Pittsburgh Corning

Pittsburgh Corning Corporation was a joint venture between PPG Industries and Corning Glass Works that manufactured asbestos-containing high-temperature pipe and block insulation under the brand name Unibestos from 1962 to 1972. Facing thousands of asbestos personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2000 and eventually established a multi-billion-dollar trust to compensate victims. The Pittsburgh Corning Trust is one of the largest asbestos bankruptcy trusts and continues to pay claims today.

Origin

Pittsburgh Corning was formed in 1937 as a joint venture between PPG Industries (then Pittsburgh Plate Glass) and Corning Glass Works. It acquired the Unibestos product line and a Tyler, Texas plant from UNARCO in 1962, taking over manufacture of one of the most heavily used amosite-asbestos pipe insulations of the mid-20th century.

In the data sheet The Travelers Insurance Company compiled for a 1980 asbestos seminar, mostly from defendants' answers to interrogatories, Pittsburgh Corning said it bought the going business from UNARCO on July 1, 1962, and that Union Asbestos & Rubber Company had first made Unibestos in 1936.¹ The sheet describes Unibestos as 65% amosite, 20% diatomaceous earth and 15% sodium silicate, made at Tyler, Texas, from July 1, 1962, and at Port Allegany, Pennsylvania, from April 1, 1964, until February 1, 1972 at both.¹ It names the company's fiber sources from 1962 to 1971 as UNARCO, Egnep Ltd. (which it says Cape Asbestos owned), North American Asbestos Corporation and the GSA.¹ It gives the reasons for stopping as that installing equipment to meet proposed federal standards was not economically or practically possible, "suspicion of health hazards," short supply of raw material and lack of profit.¹ The sheet gives 1965 as the company's first knowledge of hazards and November 1968 as its first labeling, and says it did not deny earlier direct sales to Long Beach Naval Shipyard and admitted sales to the U.S. Government from 1962 to 1971.¹²

Significance in Asbestos Context

Unibestos was a particularly dangerous product because it was made primarily with amosite asbestos, a fiber type strongly linked to mesothelioma, and it was widely specified for high-temperature industrial and shipboard insulation. Workers who cut, fit, or removed Unibestos (including pipefitters, insulators, boilermakers, shipyard workers, and Navy veterans) were exposed to substantial airborne fiber concentrations. If you or a family member worked around pipe or block insulation between 1962 and 1972, identifying Unibestos in your exposure history can support a claim against the Pittsburgh Corning Trust, which has assets of roughly $3.5 billion and pays approved claims according to a published scheduled value matrix. The trust does not require a lawsuit verdict. It processes claims administratively when you submit proof of exposure and a qualifying diagnosis.

Related Terms

Unibestos, Amosite, Asbestos Bankruptcy Trust, Trust Distribution Procedures (TDP), PPG Industries, Section 524(g)

Notes

• Preserve any employment records, union records, military service records (especially Navy DD-214 and ship assignment history), and co-worker affidavits that can place you around Unibestos pipe or block insulation between 1962 and 1972.
• Ask your attorney specifically whether your work history qualifies you to file with the Pittsburgh Corning Trust. Eligibility depends on occupation, time period, and site of exposure, all defined in the trust's TDP.
• If you served in the U.S. Navy, request your complete service record and ship history through the National Personnel Records Center; many Navy ships used Unibestos and other Pittsburgh Corning products in engine rooms, fire rooms, and pipe runs.
• The trust pays a percentage (the 'payment percentage') of the scheduled value, which has been adjusted over time; ask what the current percentage is when evaluating expected recovery.
• Pittsburgh Corning Trust claims can typically be pursued alongside claims against other asbestos trusts and solvent defendants. Make sure your legal team is identifying every product you were exposed to, not just one.

References

1. Travelers Asbestos Seminar Booklet (1980): Pittsburgh Corning Corporation Product Information, p. 3
2. Travelers Asbestos Seminar Booklet (1980): Pittsburgh Corning Corporation Product Information, p. 4

Asbestos trust

If you or a family member worked with or around Pittsburgh Corning's asbestos products and later developed mesothelioma or another asbestos disease, a claim may be paid by Pittsburgh Corning Asbestos Trust Claims. Free case review.

Asbestos products

4 products our documents name Pittsburgh Corning as making or selling. Each product's page says what the documents say about it, including its asbestos content.

• Pittcote 600 B (Pittsburgh Corning)
• Unibestos #750 (Pittsburgh Corning)
• Unibestos #1200 (Pittsburgh Corning)
• Unibestos (Pittsburgh Corning)

Plants

Plants where asbestos products were made that the documents say Pittsburgh Corning ran.

• Pittsburgh Corning Corporation plant at Port Allegany, Pennsylvania
• Union Asbestos & Rubber Co. / Pittsburgh Corning Corporation plant at Tyler, Texas

Court cases

104 court decisions in our case-law library name Pittsburgh Corning as a defendant, newest first.

• Mt. McKinley Ins. Co. v. Pittsburgh Corning Corp. (2014)
• In re Pittsburgh Corning Corporation (2013)
• In re Pittsburgh Corning Corporation (2013)
• In re ACandS, Inc. (2011)
• In re Pittsburgh Corning Corporation (2011)
• Nye v. Bayer Cropscience, Inc. (2011)
• John Crane, Inc. v. Jones (2003)
• Jurich v. Garlock, Inc. (2003)
• Emery v. Owens-Corporation (2001)
• Abadie v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. (2001)
• Hoffman v. AC&S, Inc. (2001)
• Boldini v. Owens Corning (2001)
• Pustejovsky v. Rapid-American Corp. (2000)
• In re Patenaude (2000)
• Burgess v. Abex Corp. EX rel. Pneumo Abex (2000)
• Sopha v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. (1999)
• Porter Hayden Company v. Wyche (1999)
• Pittsburgh Corning Corp. v. Walters (1999)
• Lambert v. Babcock & Wilcox Co. (1999)
• Burgess v. Abex Corp. (1999)
• Holmes v. ACandS, Inc. (1999)
• Pittsburgh Corning Corp. v. James (1999)
• Wallic v. Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corp. (1999)
• Asbestos v. Bordelon, Inc. (1998)
• Pustejovsky v. Pittsburgh Corning Corp. (1998)
• Cimino v. Raymark Industries, Inc. (1998)
• McCauley v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. (1998)
• Ruckstuhl v. Owens Corning Fiberglas Corp. (1998)
• Adams v. Owens-Illinois (1998)
• Nelson v. Keene Corp. (1996)
• ACandS, Inc. v. Godwin (1995)
• Baumgart v. Keene Bldg. Products Corp. (1995)
• Horton v. Harwick Chem. Corp. (1995)
• Brewer v. Fibreboard Corp. (1995)
• Higgins v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas (1995)
• Harris v. AC & S, Inc. (1995)
• Click v. Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corp. (1995)
• In re Keene Corp. (1994)
• Busfield v. AC & S., Inc. (1994)
• Hartman v. Pittsburgh Corning Corp. (1994)
• Coates v. AC and S, Inc. (1994)
• Srite v. Owens-Illinois, Inc. (1993)
• Watkins v. Fibreboard Corp. (1993)
• Taliferro v. Johns-Manville Corp. (1992)
• Marinari v. Asbestos Corp., Ltd. (1992)
• Feldman v. Owens-Illinois (In re Brooklyn Navy Yard Asbestos Litigation, 1992)
• Eagle-Picher Industries, Inc. v. Balbos (1992)
• Waller v. Pittsburgh Corning Corp. (1991)
• Owens-Illinois, Inc. v. Edwards (1990)
• Cimino v. Raymark Industries, Inc. (1990)
• Eagle-Picher Industries, Inc. v. Balbos (1990)
• Bushless v. GAF Corp. (1990)
• White v. Celotex Corp. (1990)
• Cimino v. Raymark Industries, Inc. (1990)
• Howell v. Celotex Corp. (1990)
• Simpson v. Pittsburgh Corning Corp. (1990)
• Leng v. Celotex Corp. (1990)
• Kraciun v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. (1990)
• In re Fibreboard Corp. (1990)
• District of Columbia v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation (1989)
• Mauro v. Raymark Industries, Inc. (1989)
• Fisher v. Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corp. (1989)
• Pecorino v. Raymark Industries, Inc. (1988)
• Whatley v. Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (1988)
• Hardy v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1988)
• Blazek v. Nicolet, Inc. (1988)
• Knox v. AC & S, Inc. (1988)
• Bauer v. Raymark Industries, Inc. (1988)
• Campo v. Asbestospray Corp. (1988)
• Case v. Fibreboard Corp. (1987)
• In re Asbestos Litigation (1987)
• Dykes v. Raymark Industries, Inc. (1986)
• Morgan v. Johns-Manville Corp. (1986)
• Seckular v. Celotex (1986)
• Herber v. Johns-Manville Corp. (1986)
• Joyce v. AC and S., Inc. (1986)
• Knauer v. Johns-Manville Corp. (1986)
• Lohrmann v. Pittsburgh Corning Corp. (1986)
• Graffagnino v. Fibreboard Corp. (1985)
• Wilder v. Amatex Corp. (1985)
• Dartez v. Fibreboard Corp. (1985)
• Celotex Corp. v. Copeland (1985)
• Lowe v. Johns-Manville Corp. (1985)
• Rocco v. Johns-Manville Corp. (1985)
• Colombo v. Johns-Manville Corp. (1984)
• Joyce v. AC & s., Inc. (1984)
• English v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1984)
• Belton v. Fibreboard Corp. (1984)
• Doe v. Johns-Manville Corp. (1984)
• Nutt v. AC & S., Inc. (1983)
• Wedgeworth v. Fibreboard Corp. (1983)
• Staiano v. Johns-Manville Corp. (1982)
• Neubauer v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp. (1982)
• Wilson v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1982)
• Amader v. Johns-Manville Corp. (1982)
• Froud v. Celotex Corporation (1982)
• DeCosse v. Armstrong Cork Co. (1982)
• Fearson v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1981)
• White v. Johns-Manville Corp. (1981)
• Fusco v. Johns-Manville Products Corp. (1981)
• Mooney v. Fibreboard Corp. (1980)
• Nolan v. Johns-Manville Asbestos & Magnesia Materials Co. (1979)
• Daniels v. Combustion Engineering, Inc. (1978)
• Borel v. Fibreboard Paper Products Corporation (1973)

In our library

3 documents in our library name Pittsburgh Corning, by collection.

Other library documents (3)

• Pittsburgh Corning's Responses to Plaintiffs' Master Interrogatories in the Sparrows Point Steel Plant Asbestos Cases (1984) (publisher)
• Pittsburgh Corning: Unibestos Brochure (publisher)
• Product photograph: UNIBESTOS (Pittsburgh Corning) (publisher)

In the Union Carbide documents

Pittsburgh Corning is named in 15 Union Carbide documents dated 1961 to 2001 (15 mentioned), from asbestos lawsuits over Union Carbide's Calidria asbestos. 14 of them are published in our collection.

• Union Carbide Chemicals Company, Design and Construction Department: Thermal Insulation Specifications Manual issued to R. P. Little (1961) UC-4905 (mentioned)
• J. E. Walsh Reports of Calls on Mortell (Griffin, GA), Georgia-Pacific (Marietta, GA) and Holman Construction (Anderson, SC) About OSHA Dust Counts and Asbestos Health Concerns (1973-1974) Union Carbide 267 (mentioned)
• J. E. Walsh Call Report on Holman Construction Co., Anderson, S.C., on SG-130 for Synthetic Wood (1974) UC-5089 (mentioned)
• Union Carbide Chemicals/Plastics Insulation Standard, Material Specification 4M:4M-B / 4A:4A-B / 4SS:4SS-B for Perlite Insulation (1980) UC-3721 (mentioned)
• D. T. Watters to I. P. Blackwood et al. on Potential Health Risks of Insulation Materials (Perlite Insulation Specification 4) (1981) UC-3253 (mentioned)
• Deposition of James Henry Rapp, Union Carbide Texas City Insulation Supervisor, in Scott v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1982) UC-4895 (mentioned)
• Summonses and Amended Complaints in Partain v. North Bros. Co. et al. and Cooper v. North Bros. Co. et al., Naming Union Carbide as Defendant (1983) UC-1411 (mentioned)
• H. G. Clem to L. E. Calvert and Others on Asbestos-Containing Weather Barrier Mastics for Thermal Insulation (1987) UC-2886 (mentioned)
• H. G. Clem to L. E. Calvert and Others on Asbestos-Containing Weather Barrier Mastics for Thermal Insulation (1987) UC-2888 (mentioned)
• Union Carbide Engineering Practice Specification for Expanded Perlite Thermal Insulation, Specs 5M, 5A, 5P, 5SS (1992) UC-1056 (mentioned)
• Defendants' Exhibit List with General Exhibit List in Villarreal v. GAF Corporation Holdings, Inc., et al., Cameron County, Texas (2001) UC-2009 (mentioned)
• J. E. Walsh Reports of Call on Holman Construction Co. About SG-130 in Synthetic Lumber Project with OCF (1973-1974) UC-672 (mentioned)
• The Industrial Insulators, Inc. Catalog of Commercial and Industrial Thermal Insulations, with Manufacturer Data Sheets (undated) UC-4813 (mentioned)
• Robert L. Bockstahler Deposition Excerpts on Eagle-Picher Asbestos Insulation Products and Fiber Suppliers (1984-1985) UC-4913 (mentioned)

Names in the documents

The spellings documents use for Pittsburgh Corning, OCR misreadings included, so a search for any of them finds this page: Pittsburgh-Corning · Pittsburgh-Corning Corporation · Pittsburgh Corning Corporation · Pittsburgh-Corning Corp.

Where this comes from

This page brings together every document in our library that names Pittsburgh Corning, across collections. Titles and affiliations are taken from the documents themselves, and units and subsidiaries are grouped under the company they belong to.