Was Valero Energy / Ultramar Diamond Shamrock / Tosco — asbestos documented in litigation?

Valero Energy / Ultramar Diamond Shamrock / Tosco — 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 Valero Energy / Ultramar Diamond Shamrock / Tosco — asbestos exposure?

Yes. Workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, or asbestosis after exposure to Valero Energy / Ultramar Diamond Shamrock / Tosco — 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

Valero / Ultramar Diamond Shamrock / Tosco U.S. Refineries and Petrochemical Plants

⚖ Litigation RecordPredecessors back to 1955 (Ultramar); Valero 1980; asbestos era through 1980sAsbestos pipe covering; asbestos refractory on FCCUs and process heaters; 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

Valero Energy Corporation (founded 1980, headquartered San Antonio TX; today the largest U.S. independent refiner) grew through the 1990s-2000s by acquiring legacy refineries from historic integrated majors — including Ultramar Diamond Shamrock (2001), Tosco Corporation legacy refineries via Phillips 66, and numerous individual refinery acquisitions from Exxon, Mobil, Shell, Chevron, Amoco/BP, and others. Nearly every Valero refinery today was built during the asbestos era under a prior owner and carries substantial legacy asbestos infrastructure.

Major Valero asbestos-era-legacy U.S. refineries include:

Corpus Christi East and West Refineries (Corpus Christi TX) — historic Ultramar / Champlin operations
Port Arthur Refinery (Port Arthur TX) — Ultramar Diamond Shamrock legacy
Three Rivers Refinery (Three Rivers TX) — historic Diamond Shamrock
Ardmore Refinery (Ardmore OK) — historic Total Petroleum
St. Charles Refinery (Norco LA) — Orion / Ultramar legacy
Norco Refinery (Norco LA) — historic Shell (acquired 2003 with Motiva)
Wilmington Refinery (Wilmington CA) — Los Angeles Basin
Benicia Refinery (Benicia CA) — historic Exxon
Meraux Refinery (Meraux LA) — historic Murphy
Memphis Refinery (Memphis TN) — historic Premcor
Lima Refinery (Lima OH) — historic BP / Sohio
McKee Refinery (Sunray TX) — historic Diamond Shamrock

Each of these refineries operated through the asbestos era under a prior owner with extensive asbestos-containing refinery infrastructure that persists as legacy asbestos throughout modern operations.

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Valero Energy / Ultramar Diamond Shamrock / Tosco / Premcor and predecessor refinery operators — as premises owners — exposed the refinery operator workforce and contractor pipefitters, insulators, boilermakers, and trade workers to extensive legacy asbestos.

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

Workers Exposed

OCAW / USW refinery operators at Valero-operated refineries
Refinery pipefitters (UA Local members) working Valero turnarounds — including UA Local 195 Beaumont/Port Arthur, UA Local 211 Houston
Insulators (HFIAW Local members) on Valero construction and turnaround crews
Refinery boilermakers (IBB Local members) at Valero refineries
Construction-trade workforces on Valero EPC projects

If You Worked at a Valero / Ultramar / Tosco / Premcor / Diamond Shamrock Refinery

If you worked at a Valero Energy, Ultramar Diamond Shamrock, Tosco, Premcor, or predecessor refinery operator’s U.S. refinery during the asbestos era — 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 NameValero / Ultramar Diamond Shamrock / Tosco U.S. Refineries and Petrochemical Plants

Years ProducedPredecessors back to 1955 (Ultramar); Valero 1980; asbestos era through 1980s

Asbestos ContentAsbestos pipe covering; asbestos refractory on FCCUs and process heaters; asbestos gaskets and packing; asbestos electrical insulation

CategoryIndustrial-Furnaces Gaskets

Trust FundNo active trust

Exposed Trades & Occupations

Refinery operatorsPipefittersInsulatorsRefinery boilermakers

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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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Asbestos Product Liability & Mesothelioma Claims

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