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Did you work with Hooker Chemical? According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records, it allegedly contained asbestos. Here is what it was, who was exposed, and who is responsible. Hooker Chemical, sold from the 1940s until the 1980s. Plaintiffs allegedly worked with or around Hooker Chemical / OxyChem chlor-alkali cell asbestos diaphragms, asbestos-fabric cell covers, and asbestos-packed cell-head gaskets at Niagara Falls, Tacoma, Taft, and other Hooker/OxyChem chlor-alkali facilities. Allegedly asbestos-fiber vacuum-deposited diaphragms on foraminous steel cathodes in diaphragm-cell chlor-alkali production, plus asbestos-fabric cell covers and asbestos-packed cell-head flange gaskets — released fiber during diaphragm renewal, cell rebuild, and hot-work tear-out by chlor-alkali plant operators and diaphragm-cell renewers. Workers allegedly exposed around this product included Chlor-alkali plant operators, Diaphragm-cell renewers, Chemical plant pipefitters, and Chemical plant turnaround crews. Asbestos claims are brought against the companies that made the products. If you worked with or around Hooker Chemical and were later diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim against the manufacturer. This is educational information from an independent publisher — not a law firm — and is not legal advice.
Product Description
Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Hooker Chemical Corporation and its successor Occidental Chemical Corporation (OxyChem) operated chlor-alkali plants that produced chlorine and caustic soda using asbestos-diaphragm cells and mercury cells fitted with asbestos-containing internals. According to those publicly filed asbestos litigation records, the diaphragm-cell process allegedly used a vacuum-deposited chrysotile-asbestos diaphragm on a foraminous steel cathode to separate anolyte from catholyte, and mercury-cell installations allegedly used asbestos-fabric cell covers and asbestos-packed cell-head flange gaskets on the graphite anode assemblies.
Plaintiffs alleged that Hooker / OxyChem diaphragm cells required periodic diaphragm renewal on a rolling schedule and that spent asbestos diaphragms were allegedly torn out, dried, and re-deposited, releasing airborne fiber inside the cell rooms.
Workers Exposed
Plaintiffs allegedly exposed to Hooker Chemical / OxyChem chlor-alkali cell asbestos diaphragms and related asbestos-containing cell components include:
- Chlor-alkali plant operators and cell-room operators walking the diaphragm-cell aisles
- Diaphragm-cell renewers and cell-service crews vacuum-depositing and tearing out asbestos diaphragms
- Chemical plant pipefitters cutting into cell-head brine and catholyte piping
- Chemical plant boilermakers rebuilding cell tops, anode assemblies, and cell frames
- Chemical plant turnaround crews on scheduled cell-room shutdowns
- Chemical plant electricians on rectifier and cell bus-bar work
- Chemical plant maintenance mechanics on cell-head gaskets and packing
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If You Worked at Hooker Chemical / OxyChem
If you or a family member worked at Hooker Chemical / OxyChem and were exposed to asbestos-containing materials at this facility — and were diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related disease — you may have a legal claim. Time-sensitive filing deadlines apply.
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