Keene Corporation (Mundet Cork / Baldwin Ehret Hill): Asbestos Products, Occupational Exposure, and Trust Fund Information

Keene Corporation was a San Francisco-based industrial conglomerate whose acquisitions of asbestos product manufacturers during the mid-twentieth century placed its materials in schools, hospitals, office buildings, and industrial facilities across the United States. Through subsidiaries including Mundet Cork Company and Baldwin Ehret Hill, Keene manufactured and distributed asbestos-containing acoustical plasters, ceiling products, and pipe insulation from the early industrial era through 1974, when the company ceased incorporating asbestos into its product lines. Workers and building occupants exposed to Keene products during installation, maintenance, or renovation may have grounds to file a claim with the Keene Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust.

Company History

Keene Corporation traces its origins to 1900 and evolved over decades from a specialty manufacturing firm into a diversified industrial conglomerate. Its asbestos liability stems primarily from two strategic acquisitions made during the 1960s that brought well-established asbestos product manufacturers under the Keene corporate umbrella.

Mundet Cork Company was acquired by Keene in 1968. Mundet Cork had operated for decades as a manufacturer of cork-based insulation products, and by the time of the acquisition, the company’s product catalog included cork and asbestos pipe covering—a combination insulation material widely used in industrial, commercial, and institutional piping systems. Cork-asbestos pipe insulation was valued for its combined thermal and fire-resistant properties, making it a common specification on construction projects ranging from hospital mechanical rooms to naval shipyard facilities.

Baldwin Ehret Hill was another acquisition that brought Keene directly into the acoustical plaster and ceiling product market. Baldwin Ehret Hill had established itself as a manufacturer of spray-applied and trowel-applied asbestos plasters used to achieve fire resistance and sound attenuation in large-scale commercial and institutional construction. These products were formulated with asbestos fiber as a key functional ingredient, providing both the binder properties and fire-resistant characteristics that architects and engineers specified throughout the postwar building boom.

Keene continued manufacturing asbestos-containing products under the brands it acquired until 1974. The company subsequently faced an escalating volume of personal injury litigation related to asbestos exposure, and in 1993, Keene Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of the reorganization process, the Keene Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust was established to compensate individuals with documented asbestos-related injuries attributable to Keene products.

Asbestos-Containing Products

Keene Corporation’s documented asbestos product lines fall into three primary categories: acoustical plaster, acoustical ceiling tile, and pipe insulation. All three product categories were in active production and widespread use from at least the 1940s through 1974.

Acoustical and Fireproofing Plaster

Through Baldwin Ehret Hill, Keene manufactured asbestos-based acoustical plaster applied to ceilings and walls in commercial construction. These spray-applied and trowel-applied plasters were formulated with chrysotile and, in some formulations, amosite asbestos fibers that provided both acoustic dampening and code-required fire resistance ratings. Such materials were routinely applied in auditoriums, school gymnasiums, hospital corridors, and office building lobbies.

Spray application was particularly hazardous. Workers applying the plaster—and those working in adjacent trades simultaneously—were exposed to high concentrations of airborne asbestos fibers. Because asbestos acoustical plaster was frequently applied to large surface areas with little or no respiratory protection, applicators and finishing workers accumulated significant fiber burdens over the course of a career.

Bestile Acoustical Ceiling Products

Keene marketed Bestile acoustical ceiling products, a line of ceiling tiles that contained asbestos as a binding and fire-resistant component. Bestile products were installed in drop-ceiling grid systems in institutional and commercial buildings throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and into the early 1970s. Carpenters, ceiling installers, and general construction laborers who cut, trimmed, or fitted Bestile tiles encountered asbestos-laden dust during the fabrication process. Maintenance workers and building occupants in facilities with aging or damaged Bestile ceilings may also have experienced secondary exposure as deteriorating tiles released fibers into occupied spaces.

Cork and Asbestos Pipe Insulation

Mundet Cork’s cork and asbestos pipe covering was a widely specified insulation material for steam, hot water, and chilled water piping systems in industrial plants, hospitals, and commercial buildings. The product combined natural cork with asbestos fiber to achieve thermal efficiency and fire resistance in a single applied system. Pipefitters, plumbers, and insulators who fabricated and installed Mundet pipe covering worked directly with the material, sawing sections to length and fitting them around pipe runs—tasks that generated significant asbestos dust. Maintenance personnel who subsequently cut into or removed Mundet pipe insulation for repairs faced comparable exposures.

Occupational Exposure

Workers across multiple trades encountered Keene Corporation asbestos products at construction sites and in maintained facilities throughout the decades of active production. The following occupational groups carry documented exposure risk:

  • Plasterers and lathers who mixed, sprayed, or troweled Baldwin Ehret Hill asbestos acoustical plaster
  • Ceiling tile installers and carpenters who cut and installed Bestile acoustical ceiling products
  • Pipefitters, plumbers, and insulators who installed or removed Mundet Cork pipe covering
  • Boilermakers and steamfitters in facilities where Mundet pipe insulation covered steam distribution systems
  • Maintenance and renovation workers who disturbed installed Keene products during repair or demolition activities
  • Sheet metal workers and other building trades who worked in close proximity to plastering and insulation operations
  • HVAC technicians servicing mechanical systems insulated with Mundet cork-asbestos pipe covering

Building types where Keene products were commonly installed include public schools constructed or renovated during the postwar period, hospitals and healthcare facilities, municipal office buildings, commercial office towers, university buildings, and industrial manufacturing plants. Individuals who worked in these environments during construction or renovation—or who performed maintenance tasks in buildings with aging Keene materials—should review their work history carefully when evaluating potential asbestos exposure.

Family members of workers in these trades may also have experienced para-occupational exposure through contact with asbestos fibers carried home on clothing, hair, and tools.

Bankruptcy and Trust Establishment

Keene Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1993, citing the overwhelming volume of asbestos personal injury claims against the company. The bankruptcy reorganization resulted in the creation of the Keene Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust, a dedicated compensation fund established to resolve claims from individuals who suffered asbestos-related disease attributable to Keene products, including those manufactured and distributed under the Mundet Cork and Baldwin Ehret Hill names.

Who May Be Eligible to File

The Keene Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust accepts claims from individuals diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases including mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other asbestos-related conditions, as well as from the estates of deceased claimants. Eligibility generally requires documentation of:

  1. A qualifying diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease, confirmed by pathology reports, imaging studies, or a licensed physician’s diagnosis
  2. Occupational or secondary exposure to a Keene Corporation product—including Bestile ceiling tiles, Baldwin Ehret Hill asbestos plaster, or Mundet Cork pipe insulation
  3. Supporting exposure evidence, which may include employment records, union records, co-worker affidavits, product identification documents, or building records establishing that Keene materials were present at a worksite

How to File a Claim

Claims against the Keene Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust are processed through an established trust distribution procedure. Claimants or their legal representatives submit a claim package that includes medical documentation, an exposure history narrative, and supporting evidence connecting the claimant to specific Keene products. The trust evaluates claims according to its published disease categories and payment matrices.

Many claimants pursue trust claims alongside or in connection with civil litigation against other responsible parties, as workers exposed to Keene products often encountered asbestos materials from multiple manufacturers at the same jobsites.

Summary: Keene Corporation Asbestos Trust Claims

If you or a family member was diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease after working with or around Keene Corporation products—including Bestile acoustical ceiling tiles, Baldwin Ehret Hill asbestos plaster, or Mundet Cork pipe insulation—you may be eligible to file a claim with the Keene Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust.

The trust was funded through Keene’s 1993 bankruptcy reorganization and exists specifically to compensate injured workers and their families. Because trust claims have filing deadlines and procedural requirements, consulting with an attorney who handles asbestos trust claims is strongly recommended. An experienced attorney can evaluate your exposure history, identify all applicable trusts, gather required documentation, and submit claims on your behalf at no upfront cost under standard contingency fee arrangements.

Workers who built and maintained America’s schools, hospitals, and commercial buildings deserve access to the compensation that was set aside for them. The Keene Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust is one established pathway for those harmed by Keene’s asbestos-containing products.