Was Praxair / Union Carbide Industrial Gases — asbestos documented in litigation?

Praxair / Union Carbide Industrial Gases — 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 Praxair / Union Carbide Industrial Gases — asbestos exposure?

Yes. Workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis after exposure to Praxair / Union Carbide Industrial Gases — 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-Chemicals

Praxair (formerly Union Carbide Industrial Gases / Linde Division) Air Separation and Industrial Gas Plants

⚖ Litigation Record1907-1990s (Linde / Union Carbide / Praxair asbestos era)Asbestos pipe covering on cryogenic and steam piping, asbestos block insulation on air-separation cold boxes and compressors, asbestos gaskets and packing on process piping, asbestos refractory in hydrogen reformers and steam-methane reforming furnaces

Overview Product Facts Trades

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

Premises Description

Praxair, Inc. (spun off from Union Carbide 1992 as the successor to Union Carbide’s Linde Division / Industrial Gases business; merged with Linde AG 2018 to form Linde plc) traces its industrial gas operations to 1907 when Union Carbide’s Linde Air Products Company began commercial oxygen production in the United States. Through the asbestos era, Linde / Union Carbide Industrial Gases / Praxair operated dozens of U.S. plants, including:

Danbury CT — Praxair corporate headquarters (post-1992)
Tonawanda / Buffalo NY — historic Linde Air Products complex, Linde R&D Center
East Chicago IN / Whiting IN — industrial gas supply to the steel and refinery corridor
Institute WV — historic Union Carbide chemical and industrial gas complex
Texas City TX / La Porte TX — Gulf Coast industrial gas and hydrogen
Geismar LA / Baton Rouge LA — Mississippi River corridor industrial gas
Torrance CA / Los Angeles CA — West Coast industrial gas
Dozens of on-site air-separation units co-located at customer steel mills, refineries, and chemical plants

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Praxair / Union Carbide Industrial Gases / Linde — as premises owner — exposed its plant workforce and contractor pipefitters, insulators, boilermakers, and millwrights to asbestos pipe covering on cryogenic and steam piping, block insulation on cold boxes and compressors, gasketing and packing on process piping, and refractory in hydrogen reformers through the asbestos era. Union Carbide’s separate corporate liability for its Calidria chrysotile mineral products is addressed elsewhere on this site.

Praxair / Linde / Union Carbide Corporation has been named as a Premises Defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

USW / OCAW industrial gas workers at Linde / Praxair air-separation and hydrogen plants
Pipefitters (UA Local members) on Praxair capital projects and turnarounds
Insulators (HFIAW Local members) on cryogenic and steam-piping insulation
Boilermakers (IBB Local members) on hydrogen reformers and pressure vessels
Millwrights (Carpenters / UBC) on compressor and cold-box installation
Contractor construction trades on Praxair on-site plant projects at customer refineries, steel mills, and chemical plants

If You Worked at a Praxair / Linde / Union Carbide Industrial Gases Plant

If you worked at a Praxair, Linde, or Union Carbide Industrial Gases air-separation, hydrogen, or industrial gas plant during the asbestos era — as a company 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 NamePraxair (formerly Union Carbide Industrial Gases / Linde Division) Air Separation and Industrial Gas Plants

Years Produced1907-1990s (Linde / Union Carbide / Praxair asbestos era)

Asbestos ContentAsbestos pipe covering on cryogenic and steam piping, asbestos block insulation on air-separation cold boxes and compressors, asbestos gaskets and packing on process piping, asbestos refractory in hydrogen reformers and steam-methane reforming furnaces

CategoryIndustrial-Chemicals Gaskets-Packing

Trust FundNo active trust

Exposed Trades & Occupations

Chemical workersInsulatorsPipefittersBoilermakersMillwrights

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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.

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Statutes of limitations may limit the time you have to act
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Asbestos Product Liability & Mesothelioma Claims

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