W.R. Grace & Co., headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts (later Columbia, Maryland), manufactured asbestos-containing insulation, fireproofing, and construction products under the Zonolite brand and other product lines from the 1940s through the 1980s. Grace’s Zonolite vermiculite insulation products were contaminated with tremolite asbestos from ore mined at the Grace-operated Libby, Montana mine — a source of asbestos contamination that resulted in one of the largest industrial asbestos disasters in US history.

Beyond the Libby vermiculite products, W.R. Grace manufactured asbestos-containing products including spray-applied fireproofing, industrial insulation, and building construction materials used in commercial and governmental construction throughout the postwar period.

Asbestos Products and Navy Applications

W.R. Grace’s asbestos-containing product lines included applications relevant to naval shore construction and industrial use:

  • Spray-applied fireproofing on structural steel in hangars, warehouses, and large naval shore facilities used asbestos-containing formulations to protect steel framing from fire damage — a major end-use of Grace’s Monokote and related products
  • Zonolite loose-fill insulation used in attic spaces and wall cavities of buildings constructed before the Libby contamination was publicly disclosed was contaminated with tremolite asbestos
  • Industrial insulation products including block, board, and pipe insulation for high-temperature applications used in shore facility boiler plants and mechanical rooms

Grace Products in the Litigation Record

Publicly filed records from asbestos trust fund proceedings and litigation document W.R. Grace’s history as a major manufacturer of asbestos-containing products across multiple product categories from the 1940s through the 1970s. Grace’s knowledge of asbestos hazards — documented in internal memoranda produced in litigation — established the company’s awareness of health risks associated with its products decades before public disclosure.

W.R. Grace filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2001, citing asbestos liability from both its Libby vermiculite operations and its broader asbestos product lines. The Grace asbestos trust fund established through the bankruptcy reorganization provides compensation to individuals with documented asbestos-related illness attributable to Grace products.

Shore Duty Asbestos Exposure

Navy shore duty personnel who worked in buildings where Grace spray-applied fireproofing, Zonolite insulation, or other Grace asbestos-containing products were installed and subsequently disturbed through renovation or maintenance were exposed to asbestos released from these materials. Buildings at naval installations with structural steel constructed or renovated using spray-applied fireproofing from the 1950s through early 1970s may have used Grace Monokote or similar asbestos-containing spray fireproofing products.

VA Claims Considerations

Veterans with documented shore duty service at naval installations during the period when Grace asbestos-containing products were in active use may qualify for VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d). Trust fund claims against the W.R. Grace Asbestos Personal Injury Trust may also be available based on documented exposure to identified Grace products.