Product Description

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Union Carbide Corporation’s Nuclear Division — as prime DOE (and predecessor AEC/ERDA) operating contractor at the K-25 gaseous diffusion plant in Oak Ridge TN, the Portsmouth gaseous diffusion plant in Piketon OH, and the Paducah gaseous diffusion plant in western KY — allegedly specified, installed, and maintained asbestos-woven fabric lagging and asbestos-block thermal insulation on gaseous diffusion cascade converters, axial compressors, coolers, and UF6 (uranium hexafluoride) process piping runs. The asbestos lagging allegedly maintained cascade thermal stability across thousands of stages of enrichment cells operating at elevated temperatures under UF6 process gas.

Plaintiffs alleged that Union Carbide Nuclear cascade asbestos-containing lagging remained in service across all three GDPs from initial Manhattan Project / early Cold War startup through the mid-1980s cell rebuild campaigns, requiring repeated tear-out and re-lagging during cascade upgrade projects and barrier tube changeouts.

Workers Exposed

Plaintiffs allegedly exposed to Union Carbide Nuclear Division gaseous diffusion cascade asbestos-containing components include:

  • DOE contractor cascade operators walking process floors at K-25, Portsmouth, and Paducah
  • Uranium enrichment operators performing cell isolation and re-entry procedures
  • DOE facility pipefitters cutting into and re-tying UF6 process piping runs
  • DOE facility insulators stripping and re-lagging converter and compressor shells
  • DOE facility maintenance mechanics performing compressor and cell rebuilds
  • Radiation control technicians and health physics staff working in cascade cell floors
  • DOE facility instrumentation techs on cascade process controls
  • Cascade decontamination and demolition (D&D) crews on later shutdown campaigns