Was Hercules Aerospace / Alliant Techsystems (ATK) — asbestos documented in litigation?

Hercules Aerospace / Alliant Techsystems (ATK) — is documented in public asbestos litigation records as a manufacturer whose products contained asbestos during the mid-twentieth century. Workers in industrial facilities, power plants, refineries, shipyards, and commercial construction who handled or worked near these products may have experienced occupational exposure.

Which trades had the most exposure?

Pipe coverers and insulators, pipefitters, boilermakers, millwrights, and maintenance workers are among the trades most frequently documented in asbestos exposure claims. Workers who cut, fitted, or removed asbestos-containing products — and those working in close proximity during that work — typically had the highest fiber concentrations.

How long do workers have to file an asbestos claim?

Statutes of limitations for asbestos personal injury claims vary by state, typically ranging from one to five years from the date of an asbestos-related diagnosis. The clock generally starts at diagnosis, not exposure — mesothelioma can have a latency period of 20 to 50 years. An asbestos attorney can identify the deadlines that apply to your specific situation.

Can workers file claims related to Hercules Aerospace / Alliant Techsystems (ATK) — asbestos exposure?

Yes. Workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis after exposure to Hercules Aerospace / Alliant Techsystems (ATK) — products may pursue claims through civil litigation. An experienced asbestos attorney can assess available defendants, applicable trust funds from co-defendants, and the states where claims can be filed most effectively.

Can family members file secondary exposure claims?

Spouses, children, and household members who developed asbestos-related disease through contact with contaminated work clothing brought home by an exposed worker may be eligible for secondary (household) exposure claims. Wrongful-death claims can also be filed by surviving family members of workers who died from asbestos-related disease.

Industrial-Furnaces

Hercules Aerospace / ATK Solid Rocket Motor, Ammunition, and Defense Manufacturing Plants

⚖ Litigation Record1937-2015 (Hercules Aerospace/ATK; asbestos era through 1980s)Asbestos pipe covering; asbestos refractory in propellant cure ovens and heat-treat furnaces; asbestos gaskets and packing; asbestos electrical insulation

Overview Product Facts Trades

Litigation Record: Information below reflects allegations in publicly filed asbestos litigation — plaintiff allegations, not findings of fact.

Premises Description

Hercules Aerospace Company (formed 1937 as a division of Hercules Inc.; spun off with Alcoa’s aerospace holdings in 1990 to form Alliant Techsystems (ATK); later Orbital ATK 2015; acquired by Northrop Grumman 2018) operated through the 20th century one of the principal U.S. solid rocket motor, ammunition, and defense manufacturing enterprises. Major Hercules Aerospace / ATK asbestos-era U.S. plants included:

Bacchus UT (Magna UT) — flagship Utah solid rocket motor complex (Minuteman, Trident, space shuttle SRB propellant, Peacekeeper)
Kenvil NJ — historic Hercules Aerospace propellant operations
Radford VA — Radford Army Ammunition Plant (ATK-operated)
Lake City MO — Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (ATK-operated)
McGregor TX — rocket motor and demilitarization
Rocket Center WV — Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL)

Solid rocket motor manufacturing is asbestos-intensive — propellant cure ovens operating at controlled elevated temperatures, propellant mixing bowls, and rocket-motor-case heat-treat and metal-processing operations all specified asbestos refractory, insulation, and gasketing through the documented asbestos era.

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Hercules Aerospace / ATK / Orbital ATK — as premises owner — exposed its defense manufacturing workforce and contractor pipefitters, insulators, boilermakers, and trade workers to extensive asbestos.

Hercules Aerospace / Alliant Techsystems / Orbital ATK / Northrop Grumman has been named as a Premises Defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

IAM / OCAW / defense manufacturing union members at ATK plants
Refinery pipefitters and millwrights working ATK capital projects
Insulators (HFIAW Local members) on ATK construction and turnaround crews
Boilermakers (IBB Local members) at ATK plants
Construction-trade workforces on ATK EPC projects

If You Worked at a Hercules Aerospace / ATK Plant

If you worked at a Hercules Aerospace, Alliant Techsystems (ATK), or Orbital ATK solid rocket motor, ammunition, or defense manufacturing plant during the asbestos era — including at Bacchus UT, Kenvil NJ, Radford VA, Lake City MO, or any other site — as an 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

Product Facts

Trade NameHercules Aerospace / ATK Solid Rocket Motor, Ammunition, and Defense Manufacturing Plants

Years Produced1937-2015 (Hercules Aerospace/ATK; asbestos era through 1980s)

Asbestos ContentAsbestos pipe covering; asbestos refractory in propellant cure ovens and heat-treat furnaces; asbestos gaskets and packing; asbestos electrical insulation

CategoryIndustrial-Furnaces Industrial-Chemicals Gaskets

Trust FundNo active trust

Exposed Trades & Occupations

Defense manufacturing workersInsulatorsRefinery pipefittersBoilermakers

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Were You Exposed to an Asbestos-Containing Product?

If you have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease and were exposed to asbestos-containing products, you and your family may be entitled to significant compensation through asbestos trust funds and civil litigation. An attorney experienced in product liability and asbestos claims can evaluate your case — at no cost to you.

Free case evaluation — no obligation to hire
No attorney fee unless we make a financial recovery
Statutes of limitations may limit the time you have to act
Trust fund claims, civil lawsuits, and VA benefits pursued simultaneously

Call: (314) 207-2823 Free consultation — available now

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Asbestos Product Liability & Mesothelioma Claims

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