Union Carbide

Overview of Union Carbide Asbestos Compensation

Union Carbide continues to face asbestos lawsuits. People diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related illnesses from exposure to Union Carbide products or their loved ones can pursue compensation via personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits.

Key Facts About Union Carbide Compensation

1. As of February 2025, the company still faced more than 6,300 lawsuits for mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses.
2. In 2024, Union Carbide paid out $76 million related to asbestos claims.
3. In 2020, Union Carbide listed its current and future asbestos-related liabilities at nearly $1.1 billion.

Unlike other asbestos companies, the chemical company hasn’t filed for bankruptcy or created an asbestos trust fund. Courts have awarded millions of dollars in mesothelioma compensation for medical bills, lost income and other diagnosis-related expenses. Many cases settle before trial. Former Union Carbide employees may also qualify to file workers’ compensation claims.

Legal Help for People Exposed to Union Carbide Asbestos Products

A mesothelioma lawyer can file and manage a lawsuit against Union Carbide to pursue compensation. Your lawyer will explain the process, gather evidence and interview witnesses. They’ll negotiate a settlement or represent you in court if the case proceeds to trial.

Choosing the right lawyer for you and your family is the first key step. A Patient Advocate can make finding a top legal expert easy, matching you with a knowledgeable expert you’ll feel comfortable working with and who has a record of success in similar cases.

Your Patient Advocate will also connect you with leaders in cutting-edge medical treatments and schedule your appointment. They can also assist you with insurance and VA benefit claims. They’ll send you free resources on treatment, financial assistance, nutrition, and they can direct you to patient and caregiver support groups.

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Mesothelioma Lawsuits Involving Union Carbide

Workers exposed in Union Carbide’s mine, processing facility and manufacturing plants have filed thousands of mesothelioma lawsuits. Union Carbide has also faced claims related to products from other manufacturers that used its Calidria asbestos. 

Notable Union Carbide Verdicts 

• $100 million: A California jury awarded these damages in July 2023 to the surviving family of Joel Hernadezcueva, a maintenance worker who passed away from mesothelioma in 2014. The verdict ordered Union Carbide and other asbestos companies to pay $32 million in economic and non-economic damages and $75 million in punitive damages. Misconduct from a few jurors necessitated a new trial.
• $48 million: A Los Angeles jury awarded these damages to Bobbie and Helen Izell. Izell worked with Calidria as a general contractor in the 1960s and 1970s and developed mesothelioma. The jury found Union Carbide responsible for approximately $37.5 million in damages, including $18 million in punitive damages for intentional and cruel indifference. A 1967 Union Carbide internal memo proved the company knew asbestos exposure caused cancer.
• $5.5 million: An appeals court in Louisiana reaffirmed a verdict for Jill and Shelley Stauder, the daughters of David Stauder, Jr., a former pipefitter who died from mesothelioma, in 2023. Stauder had performed work for Union Carbide in the 1960s.
• $5 million: A Louisiana district court found Union Carbide responsible for the lung cancer diagnosis of Sue Perry, the wife of Donald Perry, a former Union Carbide millworker. Perry was exposed to asbestos from washing her husband’s work clothes. The court awarded more than $3.6 million to Perry and $1.4 million to two surviving daughters.
• $2.38 million: The New Jersey Supreme Court affirmed a verdict in 2022 that held Union Carbide responsible for Willis Edenfield’s mesothelioma. A jury awarded these damages to his surviving family. Edenfield worked in a factory that received 40,000 pounds of Union Carbide asbestos in bags that didn’t adequately warn of health dangers.
• $2.2 million: In 2016, a jury in Louisiana awarded approximately $1.2 million to Frank Romano, Sr., and Lynne Romano for occupational asbestos exposure linked to a Union Carbide plant. In 2017, an appeals court found the general damages too low and increased them to $1.5 million, bringing the total claim to more than $2.2 million.

Juries have consistently held Union Carbide responsible for cases of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses. Several cases have included serious punitive damages to punish it for negligence.

Union Carbide’s Connection to Asbestos

Union Carbide began mining and milling asbestos in King City, California, in 1962. The company’s mine contained a type of chrysotile asbestos that Union Carbide trademarked as “Calidria.” The mine continued operating in the U.S. until 2003, though Union Carbide sold it in 1985.

The company’s own scientists discovered Calidria asbestos caused serious lung damage in testing. Internal company documents also revealed Union Carbide officials knew the health effects from asbestos fibers wouldn’t surface for 20 to 60 years. In one memo, company officials decided to “make hay while the sun shines” and seize the opportunity to profit before the public learned of the toxic mineral’s health effects.

After its employees processed the raw asbestos, Union Carbide sold it under the Calidria name to many other manufacturers. The asbestos arrived in 40-pound bags, leaving plant laborers to carry, open and empty the dangerous packages.

Union Carbide’s Asbestos Products

Union Carbide’s mill produced different grades of Calidria asbestos powder. One of the finest asbestos powders it produced was called Resin Grade 244. Workers reported seeing the fine powder floating in the air during production, making inhalation likely.

Manufacturers used Union Carbide’s Calidria in a wide range of asbestos products for commercial and industrial applications. Because of inadequate warnings, end users in the 1960s and 1970s rarely knew these products contained asbestos or how dangerous exposure to asbestos is.

Products Containing Union Carbide Asbestos

• Adhesives
• Cement
• Drilling fluid
• Joint and spackling compound
• Paint
• Sheet packing
• Wall coatings
• Wallboard

Union Carbide Calidria asbestos showed up in countless industries, including construction, agriculture, automotive repair, oil and gas, textiles and pharmaceuticals. The company also manufactured and sold products that contained asbestos. One of the most well-known was Bakelite, a plastic resin commonly used in electrical and electronic parts, such as circuits and wiring. Union Carbide made Bakelite compounds from 1935 to 1975.

Who Was at Risk of Asbestos Exposure From Union Carbide?

Union Carbide was directly and indirectly responsible for exposing tens of thousands of workers to asbestos, likely more. Workers were at high risk of asbestos exposure on the job and the possibility of developing mesothelioma.

Higher-Risk Occupations

• Carpenters
• Construction workers
• Drillers
• Drywall installers
• Factory laborers
• Mill workers
• Miners
• Painters
• Plumbers and pipefitters

Union Carbide employed about 450 workers at its King City asbestos mining site and mill. Anyone who lived in the area may have been at risk of environmental asbestos exposure.