. Bailey developed lung cancer after exposure to asbestos while working at a Texas ExxonMobil facility between 1966 and 1973.

These cases show how ExxonMobil’s asbestos products continued to harm workers and contractors years after exposure. People continue to pursue legal action to recover compensation for mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases.

Mobil Oil’s Asbestos Products

Mobil Oil produced several asbestos-containing products for insulation and sealing of high-heat industrial equipment. Employees who worked with or around these materials faced an increased risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.

Asbestos Products From Mobil Oil

• Armorcote Adhesive
• Armorcote Cement
• Dum Dum Adhesive
• Dum Dum Caulk
• Dum Dum Cement
• Dum Dum Masonic Adhesive
• Dum Dum Masonic Cement
• Dum Dum Nail Hole

These products were central to the operation of oil refineries and other high-heat equipment. Workers handling these materials, or maintaining equipment that contained them, faced direct exposure to asbestos fibers. Awareness of these products helps identify potential sources of exposure.

Mobil Oil Employee Occupations at Risk

Employees and contractors who worked with high-heat equipment containing Mobil Oil asbestos products faced an increased risk of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. Jobs involving regular contact with insulation, sealants, and other asbestos materials carried the highest exposure.

Higher-Risk Jobs

• Chemical Workers
• Electricians
• Engineers
• Insulators
• Metal Workers
• Oil Tanker Workers
• Refinery Workers

Workers in these roles handled or maintained boilers, dryers, engines, furnaces, heat exchangers, pipelines, reactors, tanks and protective clothing that contained asbestos. Occupational exposure could occur during installation, repair, or routine maintenance of these materials.

A 2024 study in Occupational & Environmental Medicine of Norwegian offshore petroleum workers confirmed that occupational exposure significantly increases the risk of pleural mesothelioma. The highest exposure levels were linked to a more than fourfold increase in risk for workers without prior asbestos contact, reinforcing the dangers faced by employees in roles like those listed above.

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