Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) used asbestos for many years to manufacture boilers and other power generation equipment. This caused exposure and illness in many workers, some of whom filed mesothelioma claims against the company. B&W eventually filed for bankruptcy and set up an asbestos trust fund.
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Did Babcock & Wilcox Use Asbestos?
Babcock & Wilcox has been designing and building boilers and similar equipment for over 100 years. For many of those years, Babcock & Wilcox used asbestos as an insulating material in its products.
Peak asbestos use in many industries occurred in the middle of the 20th century. Asbestos was cheap, abundant, and an excellent insulator. Companies that made equipment to withstand high temperatures typically used asbestos.
History of Babcock & Wilcox
B&W was founded in 1867 as a boiler manufacturer. Founders George Babcock and Stephen Wilcox started the company after Wilcox invented the water-tube boiler.
- Within a little over ten years, the company installed its first utility boiler. It installed the boiler at the Pearl Street Power Station in New York City, the first in the U.S.
- By 1902, it began manufacturing boilers that helped power the first subway built in New York City.
- Shortly after, B&W began manufacturing boilers for projects funded by the U.S. government, including a fleet of Navy battleships.
- In addition, B&W manufactured nuclear submarine components, fabricated components, and a coal-fired boiler for Nimitz airline carriers.
- Babcock & Wilcox expanded its services to include boiler cleaning, emission control systems, and power plant construction.
- B&W used asbestos in its boilers for decades. Many workers who built or repaired the boilers developed deadly diseases, including mesotelioma maligno and asbestos-related lung cancer. As a result, over 300,000 claims were filed against the company.
- Babcock & Wilcox filed for bankruptcy in 2000 due to the expense of the claims. It emerged as Babcock & Wilcox Company in 2006.
How Did Babcock & Wilcox Use Asbestos?
Many industries used asbestos in the middle of the 20th century, but it was most important in high-heat industries. B&W made boilers and other products for power generation. This equipment needed a good insulator. B&W used asbestos as an insulator for decades in numerous boiler parts and other equipment.
Some of the B&W products made with asbestos include:
- calderas marinas
- Furnace boilers
- focas
- Juntas
- Rope backing
- Coal pulverizers
- Insulating firebricks and millboard
Workers Affected by Babcock & Wilcox Asbestos Products
Since B&W boilers were used in various settings, many types of workers were expuesto al amianto and affected. The following are among just a few of the many occupations affected by asbestos in B&W products:
- trabajadores de calderas
- Aisladores
- trabajadores de la central eléctrica
- Trabajadores de astilleros
- Soldadores
- bomberos
- Fontaneros
- Instaladores de tuberías
- Maquinistas
- Trabajadores de mantenimiento
- miembros del servicio de la Armada
B&W supplied the U.S. Navy with boilers and related equipment. veteranos de la marina now have high rates of mesothelioma because of the asbestos used on Navy vessels.
Babcock & Wilcox Asbestos Claims
B&W’s first reclamación relacionada con el amianto was filed in 1982. By 2000, the number of reclamaciones por asbesto had risen to 340,000. These are just a few examples.
- Martin McPadden was a Navy fireman striker who handled various products that contained asbestos, including the boilers manufactured by B&W. McPadden passed away after a battle with malignant mesothelioma, but his loved ones pursued justice on his behalf. B&W, along with several other companies named in the claim, settled with the family for a little over $1.6 million.
- Cleo Elmore served in the U.S. Navy as a pipefitter. He was eventually diagnosed with mesothelioma and sued companies that supplied the Navy with asbestos products. His claim included Babcock & Wilcox, among others. A jury awarded Elmore $3 million.
- Adrienne Sweeney died of mesothelioma in 2015. Her husband made B&W boilers and inadvertently exposed her to asbestos fibers brought home on his clothing. The case, which was filed in Scotland in the United Kingdom, resulted in £250,000 for the Sweeney family.
Babcock & Wilcox Asbestos Cover Up
Many companies were later found to have known about the risks of asbestos without warning or protecting workers. Evidence of what B&W knew surfaced in a 1978 memo.
In that memo, a company executive described knowledge of asbestos risks and an unwillingness to warn workers. The memo mentioned the company’s investigation to determine how dangerous asbestos was. The company failed to protect its workers and those in other industries that used its products.
Babcock & Wilcox Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust
That negligence would lead to thousands of asbestos claims against Babcock & Wilcox, forcing the company to seek Chapter 11 protection in 2000.
The company created an asbestos trust fund as part of its reorganization. The trust was designed to compensate claimants for years to come.
The trust has since faced criticism after several state attorneys general began investigating it and other asbestos trusts. They suspected lawyers are paying claims before reimbursing states for Medicaid costs, which is illegal and an abuse of the trust.
The Babcock & Wilcox Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust is active today. As of the trust’s June 30, 2026 payment percentage notice, it pays 4.3% of a claim’s value. Payment percentages change as trustees reassess the fund’s assets and expected claims — the current figure is always published on the trust’s own website.
Filing a Claim With the B&W Asbestos Trust
A claim against the B&W trust needs two kinds of proof: historiales médicos documenting an asbestos-related diagnosis, and exposure evidence connecting your work history to Babcock & Wilcox products — job-site records, union records, military service records, co-worker affidavits, or invoices showing B&W boilers at a site where you worked.
Like most asbestos trusts, the B&W trust offers two review tracks. Expedited review pays a fixed scheduled value for claims that meet standard criteria and is the faster route. Individual review evaluates the specifics of your case and can value a claim higher, but takes longer. The trust then applies its payment percentage to that value — the mechanism that keeps money available for people diagnosed years from now.
Boilers were insulated with asbestos block, cement, and gaskets made by many different companies — so boilermakers, pipefitters, and other trades who worked around B&W equipment were usually exposed to several manufacturers’ products. Most people who qualify for the B&W trust also qualify for claims against other asbestos trust funds, and filing them together is standard practice.
Trust claims run on the trust’s own filing rules — but a lawsuit runs on your state’s clock. If you are also weighing a lawsuit against a company that never went bankrupt, your state’s filing deadline may leave less time than you expect.
B&W Today
B&W emerged from bankruptcy and is still in business today. The company no longer uses asbestos in products and is headquartered today in Akron, Ohio.
Currently, the company works with the research and development of alternative energy and with several departments of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories.
How to Get Compensation if You Were Exposed to B&W Asbestos Products
If you suffered asbestos exposure and illness from B&W products, contact a lawyer to help you seek compensation. The trust is open for claims, but it can be complicated. An abogado con experiencia en mesotelioma can give you the best chance of making a successful claim.
They can also investigate your work history. There are likely multiple companies that exposed you to asbestos if you have a related illness. You could be eligible for multiple trusts or even to file a claim to seek damages.
Recursos para las víctimas del asbesto
No olvides rellenar nuestro formulario para obtener nuestro regalo gratis. Paquete de compensación financiera, lleno de información sobre los abogados con experiencia en asbesto y mesotelioma en su área. For additional assistance or questions, contact us toll-free at 800-793-4540.
Pablo Danziger
Revisor y editorPaul Danziger creció en Houston, Texas, y se licenció en Derecho en la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad Northwestern en Chicago. Durante más de 25 años, se ha dedicado a representar a víctimas de mesotelioma y a otras personas afectadas por la exposición al asbesto. Paul y su bufete han representado a miles de personas diagnosticadas con mesotelioma, asbestosis y cáncer de pulmón, obteniendo indemnizaciones significativas para los clientes lesionados. Cada cliente es fundamental para Paul y atenderá todas las llamadas de quienes deseen hablar con él. Paul y su bufete se encargan de casos de mesotelioma en todo Estados Unidos.
Conéctese con el abogado especializado en mesotelioma Paul Danziger
Referencias
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. (1993, May 25). Joint Eastern District and Southern District Asbestos Litigation v. Armstrong World Industries Inc.
Recuperado de: https://openjurist.org/995/f2d/343/in-re-joint-eastern-district-and-southern-district-asbestos-litigation/2 - Babcock & Wilcox. (n.d.). Our History.
Recuperado de: https://www.babcock.com/home/about/corporate/history - The Houston Chronicle. (2006, February 22). (BW) The Babcock & Wilcox Company Exits Chapter 11 Bankruptcy; A Transformational Event for McDermott and B&W.
Recuperado de: https://www.chron.com/news/article/BW-The-Babcock-Wilcox-Company-Exits-Chapter-1857068.php - Joint Eastern District and Southern District Asbestos Litigation. (1994, May 25). Anne McPadden, individually and as Executrix of the Estate of Martin McPadden (deceased), Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Armstrong World Industries, Inc.
Recuperado de: https://openjurist.org/995/f2d/343/in-re-joint-eastern-district-and-southern-district-asbestos-litigation/2 - United States Cout of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. (1996, May 23). Thelma C. Elmore v. Owens-Corning, et. al.
Recuperado de: https://openjurist.org/86/f3d/1150/haislip-v-owens-corning-fiberglas-corporation-ac-and-s-and-wr-and-gaf - BBC. (2018, July 26). Family’s Damages Award Over Mother’s ‘Second-Hand Asbestos’ Death.
Recuperado de: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-44958835 - Babcock & Wilcox Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust. (n.d.). Babcock & Wilcox Asbestos Trust.
Recuperado de: https://www.bwasbestostrust.com/ - Formuzis, A. (2017, June 7). Asbestos Industry Covered up Danger for Decades, and Evades Responsibility Today.
Recuperado de: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alex-formuzis/asbestos-industry-covered_b_10322522.html
Babcock & Wilcox Asbestos FAQs
¿Fabricaba Babcock & Wilcox productos que contenían amianto?
Sí. Babcock & Wilcox fabricó productos como calderas, refractarios para calderas y tuberías de vapor de alta presión que contenían amianto, principalmente entre 1900 y 1980. Las personas que instalaron, manipularon o trabajaron cerca de estos productos podrían haber inhalado fibras de amianto.
¿Tiene Babcock & Wilcox un fondo fiduciario para las víctimas del amianto?
Yes. After Babcock & Wilcox’s asbestos-related bankruptcy, the Babcock & Wilcox Company Asbestos PI Trust was established in 2006 to pay valid claims. Its published mesothelioma scheduled value and payment details are listed in our Directorio del fondo fiduciario de asbesto.
¿Cómo puedo presentar una reclamación por exposición al amianto contra Babcock & Wilcox?
A claim against the Babcock & Wilcox Company Asbestos PI Trust generally requires proof of an asbestos-related diagnosis and evidence of exposure to Babcock & Wilcox products. Because asbestos was made by many manufacturers, most people file against several trusts at once. Hable con un abogado especializado en mesotelioma. Sin coste alguno, le ayudaremos a confirmar qué fideicomisos se ajustan a su historial laboral.