McCord: Asbestos Pipe Insulation Products and Occupational Exposure History

McCord is a manufacturer whose asbestos-containing pipe insulation products have appeared in asbestos litigation records filed by workers across multiple American industries. According to court filings and plaintiff testimony, McCord products were present on jobsites throughout the mid-twentieth century, a period during which asbestos was widely used in thermal insulation applications for its fire resistance and durability. Workers who handled, installed, or worked near McCord pipe insulation may have been exposed to airborne asbestos fibers, a recognized cause of mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other serious diseases.

Company History

Detailed corporate records for McCord as an asbestos-era manufacturer are not comprehensively available in public sources, but the company’s name surfaces in asbestos litigation records spanning multiple decades. According to court filings, McCord was identified as a supplier or manufacturer of pipe insulation products used on American industrial and commercial jobsites, with documented use extending from at least the mid-twentieth century through approximately the early 1980s.

The early 1980s represents a significant turning point for the asbestos products industry broadly. Following mounting scientific evidence linking asbestos fiber inhalation to serious and fatal respiratory diseases — and the Environmental Protection Agency’s increasing regulatory activity — many manufacturers phased out asbestos from their product lines during this period. According to available litigation records, McCord’s use of asbestos in its pipe insulation products is believed to have ceased around this time.

Workers and their families researching McCord for purposes of exposure documentation or legal claims should be aware that corporate records from this era can be difficult to locate, and that litigation filings and plaintiff depositions often represent some of the most detailed surviving evidence of a manufacturer’s product history and jobsite presence.

Asbestos-Containing Products

According to asbestos litigation records, McCord manufactured or supplied pipe insulation products that plaintiffs alleged contained asbestos. Pipe insulation was among the most common asbestos-containing products used in American industry during the mid-twentieth century. Asbestos was incorporated into pipe insulation materials because of its exceptional heat tolerance, its resistance to fire, and its ability to maintain insulating properties under harsh industrial conditions.

Plaintiffs alleged that McCord’s pipe insulation products were used to wrap and protect piping systems in a variety of industrial and commercial settings. Court filings document that these products were identified by workers in trades including pipefitting, plumbing, insulation installation, and related construction and industrial occupations.

Pipe insulation containing asbestos could release respirable fibers during a range of activities: cutting sections to fit around pipes, tearing away old or damaged insulation, sanding or smoothing insulation surfaces, and performing maintenance work that disturbed existing installations. Because this type of work was frequently performed in enclosed or poorly ventilated spaces — boiler rooms, ship engine compartments, industrial facilities, and building mechanical rooms — fiber concentrations could reach significant levels without adequate respiratory protection, which was rarely provided or required during the peak years of asbestos use.

Specific product names, formulations, and asbestos content percentages for McCord pipe insulation have not been independently verified through regulatory filings available to this publication. Attorneys and researchers investigating McCord exposure claims are encouraged to review relevant deposition testimony, product identification documents, and industry trade records from the relevant period.

Occupational Exposure

According to asbestos litigation records, workers in a range of occupations reported exposure to McCord pipe insulation products during the course of their employment. The industries and trades most frequently represented in these filings include:

  • Pipefitters and plumbers, who installed and maintained pipe systems in industrial plants, refineries, power plants, and shipyards, and who regularly worked directly with pipe insulation materials.
  • Insulators and laggers, whose primary work involved applying, removing, and replacing thermal insulation on piping, boilers, and related equipment.
  • Maintenance and millwright workers, who performed repair and upkeep in facilities where insulated pipe systems were present and who could disturb existing insulation during the course of repairs.
  • Boilermakers, who worked in close proximity to heavily insulated systems and were frequently exposed to asbestos dust generated by nearby insulation work.
  • Construction tradespeople, including general construction workers and helpers on large commercial or industrial building projects, who may have worked alongside insulators and other tradespeople handling McCord products.
  • Shipyard workers, as pipe insulation was used extensively in the marine industry for the insulation of steam lines and other piping aboard naval and commercial vessels.

Plaintiffs alleged, in filings across multiple jurisdictions, that they were exposed to McCord pipe insulation without adequate warning of the health hazards associated with asbestos fiber inhalation. Court filings document that workers in this era were typically not provided with respiratory protection, hazard information, or safety data regarding the asbestos content of the insulation products they handled.

Bystander exposure is also relevant in many McCord-related claims. Workers who did not directly handle pipe insulation but who were present in the same workspace while others cut, trimmed, or removed McCord products could have inhaled asbestos fibers released into the shared air. This type of secondary or bystander exposure is well documented in asbestos litigation and is recognized medically as a potential cause of asbestos-related disease.

The latency period for asbestos-related diseases — the interval between exposure and the development of diagnosable illness — typically ranges from ten to fifty years. This means that workers exposed to McCord pipe insulation products during the 1950s, 1960s, or 1970s may only now be receiving diagnoses of mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer.

McCord is classified here as a Tier 2 manufacturer: a company that has appeared in asbestos litigation but for which no established asbestos bankruptcy trust fund has been identified in publicly available records. This means that individuals who believe they were exposed to McCord asbestos-containing pipe insulation do not have access to a pre-funded claims process of the kind established by bankrupt asbestos defendants such as Johns-Manville, Armstrong World Industries, or Owens Corning.

According to available information, McCord has not filed for asbestos-related bankruptcy protection, and no McCord asbestos trust fund appears to have been established. This does not foreclose legal options for affected individuals, but it does mean that claims would likely be pursued through traditional civil litigation rather than through an administrative trust claims process.

Plaintiffs alleged in civil actions that McCord products caused or contributed to their asbestos-related diseases, and court filings document that the company was named as a defendant in asbestos personal injury cases. The outcomes of specific cases are not detailed here, as case-specific results vary and are not representative of litigation outcomes generally.

Individuals considering legal action related to McCord pipe insulation exposure should be aware of the following:

  • Statutes of limitations apply to asbestos claims and vary by state. The clock typically begins running from the date of diagnosis, not the date of exposure, but this rule is jurisdiction-specific. Prompt consultation with an attorney is strongly advisable.
  • Evidence of exposure is critical to any claim. Employment records, union records, co-worker testimony, and any surviving product documentation can help establish that McCord products were present at a specific worksite during the claimant’s period of employment.
  • Multiple defendant claims are common in asbestos litigation. Most exposed workers encountered products from many manufacturers during their careers, and claims frequently name multiple defendants across different product categories.

If you or a family member was diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer and has a work history involving pipe insulation — particularly in industrial, maritime, construction, or power generation settings — McCord may be among the manufacturers relevant to your exposure history.

Because no McCord asbestos trust fund has been identified, compensation for McCord-related exposure would most likely be pursued through direct civil litigation. An experienced asbestos attorney can review your work history, identify all potentially responsible manufacturers (which may include companies with established trust funds as well as active defendants), and advise you on the most effective legal strategy given your specific circumstances.

Documentation of your work history, the worksites where you were employed, the products you recall handling or working near, and the approximate dates of that work is valuable and should be gathered as early as possible. Co-worker affidavits and union membership records can also help corroborate exposure to specific products.

Asbestos-related diseases are serious, and the legal landscape for asbestos claims — involving both trust fund submissions and civil litigation — is complex. Workers and families are encouraged to consult with legal counsel experienced in asbestos personal injury claims to understand their options fully.