Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) — Plants in Washington

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that they were exposed to asbestos while working at Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) plants in Washington. This page documents the Washington portion of Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa)’s multi-state operations. For the full corporate summary and plants in other states, see the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) manufacturer page.

Premises Description

Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa — founded 1888 as Pittsburgh Reduction Company; today Alcoa Corporation) was through the 20th century the dominant U.S. and global aluminum producer. Alcoa operated through the asbestos era a comprehensive vertically-integrated U.S. aluminum production network including bauxite mining, alumina refining (the Bayer process), aluminum smelting (the Hall-Héroult process — invented at Alcoa), rolling mills, and downstream fabrication. Major Alcoa asbestos-era U.S. sites included:

  • Alcoa TN — the company’s namesake smelter and rolling mill complex (Blount County)
  • Massena NY — historic St. Lawrence Seaway hydroelectric-powered smelter
  • Rockdale TX — lignite-powered Texas smelter
  • Wenatchee WA and Vancouver WA — Pacific Northwest hydroelectric smelters
  • Badin NC — Yadkin River hydroelectric smelter
  • Davenport IA — sheet and plate rolling mill
  • Lafayette IN and Logan County WV — additional operations
  • Point Comfort TX, Mobile AL, St. Croix VI, Bauxite AR — alumina refining

Aluminum smelting is one of the most asbestos-intensive industrial processes documented in U.S. occupational asbestos litigation. The Hall-Héroult electrolytic reduction cells (potlines) operate continuously at temperatures around 950°C with high-current electrical service — every reduction cell was specified with extensive asbestos refractory, asbestos electrical insulation, and asbestos thermal protection through the documented era.

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Alcoa — as premises owner of its U.S. smelter, mill, and refining operations — exposed its aluminum-worker workforce (United Steelworkers Local representation) and contractor pipefitters, insulators, boilermakers, and trade workers to extensive asbestos through:

  • Asbestos refractory and block insulation on Hall-Héroult reduction cells, anode-baking furnaces, holding furnaces, and reheat furnaces
  • Asbestos electrical insulation on potline bus bars, anode-bus connections, and rectifier-yard electrical systems
  • Asbestos pipe covering on plant steam, alumina, and process piping
  • Spray-applied asbestos fireproofing on smelter structural steel and crane runways
  • Asbestos gaskets and packing at process flanges, pumps, and valves

Aluminum Company of America has been named as a Premises Defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

  • United Steelworkers Local members at Alcoa TN, Massena NY, Rockdale TX, Wenatchee WA, Badin NC, and Alcoa refineries
  • Refinery and mill pipefitters and millwrights working Alcoa capital projects
  • Insulators (HFIAW Local members) on Alcoa construction and turnaround crews
  • Boilermakers (IBB Local members) building Alcoa smelter and refinery pressure vessels
  • Electricians (IBEW Local members) working Alcoa potline and rectifier electrical systems
  • Construction-trade workforces on Alcoa EPC projects

If You Worked at an Alcoa Smelter, Refinery, or Mill

If you worked at an Alcoa aluminum smelter, alumina refinery, rolling mill, or fabrication plant during the asbestos era — as an Alcoa employee or as a dispatched contractor trade worker — and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related illness, you may have legal rights.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956

Named Plants and Operating Era

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that specific named Alcoa plants in Washington allegedly involved asbestos-containing materials during their principal operating eras. Documented plant footprint in Washington:

  • Vancouver Works — in Vancouver WA (Clark County), primary aluminum reduction potline complex allegedly operating from 1940 through 1987. Powered by Bonneville Power Administration (Columbia River hydropower) contracts. Fully demolished; site remediated.
  • Wenatchee Works (Malaga) — in Malaga / Wenatchee WA (Chelan County), primary aluminum reduction Hall-Héroult potline complex allegedly operating from 1952 through 2001 (curtailed 2001, permanently closed thereafter). Powered by Rocky Reach and Rock Island Columbia River hydropower.
  • Intalco Works (Ferndale) — near Ferndale WA (Whatcom County), primary aluminum reduction potline complex allegedly operating from 1966 through 2020 (curtailed 2020, permanently closed 2023). Historically Alcoa / Intalco Aluminum Corp joint operation.
  • Longview Aluminum (Reynolds/Longview) — in Longview WA (Cowlitz County), Alcoa-adjacent primary aluminum reduction potline complex historically operated by Reynolds Metals / Longview Aluminum through the asbestos era; frequently grouped with Pacific Northwest Alcoa operations for trade-work purposes.
  • Troutdale Works (Portland area / Troutdale OR-WA labor market) — historically served by Portland / Vancouver WA labor pool during construction and turnaround campaigns.

Plant-Era ACM Narrative

At Alcoa’s Washington operations, plaintiffs alleged the following plant-era asbestos exposure pathways during the principal U.S. asbestos era (approximately 1930s-1980):

  • Asbestos-fabric potline hood cladding and asbestos-block busbar insulation across the Vancouver, Wenatchee, and Intalco Hall-Héroult reduction cells
  • Asbestos-refractory cathode collector bar insulation during pot rebuilds and reline campaigns across all three Pacific Northwest potroom complexes
  • Asbestos-block hot-side lagging on cast house launder troughs, holding furnaces, and ingot casting stations at Vancouver, Wenatchee, and Intalco
  • Asbestos-cement bulkhead panels, asbestos wire insulation, and asbestos millboard in the rectifier buildings and electrical rooms serving the BPA-fed potlines
  • Asbestos pipe covering on plant steam, alumina, potroom bath, and process piping throughout all Washington complexes

Trades and Local Union Coverage

Plaintiffs alleged that Washington Alcoa plant work was performed by tradesmen from the following unions and Locals during the asbestos era:

  • HFIAW Insulators Local 7 — Seattle / Puget Sound WA jurisdiction — asbestos pipe covering and block insulation at Intalco Ferndale and Wenatchee-area jobs
  • HFIAW Insulators Local 36 — Portland OR / SW WA jurisdiction covering Vancouver WA and Longview — asbestos pipe covering and block insulation at Vancouver Works
  • UA Pipefitters Local 290 — Portland OR / SW WA jurisdiction — flange bolt-up, gasket work, and process piping at Vancouver / Longview
  • UA Pipefitters Local 32 — Seattle jurisdiction extending north to Ferndale / Bellingham — Intalco process piping
  • IBEW Electricians Local 48 (Portland / Vancouver WA) and Local 191 (Everett / North Puget) — potline rectifier, switchgear, and motor-control center work
  • BAC Bricklayers — the Seattle-area and Portland-area Locals — refractory relining of anode bake furnaces and holding furnaces
  • United Steelworkers / Aluminum Workers Trades Council — Alcoa production and maintenance workforce at Vancouver, Wenatchee, and Intalco during the asbestos era

Documented ACM Product Vectors Named in Litigation

Products from AP defendant manufacturers that plaintiffs alleged were supplied to or specified at Washington Alcoa plants during the asbestos era: