The Asbestos Files

They Knew. They Said Nothing. The Decades-Long Suppression of Asbestos Health Research.

From 1934 to the 1970s, asbestos manufacturers received repeated warnings about the lethal dangers of their products. Internal documents show systematic suppression of the evidence. This is a documented timeline of what they knew — and when they knew it.

The Asbestos Files

The Johns-Manville Papers

A review of internal documents from Johns-Manville reveals that company leadership was warned in 1934 that asbestos exposure…

Trust Fund Investigation

$32.7 Billion in Asbestos Trust Funds: Who Owes What

Over 60 companies have established bankruptcy trusts. This is a complete documented guide to who qualifies and how…

Legislative Record

The Asbestos Ban That Never Happened: 50 Years of Congressional Failure

The United States remains one of the only developed nations that has not banned asbestos. This is the…

What We're Investigating

AsbestosAccountability.org investigates how asbestos manufacturers concealed evidence of their products' dangers from workers, regulators, and the public — for decades. Our reporting is based on internal corporate documents, court records, and survivor testimony. We document the companies responsible, the trust funds they established, and the legal rights of the people they harmed.

Our Investigation Series

Latest Investigations All Investigations →
The Asbestos Files

The Cover-Up Timeline: From 1934 to the 1970s, What Asbestos Companies Knew and When They Knew It

Internal memos, suppressed studies, and deliberate campaigns to discredit independent researchers — a documented timeline of decades of concealment.

By Staff Reporter · Apr 22, 2026 · 24 min read

The Asbestos Files

The Johns-Manville Papers: Inside the Private Correspondence of America's Largest Asbestos Producer

A review of more than 800 internal documents from Johns-Manville reveals a corporate leadership that was warned repeatedly about the lethal nature…

By Staff Reporter · Apr 22, 2026 · 31 min read

Trust Fund Watch

$32.7 Billion in Asbestos Trust Funds: A Complete Database of Who Owes What

More than 60 companies that manufactured or distributed asbestos-containing products have established bankruptcy trust funds. This database documents each trust, its assets,…

By Staff Reporter · Apr 22, 2026 · 18 min read

Corporate Accountability

67 Companies Named: A Corporate Accountability Database of Asbestos Manufacturers

A searchable record of every major company identified in asbestos litigation — including their products, the industries they supplied, what their internal…

By Staff Reporter · Apr 22, 2026 · 22 min read

Worker Testimony

The Asbestos Workers: An Occupational Exposure Database Covering 40 Industries

From shipyards to school buildings, asbestos was used across four decades of American industry. This database cross-references occupations, industries, job sites, and…

By Staff Reporter · Apr 22, 2026 · 15 min read

Legislative Failures

Congressional Record: 50 Years of Failed Legislation and Industry Lobbying That Kept Asbestos Legal

Asbestos remains legal in the United States. This investigation documents every legislative attempt to ban it — and the industry lobbying that…

By Staff Reporter · Apr 22, 2026 · 28 min read