Combustion Engineering

Combustion Engineering History of Asbestos Use

For more than 40 years, Combustion Engineering made steam boilers with asbestos insulation. Its history of asbestos use resulted in hundreds of thousands of lawsuits. The company’s asbestos liabilities ultimately pushed it into bankruptcy.

Established in 1914, Combustion Engineering began making boilers in the 1930s. The company used asbestos insulation in its boilers and sold them throughout the country.

Asbestos is a heat-resistant mineral, useful for heat-generating products like boilers. But it can also lead to the development of serious diseases like mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Combustion Engineering struggled through its early years as an asbestos company. But World War II reversed its fortunes. The company aided the war effort by producing boilers for transportation steamships. Merchant Mariners and others working around boilers on these ships may have experienced asbestos exposure.

Starting in the 1960s, asbestos victims began filing lawsuits against Combustion Engineering. They claimed exposure from the company’s boilers led them to develop asbestos diseases.

In 1989, Combustion Engineering became a subsidiary of Swiss company ABB Ltd. In 2002, asbestos victims filed more than 79,000 lawsuits against Combustion Engineering. In February 2003, Combustion Engineering filed for bankruptcy.

The company emerged from bankruptcy with a trust fund in 2006. They created it to handle all current and future asbestos claims. In 2015, General Electric (GE) purchased the company and folded it into GE Power.

As it stands, GE Power owns the company’s technology. They also offer repairs for Combustion Engineering boilers. The trust fund continues to compensate eligible victims today.

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Combustion Engineering 524(g) Asbestos PI Trust Fund

After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2003, the Combustion Engineering 524(g) Asbestos PI Trust was established and became effective on April 21, 2006. The trust was initially funded with approximately $1.24 billion in assets allocated for claims administered through the trust, consisting of cash contributions, debtor-issued stock and insurance settlements.

The asbestos trust fund uses a payment percentage structure that may be adjusted over time to ensure sufficient funds remain available to pay all claimants. Many factors can affect a claim’s final payout. The trust continues to accept and pay asbestos claims today.

Most Recent Information From Combustion Engineering 524(g) Asbestos PI Trust

The trust’s year-end 2025 report indicated that, as of December 31, 2025:

• 14,046 Combustion Engineering Asbestos Trust claims were paid.
• The Combustion Engineering Asbestos Trust paid approximately $39.38 million to asbestos victims.
• Approximately $14.56 million was reported in settled but unpaid claims.
• 275,608 Combustion Engineering asbestos claims have been paid since the inception of the trust.
• Approximately $401.84 million in total assets remain in the trust.

Current Combustion Engineering Asbestos Trust Payment Percentage

The current payment percentage is 15.3% for the Combustion Engineering 524(g) Asbestos PI Trust. The scheduled value for a Combustion Engineering Expedited Review mesothelioma claim is $75,000. At a payment percentage of 15.3%, the current payout on a Combustion Engineering mesothelioma claim filed under the Expedited Review is $11,475.

Determining Review Process When Filing a Combustion Engineering Asbestos Trust Claim

An experienced asbestos lawyer will evaluate the injured party’s case to determine the appropriate review process when submitting a Combustion Engineering 524(g) Asbestos PI Trust claim. A sample of Combustion Engineering asbestos claims filed between 2022 and 2025 indicated that approximately 15% of claims were filed through the Expedited Review (ER) process and approximately 85% of claims were filed through the Individual Review (IR) process.

• Expedited Review: Combustion Engineering claims filed through the ER process are evaluated by the trust using the medical and exposure criteria set forth in the Trust Distribution Procedures. Approved claims are compensated according to the standard scheduled value assigned to the applicable disease level.
• Individual Review: Combustion Engineering claims filed through the IR process receive a thorough evaluation of the exposure, medical and personal records to determine an individual liquidated value that may be higher or less than the standard scheduled value. IR submission is generally required for certain lung cancer claims, secondary exposure cases or when standard trust criteria are not met.

The trust is currently accepting Combustion Engineering asbestos claims to compensate eligible victims with payments primarily determined by factors such as age, diagnosis, exposure history and the law firm’s settlement history. If you or a loved one were exposed to Combustion Engineering asbestos products and believe you are entitled to compensation, learn how a mesothelioma lawyer can help.

Combustion Engineering Asbestos Products

Combustion Engineering made boilers insulated with asbestos from the 1930s through the 1960s. Awareness of the dangers of asbestos exposure continued to grow during this time.

Despite troubling medical evidence, many companies continued to use asbestos to insulate products. Combustion Engineering is no exception. Eventually, it stopped making asbestos products, but many of its older boilers may still be in use.

Did You Know? Mesothelioma victims may be eligible for compensation from more than one asbestos trust fund. Filing a claim with one trust does not impact your eligibility for compensation from another trust fund. Learn More About Accessing Trust Funds

Combustion Engineering and Occupational Exposure

Jobsites with Combustion Engineering boilers may result in occupational asbestos exposure for workers. The company’s boilers were used at a wide range of sites throughout the country. In these settings, people often inhaled asbestos dust. This can lead to the development of mesothelioma.

Some Combustion Engineering locations (like its Windsor plant) are a big part of its area’s history. But these sites may have led to asbestos exposure for many workers and residents.

The Combustion Engineering trust fund lists thousands of jobsites and ships where exposure occurred. These locations range from CertainTeed Corporation to General Motors to Johns-Manville. They also include shipping companies like Bethlehem Steel Sparrows Point Shipyard, Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Company and Ingalls Shipyard.

The company’s boilers were also present at many military bases and other military buildings, including:

• Dover Air Force Base
• Grand Forks Air Force Base
• Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
• McClellan Air Force Base
• Norfolk Naval Shipyard
• Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
• Portsmouth Air Force Base
• Veterans hospitals

Combustion Engineering boilers may have exposed veterans and military personnel at these locations.

Some workers may have faced higher levels and frequencies of exposure. This includes mechanics who performed repair work. But any level of asbestos exposure is dangerous. In some cases, workers may also have carried asbestos dust home on their clothes or in their hair. Household members exposed to asbestos secondhand may also develop asbestos diseases.

Questions About Filing a Claim Against Combustion Engineering? Ask experienced mesothelioma advocate Jennifer Lucarelli Ask a Question

Asbestos Lawsuits Against Combustion Engineering

Combustion Engineering was first named in an asbestos lawsuit in the 1960s. For the next 40 years, the company faced upwards of a billion dollars in asbestos liabilities. Its parent company marked $940 million for expected legal costs leading up to its 2003 bankruptcy filing.

Some cases against Combustion Engineering have resulted in settlements. A settlement is an agreement where a company pays an asbestos victim a specified sum to end the lawsuit. In 1988, for instance, Combustion Engineering settled a case with a Bethlehem Steel worker who died from asbestos cancer.

Often, asbestos settlements are private agreements. In general, compensation amounts are not available to the public. But industry experts calculate the average mesothelioma settlement to be $1 – $1.4 million.

Asbestos lawsuits that go to trial may result in jury verdicts. In 2002, a court of appeals affirmed a $1.05 million mesothelioma verdict in favor of a machinist’s widow. Her husband worked on Combustion Engineering boilers at a Wisconsin Electric Power Company plant. Evidence at trial showed the presence of asbestos dust clouds in the area around the boilers.

Post-bankruptcy, asbestos legal actions no longer go through the court system. They are now processed by the company’s asbestos trust fund.