W.R. Grace & Co.

Headquarters: Columbia, MD Founded: 1854 Ceased Asbestos Use: 1973 Trust Fund: W.R. Grace & Co. Asbestos Personal Injury Trust (active)

W.R. Grace & Co. was one of the most significant manufacturers of asbestos-containing construction materials used in American commercial and industrial building from the post–World War II era through the early 1970s. The company’s spray-applied fireproofing products — sold under the Monokote brand — became the dominant material for fireproofing structural steel in U.S. high-rise construction during this period, placing W.R. Grace products at the center of some of the most heavily documented occupational asbestos exposures in the construction industry. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2001, and an asbestos personal injury trust was subsequently established to compensate workers and family members harmed by exposure to its products.

Company History

W.R. Grace & Co. was founded in 1854 by Irish immigrant William Russell Grace, originally as a shipping and trading enterprise. Over the following century, the company expanded into chemicals, natural resources, and specialty construction materials. By the mid-twentieth century, Grace had become a major supplier to the U.S. construction industry, with its specialty chemicals and building products divisions manufacturing materials sold to contractors, developers, and trades across the country.

Grace’s involvement with asbestos-containing products accelerated during the postwar construction boom of the late 1940s and 1950s, as demand for fireproofing solutions in steel-framed commercial buildings grew sharply. The company developed and marketed spray-applied fireproofing compounds that incorporated chrysotile and, in some formulations, other asbestos fiber types. These products were applied by specialty contractors during the structural phase of high-rise construction throughout the United States.

W.R. Grace ceased incorporating asbestos into its Monokote fireproofing line in 1973, transitioning to mineral wool-based formulations following growing regulatory scrutiny and early asbestos health research. The company continued operating as a diversified chemical corporation in subsequent decades but faced mounting asbestos liability from the millions of square feet of asbestos-containing material applied during the preceding two decades. On April 2, 2001, W.R. Grace & Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, citing asbestos-related liabilities as the primary driver. The reorganization process concluded with the establishment of a dedicated asbestos personal injury trust, which began accepting claims after the company emerged from bankruptcy.

Asbestos-Containing Products

Monokote Spray-Applied Fireproofing (MK-3, MK-4, MK-5)

Monokote was W.R. Grace & Co.’s flagship fireproofing product and the leading spray-applied fireproofing material in U.S. high-rise construction through the early 1970s. Monokote was applied by spray to exposed structural steel beams, columns, and decking to provide fire resistance ratings required by building codes. The material was sold and applied in multiple formulations, most prominently MK-3, MK-4, and MK-5.

The asbestos-containing versions of Monokote — primarily MK-3 and MK-4 — were manufactured and sold from the late 1950s through 1973. These formulations contained chrysotile asbestos as a primary component, with documented fiber content that made them among the most heavily asbestos-laden spray fireproofing materials on the market during this era. Monokote MK-3 in particular was widely applied in office towers, hospitals, schools, hotels, and government buildings constructed between approximately 1959 and 1973.

The spray application process generated substantial quantities of airborne asbestos fibers. Fireproofing applicators, ironworkers, electricians, pipefitters, sheet metal workers, carpenters, and other tradespeople who worked in the vicinity of Monokote application were exposed to elevated airborne fiber concentrations. In existing buildings, subsequent renovation, demolition, or maintenance work disturbing intact or deteriorating Monokote has continued to represent a source of asbestos exposure for later generations of workers.

Zonolite Attic Insulation

W.R. Grace & Co. manufactured and sold Zonolite attic insulation, a vermiculite-based loose-fill insulation product, under the Zonolite brand from approximately 1963 through the early 1980s. The vermiculite used in Zonolite was sourced predominantly from the Libby, Montana mining operation owned and operated by W.R. Grace, where the ore deposit was contaminated with naturally occurring tremolite asbestos — a particularly hazardous amphibole fiber type.

Zonolite attic insulation was sold through retail hardware and building supply stores across the United States and installed by homeowners, contractors, and building trades workers. The product was typically poured or blown into attic spaces as a loose-fill insulation. Because of its contamination with tremolite asbestos, disturbance of Zonolite insulation during installation, renovation, or removal released respirable asbestos fibers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has documented the Libby vermiculite contamination and has issued guidance for homeowners and workers regarding Zonolite attic insulation that may remain in place in residential and commercial structures.

Occupational Exposure

The occupational exposure history associated with W.R. Grace & Co. products spans multiple trades and multiple decades of American construction activity.

Fireproofing applicators who mixed, loaded, and sprayed Monokote formulations during the application phase of construction faced some of the highest documented exposure levels associated with any asbestos-containing construction product. The spray process atomized asbestos-containing slurry and produced persistent airborne fiber concentrations throughout work areas on active construction floors.

Ironworkers, structural steel workers, and decking crews who worked on floors being fireproofed, or who returned to floors shortly after application, were exposed to residual airborne fibers from settled and disturbed overspray. Electricians, pipefitters, HVAC mechanics, sheet metal workers, and carpenters who performed follow-on work in fireproofed spaces — hanging conduit, running pipe, installing ductwork, framing interior walls — disturbed freshly applied or dried Monokote and were similarly exposed.

In the decades following original construction, building maintenance workers, renovation contractors, demolition crews, and abatement workers have encountered Monokote in structures built during the 1959–1973 window. Any mechanical disturbance of intact or friable asbestos-containing Monokote — drilling, sawing, sanding, demolition, or water damage deterioration — releases asbestos fibers into occupied or work spaces.

Workers who installed or disturbed Zonolite attic insulation — including insulation contractors, general contractors performing attic renovations, HVAC technicians, electricians, and homeowners — faced potential exposure to tremolite asbestos fibers contaminating the product.

The diseases most commonly associated with occupational asbestos exposure include malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, pleural plaques, and other asbestos-related conditions. These diseases typically present decades after initial exposure, meaning that workers exposed to Monokote or Zonolite during the 1960s and early 1970s may only now be receiving diagnoses.

Bankruptcy and Trust Establishment

W.R. Grace & Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 2, 2001. The bankruptcy reorganization process was lengthy, spanning nearly a decade of negotiation among the company, asbestos claimants’ committees, and other creditors. The reorganization plan established the W.R. Grace & Co. Asbestos Personal Injury Trust, a dedicated compensation vehicle funded to pay valid claims from individuals diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases caused by exposure to W.R. Grace products.

Who Is Eligible to File a Claim

The W.R. Grace Asbestos PI Trust accepts claims from individuals who have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease — including mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other qualifying conditions — and who can document exposure to W.R. Grace asbestos-containing products, including Monokote spray fireproofing formulations or Zonolite attic insulation. Claims may also be filed by the estates or surviving family members of deceased individuals who meet the exposure and diagnosis criteria.

Claimants are required to submit medical documentation of diagnosis and occupational or product-specific exposure evidence linking their disease to a W.R. Grace product. Evidence may include work history records, union employment records, co-worker affidavits, building construction records, or other documentation establishing that the claimant worked with or in proximity to Monokote or Zonolite during the relevant years.

How to File a Claim

Claims are filed directly with the W.R. Grace & Co. Asbestos Personal Injury Trust through its designated claims processing procedures. The trust maintains specific claim forms and submission requirements. Most claimants retain an asbestos attorney who specializes in trust fund claims to compile and submit the required documentation. An experienced attorney can assess which trust funds — and, where applicable, which active litigation defendants — a claimant may have viable claims against, and can manage the submission process across multiple trusts simultaneously.

Summary

W.R. Grace & Co. manufactured asbestos-containing Monokote spray fireproofing (MK-3, MK-4, MK-5) from the late 1950s through 1973, and sold Zonolite attic insulation contaminated with tremolite asbestos through a related timeframe. Monokote was applied in high-rise commercial and institutional buildings across the United States, exposing fireproofing applicators and a wide range of other construction tradespeople. Zonolite insulation was installed in residential and commercial attics nationwide.

Workers or family members who believe they were exposed to Monokote or Zonolite and have received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or a related condition may be eligible to file a claim with the W.R. Grace & Co. Asbestos Personal Injury Trust. Consulting with an attorney who handles asbestos trust fund claims is the recommended first step. Claims typically require medical records documenting the diagnosis and work history or other records documenting product-specific exposure.