Premises Description

Celanese Corporation of America (founded 1918 by Swiss brothers Camille and Henri Dreyfus; today Celanese Corporation, headquartered Dallas TX) was through the 20th century and remains today one of the principal U.S. and global manufacturers of acetate yarn, cellulose-derived specialty chemicals, synthetic polymers, and engineering thermoplastics. The DuBois “Plastics History U.S.A.” (1972) volume documents that Celluloid Corporation merged into Celanese Corporation of America in 1941 under Camille Dreyfus, that Celanese Plastics Company was Celanese’s plastics-products subsidiary, and that Celanese ended cellulose acetate production in 1970 after dominating the U.S. acetate market for decades.

This premises page addresses Celanese as a chemical-plant premises defendant, not as a product manufacturer-defendant. Cellulose acetate yarn, film, and the bulk acetate molding compounds Celanese produced are synthetic polymer materials and do not contain asbestos as a manufacturing ingredient. Celanese’s asbestos litigation exposure flows from the plant infrastructure of its U.S. chemical and fibers operations during the documented asbestos era.

Major Celanese asbestos-era U.S. plant sites included:

  • Narrows VA — Celanese Acetate, historic flagship acetate plant
  • Rock Hill SC — fibers and chemicals
  • Bishop TX — Celanese Bishop chemical plant
  • Pampa TX — Celanese Pampa cellulose plant
  • Bay City TX — Celanese Bay City chemical plant
  • Pasadena TX — Celanese Pasadena petrochemical complex
  • Clear Lake TX — Celanese Clear Lake chemical plant
  • Cumberland MD, Charlotte NC, Newark NJ — additional historic operations

Each of these sites operated continuously through the asbestos era with the standard chemical-plant asbestos infrastructure profile: asbestos pipe covering on miles of plant steam mains and process piping, asbestos block insulation on boilers and heat exchangers, asbestos gasket and packing material at process flanges and pumps, asbestos refractory in furnaces, and asbestos electrical insulation on plant motor and switchgear systems.

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Celanese Corporation — as premises owner of its U.S. chemical and fibers operations — exposed its chemical workforce and contractor pipefitters, insulators, boilermakers, millwrights, and trade workers to extensive asbestos through plant pipe covering, boiler and heat-exchanger lagging, valve and pump packing, and gasket material installed throughout the plants during the asbestos era.

Celanese Corporation has been named as a Premises Defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

  • USW / chemical workers at Celanese plants
  • Plant maintenance mechanics servicing pumps, valves, steam traps, and piping
  • Pipefitters (UA Local members) working Celanese steam, hot-oil, and process piping
  • Insulators (HFIAW Local members) dispatched to Celanese sites
  • Boilermakers (IBB Local members) building and repairing Celanese plant equipment
  • Construction-trade workforces on Celanese capital projects

If You Worked at a Celanese Chemical or Fibers Plant

If you worked at a Celanese Corporation chemical, cellulose, fibers, or polymer plant during the asbestos era — as a Celanese employee or as a dispatched contractor trade worker — and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related illness, you may have legal rights.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956