USG Corporation (United States Gypsum) — Asbestos Product Reference

Company History

United States Gypsum Company was founded in 1901 through the consolidation of several regional gypsum mining and manufacturing operations, and it quickly grew into one of the most influential building materials manufacturers in American history. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, USG Corporation — the parent entity formed in 1985 — became the dominant supplier of gypsum-based construction products throughout the twentieth century. Its brand portfolio, which included the Sheetrock drywall system, Red Top plaster, and a wide range of finishing compounds, made USG products a near-constant presence on residential, commercial, and industrial jobsites across the country from the post-World War II building boom through the late 1970s.

For much of this period, asbestos was a valued additive in building materials. It improved fire resistance, increased tensile strength, and extended the workability of wet plaster and joint compounds. USG incorporated asbestos into several of its core product lines from at least the 1940s through 1977, the year the company ceased using asbestos as an ingredient in its manufactured goods. That timeline places USG products at the center of the construction industry during the decades when asbestos exposure on American jobsites was at its peak.

USG Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2001, driven in substantial part by the volume of asbestos personal injury claims it faced. The company emerged from bankruptcy in 2006 after establishing a dedicated asbestos compensation trust to resolve current and future claims from workers and others who alleged injury from exposure to USG asbestos-containing products.

Asbestos-Containing Products

USG Corporation manufactured and sold several product lines that have been documented as containing asbestos during specific periods of production. Workers and their families researching historical exposure should focus on products used or installed prior to 1977.

Durabond Joint Compound

Durabond is a setting-type joint compound manufactured by USG and used extensively by drywall finishers, plasterers, and construction tradespeople to fill seams, embed tape, and finish gypsum wallboard installations. USG’s Durabond formulations produced prior to 1977 contained chrysotile asbestos. The compound was typically mixed with water on the jobsite and applied by hand or tool, a process that released asbestos-containing dust into the breathing zone of workers. Sanding dried Durabond — a routine step in achieving a smooth wall finish — generated particularly fine particulate matter that carried asbestos fibers. Drywall tapers, plasterers, painters, and laborers who worked in the same areas as finishing work was being done faced secondary exposure from airborne dust.

USG Acoustic Ceiling Tile

USG manufactured acoustic ceiling tiles designed for suspended grid ceiling systems that were installed widely in offices, schools, hospitals, government buildings, and retail spaces from the 1950s onward. USG acoustic ceiling tiles produced before 1977 contained asbestos as a component of the tile matrix, where it contributed to fire resistance and sound-dampening properties. Ceiling tile installers, as well as electricians, HVAC technicians, plumbers, and others who worked above suspended ceilings and disturbed tile during the installation of mechanical systems, faced exposure when tiles were cut, broken, or abraded. Maintenance and renovation work on buildings constructed with pre-1977 USG ceiling tile continues to present potential exposure concerns under current AHERA and OSHA regulatory frameworks.

Red Top Plaster

Red Top is one of USG’s most recognized plaster products, used by plasterers and masonry workers for finish coat applications on interior walls and ceilings. Red Top gypsum plaster formulations manufactured before 1977 contained asbestos, which helped control cracking and provided additional fire resistance in the finished plaster coat. Mixing dry Red Top plaster generated dust containing asbestos fibers, and the sanding or grinding of cured plaster during renovation, repair, or demolition work released those fibers into the air. Plasterers, lathers, and laborers who mixed, applied, or disturbed Red Top plaster during this era accumulated exposure over the course of their careers.

Occupational Exposure

The trades with the highest documented historical exposure to USG asbestos-containing products include drywall tapers and finishers, plasterers, lathers, ceiling tile installers, painters, and general construction laborers. However, the nature of construction work means that exposure was rarely limited to a single trade. Carpenters, electricians, pipefitters, ironworkers, and HVAC technicians who worked on the same floors or in the same buildings where USG joint compounds, plasters, or ceiling tiles were being mixed, applied, sanded, or cut were routinely exposed to the airborne dust those products generated.

Secondary or bystander exposure is also well-documented in asbestos litigation involving USG products. Workers who were not directly handling these materials but who were present in enclosed or poorly ventilated work areas — common on construction sites of this era — inhaled the same airborne fibers. Family members of construction tradespeople were sometimes exposed to asbestos fibers carried home on work clothing, a route of exposure recognized in occupational medicine literature.

The latency period between asbestos exposure and the onset of asbestos-related disease typically ranges from 20 to 50 years. Diseases associated with occupational asbestos exposure include mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease. Workers who regularly used or worked near USG asbestos-containing products before 1977, and who have received a diagnosis of one of these conditions, may have a compensable claim against the United States Gypsum Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust.

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and Trust Formation

USG Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on June 25, 2001. The filing was prompted largely by the accumulating cost of asbestos personal injury litigation arising from decades of exposure to USG’s asbestos-containing products. USG emerged from bankruptcy in June 2006 following confirmation of a reorganization plan that included the establishment of a dedicated asbestos compensation trust under Section 524(g) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

United States Gypsum Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust

The United States Gypsum Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust is the active mechanism through which individuals injured by exposure to USG asbestos-containing products may seek compensation without filing a lawsuit against the reorganized company. The trust was funded as part of USG’s bankruptcy reorganization and is administered by court-appointed trustees.

The trust processes claims from individuals who can demonstrate:

  • Exposure to a USG asbestos-containing product — such as Durabond joint compound, USG acoustic ceiling tile, or Red Top plaster — during the period those products contained asbestos (prior to 1977)
  • Diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease, including mesothelioma, lung cancer with a documented history of asbestos exposure, asbestosis, or other pleural diseases
  • Medical documentation supporting the diagnosis, including pathology reports, imaging studies, and treating physician records
  • Occupational or other exposure history linking the claimant to USG products, often supported by work history affidavits, union records, co-worker testimony, or employment records

Claims are evaluated under the trust’s Trust Distribution Procedures (TDP), which establish scheduled values for different disease categories and payment percentages based on available trust assets and the total volume of claims. Mesothelioma claims generally receive priority processing. The trust accepts claims from diagnosed individuals as well as claims filed on behalf of deceased claimants by their estates or surviving family members.

Filing a Claim

Claims against the United States Gypsum Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust are typically filed through an attorney experienced in asbestos litigation. While it is possible to contact the trust directly, most claimants work with legal counsel because the claim submission process requires:

  • Gathering and organizing medical records documenting the diagnosis
  • Preparing a detailed work history that identifies specific USG products by name and jobsite
  • Obtaining supporting affidavits from the claimant or co-workers
  • Submitting claim forms and documentation according to the trust’s procedures

An asbestos attorney can also evaluate whether claims against other asbestos trust funds — there are more than 60 active trusts established by other bankrupt asbestos defendants — may apply to the same claimant’s exposure history, since most workers were exposed to products from multiple manufacturers over their careers.

Summary: Who May Be Eligible

If you or a family member worked as a drywall taper, plasterer, ceiling tile installer, painter, or in any construction trade that put you in regular contact with USG joint compounds, plasters, or ceiling tile products before 1977, and you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or a related pleural disease, you may be eligible to file a claim with the United States Gypsum Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust.

The trust exists specifically to compensate workers and families harmed by exposure to USG asbestos-containing products without requiring a trial. Claims can be filed regardless of how long ago the exposure occurred, provided a qualifying diagnosis has been made. Because trust claims involve detailed documentation requirements and strict procedural rules, consulting with an attorney who handles asbestos trust fund claims is the most effective first step toward pursuing compensation.