Benjamin Moore & Co. — Asbestos Product Reference

Company History

Benjamin Moore & Co. is an American paint and coatings manufacturer with deep roots in the domestic building products industry. Founded in Brooklyn, New York, the company grew through the twentieth century to become one of the most recognized names in architectural paints, industrial coatings, and specialty building materials sold across the United States. Benjamin Moore products were distributed broadly through hardware stores, paint dealers, and building supply contractors, placing them on residential, commercial, and industrial jobsites throughout the country for much of the twentieth century.

Like many manufacturers of building and construction products during the mid-twentieth century, Benjamin Moore operated during an era when asbestos was widely used as an additive or component in a variety of industrial and construction materials. Asbestos was prized throughout the post-World War II construction boom for its heat resistance, durability, and binding properties. Regulatory frameworks governing asbestos in commercial products did not take full effect until the late 1970s and early 1980s, and many manufacturers — including those in the coatings and building materials sectors — continued incorporating asbestos into product lines until tightening federal standards made the practice commercially and legally untenable.

According to asbestos litigation records, Benjamin Moore has been named as a defendant in civil asbestos exposure cases, with plaintiffs alleging that certain products sold under the company’s name or distributed through its supply chain contained asbestos fibers. Benjamin Moore continues to operate today as a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway and has not established a dedicated asbestos bankruptcy trust fund.

Asbestos-Containing Products

The specific product lines at issue in asbestos litigation involving Benjamin Moore fall primarily within the pipe insulation and coatings category. Asbestos litigation records reflect claims that certain Benjamin Moore products used in pipe-covering applications or industrial finishing contexts contained asbestos as a component material during the period roughly spanning the 1940s through the early 1980s.

Plaintiffs alleged in court filings that products associated with Benjamin Moore were applied in settings where asbestos-containing materials were mixed, sprayed, or brushed onto surfaces — including pipe systems — in a manner that generated respirable asbestos dust. Court filings document allegations that workers who handled, applied, or worked in the vicinity of these products were potentially exposed to airborne asbestos fibers during routine application and finishing tasks.

Because Benjamin Moore’s core business centered on coatings and paints, rather than on the manufacture of pre-formed insulation products, the asbestos-related claims documented in litigation records tend to focus on coating compounds, sealers, or finishing materials that may have incorporated chrysotile or other asbestos fiber types as a functional additive. Specific product names and formulations tied to individual lawsuits are reflected in court filings from various jurisdictions and time periods, though the documentary record varies in completeness depending on the era and the nature of available corporate records.

It should be noted that the absence of a published product list in this reference article reflects the current state of publicly available documentation rather than a conclusion that no such products existed. Attorneys and researchers pursuing exposure documentation are encouraged to consult asbestos litigation databases, corporate product records obtained through discovery, and occupational hygiene records relevant to the specific worksite and time period in question.

Occupational Exposure

Workers most likely to have encountered Benjamin Moore products in contexts relevant to asbestos exposure include those who performed pipe insulation, industrial finishing, or maintenance coating work on commercial and industrial facilities during the peak asbestos era — approximately the 1940s through the early 1980s.

According to asbestos litigation records, the trades most frequently identified in claims involving Benjamin Moore products include:

  • Pipefitters and plumbers, who applied coatings and finishing compounds to pipe systems in industrial plants, shipyards, power stations, and commercial buildings
  • Painters and coating applicators, who mixed or spray-applied products in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces
  • Insulators, who worked alongside pipe-covering operations where coatings and finishing materials were applied over or adjacent to insulated pipe systems
  • Construction laborers and maintenance workers, who disturbed previously applied materials during renovation, repair, or demolition activities

Plaintiffs alleged that dry mixing, spray application, and sanding or abrading of asbestos-containing coating materials produced concentrations of respirable asbestos fibers in the work environment. Court filings document allegations that bystander workers — those not directly applying the product but present in the same workspace — also faced potential fiber exposure during these operations.

The risk of secondary exposure has also been raised in litigation records, with family members of workers alleging that asbestos fibers were carried home on work clothing, tools, and skin, creating a pathway for household exposure. These claims are consistent with patterns documented across the broader asbestos litigation landscape involving building materials manufacturers of the same era.

AHERA-era regulatory guidance and industrial hygiene literature confirm that spray-applied and mixed coating products containing asbestos could release fibers at levels of occupational health concern, particularly when products were disturbed, improperly mixed, or applied in confined spaces without adequate respiratory protection.

Trust Fund / Legal Status

Benjamin Moore & Co. has not established an asbestos bankruptcy trust fund. Unlike manufacturers that resolved mass asbestos liabilities through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process — which typically results in the creation of a Section 524(g) trust to compensate current and future claimants — Benjamin Moore remains a solvent operating company. As a result, claims against Benjamin Moore must be pursued through the active civil litigation system rather than through a trust fund claims process.

According to asbestos litigation records, Benjamin Moore has been named as a defendant in asbestos personal injury lawsuits filed in multiple jurisdictions. Plaintiffs alleged exposure to asbestos-containing products associated with the company and sought damages for mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related diseases. Court filings document these allegations across cases involving industrial, construction, and maintenance workers from various trades.

Because Benjamin Moore is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway — one of the largest holding companies in the United States — the company has the financial standing to litigate and resolve civil asbestos claims through the court system. This means that individuals who believe they were exposed to asbestos through Benjamin Moore products have access to the civil tort system as a potential avenue for compensation, subject to applicable statutes of limitations and the ability to establish specific product identification, exposure, and causation through available evidence.

If you or a family member worked with or around Benjamin Moore products during the period approximately spanning the 1940s through the early 1980s — particularly in pipe insulation, industrial coatings, or commercial construction — and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or a related asbestos disease, the following information may be relevant:

No trust fund exists for Benjamin Moore. Compensation claims must be filed through the civil court system as personal injury or wrongful death lawsuits.

Product identification matters. Because specific product names, formulations, and job site records strengthen any claim, gathering documentation such as employment records, union records, co-worker testimony, product invoices, or safety data sheets from the relevant time period is an important early step.

Consulting an asbestos attorney experienced in product identification and occupational exposure history can help determine whether the available evidence supports a viable claim against Benjamin Moore or other manufacturers whose products were present at the same worksite.

Other defendants may also be relevant. Workers exposed on industrial or commercial jobsites often encountered products from multiple manufacturers simultaneously. An experienced attorney can help identify all potentially responsible parties, including those with active trust funds that may allow for faster claims resolution alongside any litigation against solvent defendants.

Time limits apply. Statutes of limitations for asbestos claims vary by state and by the date of diagnosis or discovery. Delay in consulting legal counsel can affect eligibility to file a claim.

This reference article is provided for informational and research purposes. It documents allegations reflected in asbestos litigation records and does not constitute a determination of liability on the part of Benjamin Moore & Co.