Pittsburgh Corning

Pittsburgh Corning History of Asbestos Use

Pittsburgh Corning was founded in 1937. The company was created by Corning Glass Works and Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company as a means to offer innovative building materials to the construction industry. Its best-known and most innovative product, FOAMGLAS, was developed ten years after they were founded. FOAMGLAS is an insulating, cellular glass that was widely used in commercial applications.

Its success with FOAMGLAS and other similar products in the commercial and residential sectors allowed Pittsburgh Corning a period of steady growth. The company sought to expand its product line by acquiring the rights to Unarco’s Unibestos line, which consisted of high-temperature insulation products. Though reports show Pittsburgh Corning was warned about Unarco’s products and their history of asbestos use, the company followed through with the acquisition and attained all rights to the products and the plants in 1962. Around this time in the history of mesothelioma, researchers definitively connected asbestos to numerous cancer cases.

In acquiring all of Unarco’s Unibestos-related goods and production materials, Pittsburgh Corning officially became involved in the asbestos industry. The company largely relied on the plant in Tyler, Texas, for production, which had been in use by Unarco since 1954 and employed about 900 workers.

Reports show that as early as 1963, Pittsburgh Corning was warned about the unsafe working conditions of the Tyler plant. Labor Department investigators told the company that it did not meet safety standards, citing the asbestos dust covering all surfaces. Despite the warnings, the company did not make any changes and continued manufacturing asbestos products.

As a result, in 1967 and 1970, health inspectors worked on a long-term asbestos study of the plant. By 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) learned of the working conditions in the plant and proposed a fine of $210 for a variety of failings, including “insufficient dust control.”

Two months later, Pittsburgh Corning ceased producing Unibestos asbestos products and shut down the Tyler plant.

Although the company only manufactured asbestos products for ten years, the impact of exposure was widespread. Pittsburgh Corning was named in thousands of asbestos lawsuits. In 2017, Owens Corning, another company known for its past asbestos use, acquired Pittsburgh Corning for $560 million. Under Pittsburgh Corning’s reorganization plan, liability for the company’s asbestos-related personal injury claims was transferred to the Pittsburgh Corning Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust.

Pittsburgh Corning Asbestos Trust Fund

After facing increasing asbestos claims and litigation costs, Pittsburgh Corning filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 16th, 2000. At the time of filing, approximately 235,000 asbestos claims were pending against the company.

The company’s reorganization plan established an asbestos trust fund to resolve current and future asbestos claims. The bankruptcy court confirmed the plan in 2013. The Pittsburgh Corning Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust was initially funded with approximately $3.41 billion from Pittsburgh Corning, its former owners PPG Industries and Corning Incorporated and participating insurers.

Most Recent Information From the Pittsburgh Corning Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust

According to the Trust’s year-end 2025 report, as of December 31, 2025:

• Approximately 15,062 Pittsburgh Corning Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust claims were paid.
• The trust paid approximately $87.58 million in Pittsburgh Corning asbestos claims.
• Approximately $1.41 million was reported in settled but unpaid claims.
• The trust has approximately $1.142 billion in total assets.
• The trust has paid approximately 351,733 Pittsburgh Corning asbestos claims since it was established.
• The trust paid approximately $3.231 billion to asbestos victims since it was established.

Current Pittsburgh Corning Asbestos Trust Payment Percentage

The current payment percentage is 19% for the Pittsburgh Corning Asbestos Trust which was last updated in November of 2024. At a payment percentage of 19%, the current payout on a Pittsburgh Corning Expedited Review claim for mesothelioma is $33,250.

Determining Review Process When Filing a Pittsburgh Corning Asbestos Trust Claim

An experienced asbestos lawyer will review the injured party’s exposure information, medical records and personal information to determine the appropriate review process when filing a Pittsburgh Corning asbestos trust claim. A sample of Pittsburgh Corning claims filed between 2023 and 2025 indicated that approximately 44% of claims were filed under the Expedited Review (ER) process. Approximately 56% of Pittsburgh Corning claims were filed using the Individual Review (IR) process.

• Expedited Review Process: Pittsburgh Corning claims that meet all the medical and exposure requirements outlined in the Trust Distribution Procedures can be filed under the ER process for a quicker and more seamless review process. Approved PC claims will receive the standard scheduled value based on the diagnosed disease level.
• Individual Review Process: Pittsburgh Corning claims filed under the IR process will go through a thorough evaluation of the claimant’s exposure history, medical records and other personal information to determine an individual liquidated value. A PC claim must be filed under Individual Review for certain lung cancer claims and certain secondary-exposure claims.

The fund continues to accept claims today. The amount awarded to asbestos victims can vary based on multiple factors. Claimants can receive more than base values depending on their diagnosis, age, exposure history and the law firm’s settlement history. If you believe you or a loved one is entitled to compensation, learn how a mesothelioma lawyer can help.

Pittsburgh Corning Asbestos Products

Pittsburgh Corning’s initial offering of glass block products did not contain any asbestos. The company was known for its innovative offerings, particularly FOAMGLAS, a cellular glass that offers sustainability, water and fire resistance. It wasn’t until 1962, when the company acquired the Unarco product line Unibestos, that they ventured into the asbestos industry.

Unibestos products were largely focused on pipe covering and pipe insulation. Since pipes often had to withstand high temperatures and pressure, asbestos was an easy additive to increase durability and fire protection. The pipe covering was made by mixing raw asbestos with mud and water, and workers would scoop the asbestos fibers out of sacks with their hands. Though accounts claim the employees were outfitted with respirators, they would quickly become clogged with asbestos dust and not work properly.

These unsafe working conditions continued until 1972, when Pittsburgh Corning stopped producing asbestos products. Their products that contained asbestos include, but are not limited to:

• Pittsburgh Corning Braided Rod Packing
• Pittsburgh Corning Foamglas Building Insulation
• Pittsburgh Corning Gasoline Packing
• Pittsburgh Corning Insubestos Felt Insulation
• Pittsburgh Corning Insutape
• Pittsburgh Corning Semi-metallic Asbestos High Pressure Packing
• Pittsburgh Corning Unarco Insulating Cement #50
• Pittsburgh Corning Unarco Insulating Cement #75
• Pittsburgh Corning Unibestos Block Insulation
• Pittsburgh Corning Unibestos Insulation
• Pittsburgh Corning Unibestos Pipe Covering

Pittsburgh Corning and Occupational Exposure

Thousands of workers across various industries have been exposed to asbestos because of Pittsburgh Corning’s Unibestos products. Because the products were also used residentially, in houses and schools, homeowners and the general public also continue to face the risk of exposure to products in buildings constructed before 1972.

Asbestos Litigation Against Pittsburgh Corning

By 1977, Pittsburgh Corning found itself facing a rapidly increasing number of asbestos claims. Reports from the era estimate at least 400 former workers of the Tyler plant had become sick with asbestos-related diseases and were filing lawsuits against the company. By this time, workers estimated 25 - 40 former employees had already passed away from asbestos illnesses. The lawsuit eventually included over 2,000 claimants and was later settled for $20 million.

Just four years later, court documents show the company had 15,000 - 20,000 open and pending asbestos claims against it, which quickly rose to upwards of 75,000 claims by 1985.

One of the most notable lawsuits against Pittsburgh Corning, as well as other asbestos companies, was filed by Adella Cimino on behalf of 2,288 factory workers in southeastern Texas who developed asbestos diseases between 1985 and 1987. The class action lawsuit was filed in 1990 and became one of the longest civil lawsuits in history. The final asbestos settlement wasn’t reached until 2018. The lawsuit progressed in several stages, with various appeals along the way. In the end, the victims were awarded a total of $140 million, plus an earlier verdict of $38 million in Cimino’s case against Raymark Industries.

In more recent years, Pittsburgh Corning and its parent companies have continued to spend billions of dollars settling similar claims.