Philip Carey Manufacturing Company

Company History

Philip Carey Manufacturing Company was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1888 and grew into one of the country’s prominent manufacturers of industrial insulation and roofing materials during the first half of the twentieth century. Operating out of its Ohio headquarters for decades, the company built a substantial commercial presence supplying American industry, construction, and shipbuilding with thermal insulation products, roofing materials, and related building supplies.

Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, Philip Carey relied heavily on asbestos as a core raw material. The mineral’s heat resistance, tensile strength, and relative low cost made it an attractive component for the product lines the company served — particularly pipe and boiler insulation, where thermal performance was the primary selling point. Philip Carey continued manufacturing asbestos-containing products until approximately 1962, when the company ceased incorporating asbestos into its product lines.

Philip Carey’s corporate history did not end cleanly. Over subsequent decades, the company underwent a series of corporate transactions and mergers that ultimately transferred its asbestos-related liabilities to Celotex Corporation. Celotex, itself a major asbestos defendant, eventually became insolvent as asbestos personal injury claims mounted and filed for bankruptcy protection. That bankruptcy proceeding gave rise to the Celotex Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust, which today administers claims arising from exposure to Philip Carey products. Workers and family members seeking compensation for Philip Carey–related asbestos exposure file their claims through this trust.

Asbestos-Containing Products

Philip Carey manufactured a defined range of asbestos-containing products across two primary categories: industrial pipe and block insulation, and roofing materials. The following products are documented in asbestos litigation records, regulatory filings, and occupational health literature from the relevant period.

Carey Pipe Covering

Carey pipe covering was one of the company’s flagship insulation products, marketed to industrial facilities, refineries, power plants, shipyards, and commercial construction sites. The product was designed to wrap around steam lines, hot water pipes, and process piping to reduce heat loss and protect workers from surface burns. Philip Carey pipe covering contained chrysotile asbestos, and in some formulations, amphibole fibers, integrated into the insulating matrix to provide structural integrity and thermal resistance.

Workers who installed, repaired, or removed Carey pipe covering were exposed to asbestos fibers released when the material was cut to length, fitted around pipe elbows and joints, or disturbed during maintenance. Pipefitters, plumbers, insulators, and boilermakers working in industrial and maritime environments encountered this product from the 1940s through the early 1960s.

Carey Magnesia Block

Carey magnesia block insulation was used extensively on large-diameter industrial piping, boilers, and pressure vessels in heavy industry and marine applications. The product combined magnesium carbonate with asbestos fibers — a formulation common among industrial insulation manufacturers of the era — to produce rigid sectional blocks that could be fitted around equipment surfaces requiring high-temperature insulation.

Magnesia block products like those manufactured by Philip Carey were among the most fiber-releasing insulation materials on industrial jobsites. The cutting, shaping, and fitting of rigid block insulation generated visible asbestos dust. Thermal insulators and boilerhouse workers who handled Carey magnesia block regularly worked in environments where airborne fiber concentrations were measurably elevated. Secondary exposure also occurred among workers in adjacent trades who shared enclosed mechanical spaces.

Carey Asbestos Roofing Felt

Philip Carey also produced asbestos-reinforced roofing felt, an underlayment and base sheet material used in commercial roofing systems. Carey asbestos roofing felt was used beneath built-up roofing assemblies and as a saturant base in multi-ply roof construction. Asbestos fibers were incorporated into the felt substrate to improve tensile strength, fire resistance, and dimensional stability.

Roofers, sheet metal workers, and construction laborers who cut, trimmed, and handled Carey asbestos roofing felt were exposed to asbestos fibers released during normal installation work. The product was also encountered during tear-off and re-roofing projects, where deteriorated asbestos roofing felt could release fibers in significantly higher concentrations than intact material.

Occupational Exposure

Philip Carey’s asbestos-containing products were present on a wide range of American jobsites during the 1940s, 1950s, and into the early 1960s. The industries and occupations most commonly associated with documented Philip Carey exposure include:

• Thermal insulation workers (insulators): Insulators who worked in power stations, chemical plants, oil refineries, and industrial manufacturing facilities regularly handled both Carey pipe covering and Carey magnesia block insulation throughout their careers.

• Pipefitters and plumbers: Workers in these trades encountered Carey pipe covering during initial installation and during the frequent maintenance and repair cycles common in industrial piping systems.

• Boilermakers: Boilermakers worked alongside insulation products in boiler rooms and mechanical spaces where Philip Carey magnesia block was used on boilers and pressure vessels.

• Shipyard workers: The U.S. Navy and commercial shipyards were major consumers of industrial insulation during the wartime and postwar build-up period. Philip Carey products were among those documented in shipyard insulation work, placing shipfitters, insulators, and pipefitters in contact with asbestos-containing materials in confined ship compartments.

• Roofers and construction laborers: Workers applying or removing built-up roofing systems that included Carey asbestos roofing felt were exposed during both installation and demolition phases of roofing projects.

• Maintenance and janitorial workers: Individuals who worked in facilities where Philip Carey insulation had been installed were sometimes exposed through secondary contact — disturbing or cleaning up debris from deteriorating insulation products without the protection of respiratory equipment.

Exposure to Philip Carey products has been associated in litigation and occupational health records with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease. Because latency periods for asbestos-related disease typically range from 20 to 50 years after initial exposure, individuals who worked with Philip Carey products in the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s may be receiving diagnoses today.

Trust Fund and Legal Status

The Celotex Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust

Philip Carey Manufacturing Company’s asbestos personal injury liabilities were absorbed through corporate succession into Celotex Corporation. Following Celotex’s bankruptcy, the Celotex Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust was established to compensate individuals harmed by asbestos-containing products manufactured or distributed by Celotex and its predecessor companies, including Philip Carey.

The Celotex Trust is an active asbestos personal injury trust and accepts claims from individuals diagnosed with asbestos-related disease who can document occupational exposure to Philip Carey products. Claims are evaluated according to the trust’s Trust Distribution Procedures (TDP), which establish disease categories, exposure documentation requirements, and payment values.

Qualifying Disease Categories

The Celotex Trust generally compensates claims involving the following asbestos-related diagnoses, subject to its TDP requirements:

• Mesothelioma
• Lung cancer (with qualifying exposure history)
• Other cancers with documented asbestos causation
• Asbestosis
• Other non-malignant asbestos-related conditions meeting defined severity criteria

Filing a Claim

To file a claim with the Celotex Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust, claimants or their legal representatives typically must provide:

1. Medical documentation confirming an asbestos-related diagnosis, including pathology reports, imaging studies, or a diagnosing physician’s report.
2. Exposure evidence linking the claimant to specific Philip Carey products. This may include work history affidavits, co-worker testimony, union records, employer records, or Social Security earnings histories showing employment at facilities known to have used Philip Carey products.
3. Completed claim forms submitted in accordance with the trust’s current procedures. Most claimants work with an asbestos attorney to prepare and submit these materials.

Claims may be submitted as expedited review claims, which offer faster processing at a fixed payment value, or as individual review claims, which are evaluated on the specific facts of each claimant’s case and may result in higher compensation for severe or extraordinary cases.

Deceased claimants’ estates may file on behalf of individuals who have died from an asbestos-related disease, provided claims are filed within applicable time limits established by the trust.

Summary: What This Means for Workers and Families

If you or a family member worked with Carey pipe covering, Carey magnesia block, or Carey asbestos roofing felt — or in a facility where these products were used — and have received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or a related condition, you may be eligible to file a claim with the Celotex Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust.

Philip Carey Manufacturing Company is a named predecessor company within the Celotex Trust’s claim framework. Compensation through the trust does not require filing a lawsuit, though many claimants pursue trust claims alongside litigation against other manufacturers whose products also contributed to their exposure.

Trust claims are subject to filing deadlines tied to the date of diagnosis. Consulting with an attorney experienced in asbestos trust claims is the most reliable way to determine eligibility, gather the necessary documentation, and meet applicable deadlines.