North American Refractories Co.

NARCO’s History With Asbestos

North American Refractories Company formed in 1929 and became one of the nation’s largest asbestos product manufacturers. Its heavy reliance on asbestos put workers and their families at risk of diseases such as mesothelioma.

Through mergers and acquisitions, NARCO expanded its asbestos product line beyond refractories. It produced furnace fittings, coating installations, ceramics, brake pads and linings, all reinforced with asbestos for heat resistance.

The company’s asbestos refractories lined furnaces that powered industries including cement, lime, chemicals, nonferrous metals, glass, iron and steel. Constant asbestos exposure in these workplaces later contributed to many mesothelioma cases.

At its Mount Union, Pennsylvania plant, NARCO processed local ganister rock, a sandstone rich in silicon dioxide. Workers ground the rock into powder and blended it with asbestos and bonding agents until the 1970s, when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration restricted asbestos in products.

Development of NARCO Asbestos Trust

NARCO filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002 and reorganized in 2008. The court established the North American Refractories Company Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust on April 30, 2013, with $6.32 billion in funding. The trust originally set payments at 100%, which was unusually high compared with other asbestos trust funds. In its first year, it paid more than $100 million to people harmed through asbestos exposure.

Honeywell owned NARCO from 1979 to 1986 and assumed its asbestos liabilities during bankruptcy. This means Honeywell became responsible for claims tied to NARCO asbestos products as well as claims from other companies that used NARCO materials. Because mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases can take decades to develop, people continue to file claims through the Trust today.

In January 2023, Honeywell paid $1.327 billion into the trust to support future claims and operating costs. As of August 2025, the trust pays 12.2% of each approved claim and will review this rate in September 2025. If you received a release, you must return it within 30 days to keep the current rate. If the rate increases, people who received 12.2% will get an additional payment. Your mesothelioma attorney can help you stay on top of deadlines and protect your rights.

Legal Issues Between Honeywell and the NARCO Trust 

For years, Honeywell and the NARCO Asbestos Trust argued over funding. Honeywell claimed the Trust mismanaged money and approved claims without enough proof of exposure to NARCO products. The Trust said Honeywell was trying to avoid its duty to pay about $150 million each year to cover claims.

In January 2023, Honeywell paid the roughly $1.327 billion as a final lump-sum payment to the Trust. This payment resolved the disputes and replaced Honeywell’s ongoing annual funding obligations. It ensured the Trust had the resources to handle both current and future claims while bringing finality to the long-running conflict between Honeywell and the Trust.

Claimants continue to submit claims through the same process as before. The Trust updated its rules for handling cases, which guide how claims are reviewed and paid moving forward.

Asbestos Litigation Involving NARCO

NARCO faced a significant number of personal injury claims throughout its history, like many other former asbestos manufacturers. By 2003, the company had reportedly been named in more than 275,000 asbestos claims and had reached agreements to settle roughly 90% of them, approximately 256,000 cases.

• $130 million: This award came from a case involving 5 plaintiffs and a June 2001 ruling against NARCO and Dresser Industries. The court found both companies responsible for endangering the plaintiffs’ lives through asbestos exposure.
• $6.1 million: This award came from a July 2001 Texas jury decision in favor of Joseph Breaux, who developed mesothelioma after working as a pipefitter for NARCO. He was exposed to asbestos while handling NARCO’s Narcocast, a castable refractory mix.

With trusts like the NARCO Asbestos Trust, people exposed to asbestos no longer file mesothelioma lawsuits against the bankrupt company. Instead, you submit a claim directly to the trust. Filing a claim with the trust is a separate process from a lawsuit. 

You may also be able to file claims with other asbestos trusts or pursue legal action against other responsible companies that are still operating. Your mesothelioma lawyer can help you understand which options apply to your situation and guide you through the process.

NARCO’s Asbestos Products 

NARCO manufactured several asbestos-containing products crucial for industrial processes requiring extreme heat resistance. These products sickened thousands of workers.

NARCO Products That Contained Asbestos

• Aerogun
• Gun Mix
• Narcocast
• Narcogun
• Narcmag
• Narcolite
• Narcocrete
• Stazon
• Unicote

Many of NARCO’s asbestos products were used in high-temperature industrial settings. These materials were commonly applied in foundries, steel mills, power plants and other facilities where extreme heat resistance was essential. Workers who handled these products often faced prolonged asbestos exposure without adequate protective equipment or warnings about the health risks.

Workers at Risk From NARCO Products

Various workers were involved in manufacturing NARCO’s refractories and asbestos products. These include: cement workers, chemical workers, steel and metal workers and engineers.

Jobs With Higher Exposure Risk From NARCO Products 

• Automobile factory workers
• Boiler workers
• Members of the armed forces
• Oil refinery workers
• Paper mill workers
• Pipefitters
• Power plant workers
• Railway workers
• Rubber factory workers
• Shipyard workers
• Textile mill workers

These groups faced occupational exposures during manufacturing, installation, maintenance or repair involving NARCO asbestos products. Such exposures led to increased risks of developing asbestos-related diseases.

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