About Unilever Home & Personal Care

The Unilever Home & Personal Care facility in Jefferson City, MO, operated as an industrial site. Industrial plants built or renovated before the late 1980s allegedly incorporated various asbestos-containing materials into their construction and infrastructure. These materials may have included products like calcium silicate insulation / , pipe covering, or spray fireproofing. Manufacturers used these products in areas needing high heat tolerance, electrical insulation, or fireproofing, common in manufacturing processes similar to those found at facilities like Labadie Power Station or Monsanto in Missouri. Official Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) NESHAP (National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants) records document multiple asbestos abatement projects at the Unilever Home & Personal Care facility. These records indicate ACM presence and subsequent removal during renovation activities over several years. This documentation provides evidence of asbestos at the site, which can be crucial for legal claims filed in venues such as the St. Louis City Circuit Court.

Documented Asbestos-Containing Materials (ACMs)

MDNR NESHAP records identify and document abatement of a range of asbestos-containing materials at the Unilever Home & Personal Care facility. These include:

  • Duct Insulation: Records show 200 sq ft of friable HVAC ductwork insulation (ID:A6296-2013) and 960 sq ft of friable duct insulation (ID:A7974-2019) (documented in NESHAP abatement records). These materials may have included products like pipe insulation from pipe covering and insulationor similar insulation.

  • Fireproofing: Several records indicate friable fireproofing materials, including:

  • Over 160 sq ft of friable fireproofing debris (ID:A6980-2016) (documented in NESHAP abatement records)

  • 84 sq ft of friable fireproofing debris (ID:A6787-2015) (documented in NESHAP abatement records)

  • 916 sq ft of friable assumed fireproofing (ID:A7455-2017) (documented in NESHAP abatement records)

  • Fireproofing debris (ID:A5518-2011) (documented in NESHAP abatement records)

  • 480 sq ft of friable fireproofing debris (ID:A6242-2013) (documented in NESHAP abatement records) These materials may have included products such as spray fireproofing or pipe and block insulation

  • Floor Tile Mastic: Project ID:A7746-2018 documented 3,400 sq ft of non-friable VCT over ACM mastic (documented in NESHAP abatement records). This may have included asbestos-containing floor tiles or ceiling tile, or mastic products from various manufacturers.

  • Insulation (General) & Pipe Insulation: Records mention friable thermal systems insulation:

  • 20 linear feet (ID:A7974-2019) (documented in NESHAP abatement records)

  • 463 linear feet of friable mudded fittings - TSI (ID:A8732-2024) (documented in NESHAP abatement records)

  • A courtesy notification (ID:453) in 2008 noted 16 linear feet of friable pipe insulation beneath a concrete floor slab in the Cotton Coil Room (documented in NESHAP abatement records). These insulation materials may have included products like calcium silicate insulation or pipe covering, or pipe insulation. Gaskets and packing materials from gaskets and packing or (e.g., gasket material) may also have been present in piping systems.

  • Friable ACM: The term “friable” appears frequently in these records (e.g., friable HVAC ductwork insulation, friable fireproofing debris). Friable materials crumble easily and release asbestos fibers into the air when disturbed, posing a significant risk to workers.

  • Roofing Felt/Shingles: Project ID:A8732-2024 included 50 linear feet of non-friable flashing tar (documented in NESHAP abatement records). This may have been an asbestos-containing roofing component, possibly from manufacturers like insulating boardor (e.g., joint compound roofing products).

  • Window Caulk: While not explicitly detailed, window caulk is a general category of ACMs documented at the facility. This may have included asbestos-containing caulk products. The repeated identification and abatement of these materials highlight historical asbestos use at the Unilever Home & Personal Care facility, similar to what has been found at other industrial sites in Missouri and Illinois, such as Granite City Steel or Portage des Sioux Power Plant.

Workers and Trades Potentially Exposed to Asbestos

Workers involved in construction, maintenance, and renovation at the Unilever Home & Personal Care facility may have been exposed to asbestos fibers. Exposure could have occurred during activities disturbing asbestos-containing materials. Trades alleged to have faced higher exposure risk include:

  • Insulators: Reportedly handled and installed asbestos-containing insulation, such as pipe covering or calcium silicate insulation, on pipes, ducts, and machinery. They may have been exposed during removal or repair. Members of unions like Heat and Frost Insulators Local 1 (St. Louis, MO) or Local 27 (Kansas City, MO) may have been involved in such work across Missouri.

  • Pipefitters: Often worked with and around asbestos-insulated pipes. Cutting, fitting, and repairing pipes could have released fibers from materials like pipe insulation or gaskets from gaskets and packing. Plumbers and Pipefitters UA Local 562 (St. Louis, MO) members may have been present at facilities throughout the greater St. Louis metropolitan area, including Jefferson City.

  • Boilermakers: Installed and maintained boilers, frequently insulated with asbestos-containing materials. This potentially exposed them to products like block insulation. Boilermakers Local 27 (St. Louis, MO) members may have worked at various industrial sites in Missouri.

  • Electricians: Allegedly worked near electrical components, wiring, and conduits. These may have been wrapped in asbestos insulation or located within asbestos-laden areas, possibly from manufacturers like insulating boardor .

  • HVAC Technicians: Serviced and repaired heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. MDNR records document asbestos insulation in these systems, possibly pipe insulation or similar products.

  • Maintenance Workers: Performed routine repairs and upkeep. They often encountered and disturbed ACMs, including potentially wallboard brand wallboard or floor tiles.

  • Construction and Renovation Workers: Those involved in demolition or renovation, particularly those documented in MDNR NESHAP records, may have been exposed to significant asbestos amounts during removal of fireproofing (e.g., spray fireproofing), duct insulation, floor tiles, and other materials. Anyone working near these activities, even without directly handling asbestos, may have been at risk of inhaling airborne fibers, a concern for many workers across Missouri and Illinois.

Asbestos Dangers: Mesothelioma, Asbestosis, and Other Diseases

Asbestos fiber exposure causes mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive cancer affecting the lining of the lungs, abdomen, or heart. Asbestosis is a chronic, non-cancerous lung disease. It results from inhaled asbestos fibers, causing lung tissue scarring and breathing difficulty. Other asbestos-related diseases include lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, ovarian cancer, and pharyngeal cancer. Asbestos-related disease symptoms often appear decades after initial exposure. This makes connecting illness to past work history difficult. Mesothelioma’s latency period can range from 20 to 50 years or longer.

General Equipment at Unilever Home & Personal Care

The equipment below represents the systems and infrastructure documented or typically present at this facility during the era when asbestos-containing materials were specified in industrial construction. This is general facility-equipment reference — not a legal attribution of any specific product, manufacturer, or exposure event to this facility. Material-category and manufacturer information is addressed in the AsbestosIndex Product Crosswalk linked under the records table below.

Industrial Boilers View crosswalk › Process Piping View crosswalk › Pipe Insulation View crosswalk › Block Insulation View crosswalk › Valves View crosswalk › Gaskets View crosswalk › Pumps View crosswalk › Heat Exchangers View crosswalk › Cooling Equipment View crosswalk ›

Documented Asbestos Evidence

The records below are verified, state-documented asbestos removals at this facility. Each entry represents a regulated abatement project where the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (Missouri DNR) was notified under federal NESHAP rules, the work was logged, and the asbestos-containing material was confirmed and removed under regulated conditions. These are not allegations or estimates — they are paper records tying documented asbestos-containing material to this specific site.

No Missouri DNR NESHAP abatement notifications have been identified for this facility in current public records. Per the framing above, absence of state-agency documentation should not be read as absence of asbestos — only as absence of a formal, regulated abatement event meeting reporting thresholds. Workers who recall encountering pipe insulation, block insulation, gaskets, or other asbestos-era construction materials at this facility may still have viable claims regardless of whether a state record exists.

Material Categories in Documented Records

The materials documented above (and similar asbestos-containing materials commonly encountered in records of this type) appear in the AsbestosIndex catalog with historical manufacturer and trust-fund information. Click a category to view manufacturers historically associated with that material:

Thermal System Insulation View crosswalk › Asbestos-Cement Board View crosswalk › Pipe Insulation View crosswalk › Roofing & Flashing View crosswalk › Spray Fireproofing View crosswalk › Floor Tile & Mastic View crosswalk › Ceiling Tile View crosswalk › Gaskets & Packing View crosswalk ›

Critical Filing Deadline & Next Steps

Missouri law gives mesothelioma and asbestos-disease claimants 5 years from the date of medical diagnosis to file a personal-injury lawsuit (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 516.120). For wrongful-death claims after an asbestos-related death, the filing window is 3 years from the date of death (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 537.100). The two deadlines run on separate tracks — preserving one does not extend the other.

The personal-injury clock runs from diagnosis, not from exposure. Mesothelioma latency is typically 20 to 50 years, so workers exposed in the 1950s–1980s are being diagnosed today.

Practical first steps

  1. Document what you remember. Pay stubs, W-2s, union cards, photographs, coworker names, and dates of employment. The WorkChain widget on this page can save a copy you can email yourself.
  2. Preserve medical records. Pathology reports, biopsy results, imaging, and pulmonary-function tests are central to both civil claims and trust-fund filings.
  3. Identify household members. Spouses who laundered work clothing and children of plant workers are eligible for secondary-exposure claims when diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease.
  4. Speak with an asbestos attorney with Missouri experience. The first conversation is free and confidential. Asbestos trust-fund claims and civil claims run on different tracks — both can be pursued in parallel.

Asbestos-Related Diseases

Asbestos fiber exposure can cause several specific diseases that typically appear decades after the original exposure. The latency period — the gap between exposure and diagnosis — usually runs 20 to 50 years. That's why workers exposed in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s are receiving diagnoses today.

Mesothelioma

A rare, aggressive cancer that affects the lining of the lungs (pleural mesothelioma), abdomen (peritoneal), or heart (pericardial). Mesothelioma is almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure, which is why a mesothelioma diagnosis often points directly to historical workplace exposure. Average latency from first exposure to diagnosis is 30-50 years.

Asbestosis

A chronic, non-cancerous scarring of lung tissue caused by inhaled asbestos fibers. Asbestosis causes progressive shortness of breath, persistent cough, and reduced lung function. It does not improve with treatment, and it is a recognized basis for compensation under most trust schedules and civil claims.

Lung Cancer

Asbestos exposure significantly increases the risk of lung cancer, particularly when combined with a history of smoking. Asbestos-related lung cancer is compensable under the same trust schedules and civil claim avenues as mesothelioma.

Other Recognized Diseases

Pleural plaques, pleural thickening, laryngeal cancer, ovarian cancer, and certain gastrointestinal cancers are also recognized as asbestos-related under various trust schedules and case-law authorities, though eligibility and proof requirements vary by claim type.

If you have any of these diagnoses and you worked at this facility, lived with someone who did, or were exposed in any documented capacity, you may have a claim worth pursuing. Speak with an attorney before assuming you don't qualify.

Data Sources

Information about facility equipment, industrial materials, and occupational records referenced on this page is drawn from publicly available sources where applicable, including:

If specific equipment or product claims in this article are sourced from a non-public database, the source is identified parenthetically within the text above.