Mesothelioma Lawyer Indiana: Asbestos Exposure at Dana Corporation Facilities in Indiana

Important Filing Deadline Warning

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease, time is critical. Indiana’s statute of limitations for asbestos personal injury claims is five years from the diagnosis date under Ind. Code § 34-20-3-1. Miss that window and your claim is gone — permanently. contact an asbestos attorney indiana now to protect your rights before the deadline passes.

A Resource for Former Employees, Tradespeople, and Mesothelioma Victims

Dana Corporation operated manufacturing facilities across Indiana for decades where workers may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials. If you or a family member worked at a Dana facility in Indiana and has since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have legal rights and access to substantial compensation through trust funds and litigation. This guide covers Dana’s Indiana operations, potential asbestos exposures at these facilities, the diseases that result, and the legal options available to victims and their families.

Who Was Dana Corporation and Where Did They Operate in Indiana?

Dana Corporation: Corporate History and Product Lines

Dana Incorporated — historically known as Dana Corporation — is one of the oldest and largest suppliers of drivetrain, sealing, and thermal management products in the world. Founded in 1904 in Toledo, Ohio, the company expanded throughout the twentieth century into a global industrial manufacturer with dozens of plants across the United States, including significant operations in nearby states like Missouri and Illinois.

Dana Corporation’s product lines historically included:

Gaskets and sealing products under the Victor Gaskets brand — head gaskets, exhaust gaskets, and industrial sealing components, many of which reportedly contained chrysotile asbestos-containing materials for much of the twentieth century
Drivetrain components — axles, driveshafts, universal joints, and clutch assemblies
Thermal management products — heat shields and insulating components incorporating asbestos-containing materials
Brake and friction products — components that allegedly contained asbestos-based friction materials, distributed throughout automotive service and industrial equipment markets

Dana Manufacturing Facilities in Indiana

Dana Corporation operated multiple manufacturing facilities throughout Indiana, concentrated in regions with strong automotive and heavy industrial manufacturing bases. Indiana facilities associated with Dana Corporation operations include:

Marion, Indiana — gasket and sealing product manufacturing (reportedly producing Victor Gaskets brand products)
Auburn, Indiana — drivetrain and axle component manufacturing
Fort Wayne, Indiana — heavy manufacturing and drivetrain systems production
Gordonsville and Grant County locations — component manufacturing and assembly operations
Indianapolis metropolitan area — manufacturing, assembly, and distribution operations

The specific products manufactured at each facility varied. Asbestos-containing materials were reportedly used throughout Dana’s manufacturing operations — both in the products Dana manufactured and in the building materials and insulation systems within Dana’s own facilities.

Dana Corporation’s Bankruptcy and Asbestos Litigation Legacy

Dana Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2008, driven in significant part by the volume of asbestos-related personal injury claims. Court documents reflect that Dana Corporation faced:

Tens of thousands of asbestos-related lawsuits involving claims related to both asbestos-containing manufactured products and occupational exposure at manufacturing facilities
Establishment of asbestos trust funds designed to compensate victims allegedly exposed to asbestos-containing materials associated with the company’s products and operations
Trust funds that remain active today — providing potential compensation for qualifying claimants (per published asbestos trust fund claim data and bankruptcy court records)

Why Were Asbestos-Containing Materials Present at Dana Facilities?

The Industrial Use of Asbestos in Manufacturing

Asbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral with properties that made it standard in twentieth-century industrial operations:

Highly resistant to heat, fire, and chemical corrosion
Poor conductor of electricity
Extraordinarily durable and long-lasting
Cost-effective for high-volume industrial use

By the time Dana Corporation’s Indiana facilities operated at full capacity in the post-World War II era, asbestos-containing materials were effectively ubiquitous in heavy industrial settings. Manufacturers including Johns-Manville, Owens Corning, Eagle-Picher, Garlock Sealing Technologies, and Crane Co. supplied Dana facilities with asbestos-containing materials reportedly used throughout Dana properties in:

Pipe insulation and lagging — wrapping steam, hot water, and process piping with Johns-Manville asbestos-containing pipe insulation, Kaylo®, and similar products to prevent heat loss
Boiler insulation — covering boilers, steam generators, and associated equipment with Johns-Manville Thermobestos® and similar asbestos-containing block insulation systems
Gaskets and packing materials — sealing flanges, valve stems, and joints in high-temperature, high-pressure systems with Garlock Sealing Technologies and Eagle-Picher asbestos-containing gasket and packing materials
Floor tiles and ceiling tiles — vinyl asbestos tiles (VAT), Gold Bond® asbestos-containing ceiling tiles, and acoustic ceiling tiles
Roofing materials — asbestos-cement roofing panels, Unibestos® products, and built-up roofing systems
Fireproofing — sprayed-on fireproofing applied to structural steel, including products such as Monokote®
Friction materials — brake pads, clutch facings, and other friction components incorporating asbestos from suppliers such as Crane Co. and Eagle-Picher
Electrical insulation — arc chutes, insulating boards, and wiring components with asbestos-containing materials from Armstrong World Industries and similar manufacturers

Dana’s Asbestos-Containing Products: Victor Gaskets and Beyond

One of the best-documented aspects of Dana Corporation’s asbestos legacy is the manufacture and sale of asbestos-containing gaskets under the Victor Gaskets brand and related product lines.

Victor Gaskets Product History:

Produced head gaskets, exhaust manifold gaskets, and other sealing products that allegedly contained chrysotile asbestos-containing materials
Distributed throughout automotive and industrial equipment markets across the country
Used by mechanics, automotive technicians, and industrial workers who cut, trimmed, or removed gaskets — operations that may have released asbestos fibers into the breathing zone

Production and Exposure Pathways:

Workers at Dana facilities in Marion, Auburn, Fort Wayne, and other Indiana locations who manufactured these gaskets may have been exposed to raw asbestos fiber during production
Mechanics and industrial workers who later installed or removed Victor Gaskets and similar Dana asbestos-containing products faced additional exposure risks
Families of workers may have been exposed to asbestos fibers carried home on contaminated work clothing — a documented secondary exposure pathway known as take-home or para-occupational exposure

Asbestos Exposure Missouri: Documented Asbestos at Dana Facilities

What NESHAP Records Show

The National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Air Act, govern demolition and renovation of facilities containing asbestos-containing materials.

NESHAP Requirements (40 CFR Part 61, Subpart M):

Inspect facilities for asbestos-containing materials before demolition or renovation begins
Notify the appropriate state agency before commencing regulated activities
Remove and dispose of asbestos-containing materials before demolition proceeds

These requirements generate an official, government-verified record that asbestos-containing materials were present at a facility and required regulated removal.

NESHAP Asbestos Removal Documentation at Dana Indiana Facilities

NESHAP notification records maintained by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the EPA document asbestos removal activities at various Dana Corporation properties in Indiana. These records show asbestos-containing materials were reportedly present in the following systems (documented in NESHAP abatement notification records):

Asbestos-containing pipe insulation and lagging — Johns-Manville Kaylo®, Thermobestos®, and similar products insulating steam and process piping systems
Boiler block insulation systems — Johns-Manville and similar manufacturers’ insulation systems in boiler houses and utility areas
Asbestos-containing floor tiles and mastic adhesive — vinyl asbestos tiles and associated mastic compounds, including Gold Bond® products, in production areas, offices, and common areas
Asbestos-containing ceiling materials — acoustic ceiling tiles and spray-applied fireproofing, including products such as Monokote®
Asbestos-containing roofing materials — transite panels, asbestos-cement roofing systems, and built-up roofing systems
Gasket and packing materials — asbestos-containing materials from Garlock Sealing Technologies, Eagle-Picher, and Dana’s own Victor Gaskets line reportedly used in process equipment maintenance

Attorneys and researchers seeking to verify specific NESHAP notification records for individual Dana Indiana facilities should contact IDEM’s Office of Air Quality or submit public records requests directly.

Occupational Asbestos Cancer Lawyer: Workers Who May Have Been Exposed

Insulators and Insulation Workers

Insulators who worked at Dana Corporation’s Indiana facilities — whether as direct Dana employees or outside contractors — may have faced the heaviest exposures. Work activities included:

Cutting asbestos-containing pipe insulation, including Johns-Manville Kaylo® and Thermobestos® products, to fit specific pipe dimensions
Mixing asbestos-containing cements and plasters supplied by Johns-Manville, Owens Corning, and similar manufacturers
Removing deteriorating asbestos insulation before applying new materials
Installing asbestos-containing block insulation systems in boiler rooms and utility areas
Working in confined spaces where asbestos dust from deteriorating Johns-Manville and Owens Corning products had allegedly accumulated over decades

Workers in this trade face elevated rates of mesothelioma and asbestosis compared to the general population, reflecting the intensity and duration of reported exposures to asbestos-containing materials from Johns-Manville, Owens Corning, and similar manufacturers.

Pipefitters and Steamfitters

Pipefitters who worked at Dana Indiana facilities may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials through multiple pathways:

Direct contact with insulated piping containing Johns-Manville Kaylo® and Thermobestos® products during installation and maintenance
Cutting, trimming, and installing asbestos-containing gaskets from Dana’s Victor Gaskets line, Garlock Sealing Technologies, and Eagle-Picher on flanged connections
Working with asbestos-containing rope packing in valve stems and pump seals manufactured by Garlock and Eagle-Picher
Working alongside insulators and other trades who disturbed asbestos-containing materials — generating airborne fiber in shared workspaces

Boilermakers

Boilermakers who installed, maintained, and repaired boilers and pressure vessels at Dana facilities had direct and frequent contact with asbestos-containing materials:

Boiler insulation — block insulation and castable refractories manufactured by Johns-Manville and similar companies that frequently contained asbestos
Boiler rope and gasket materials — asbestos-containing rope gaskets, door gaskets, and flat sheet gaskets from Garlock Sealing Technologies and Eagle-Picher
Refractory work — high-temperature ceramic and asbestos-containing castables used in furnace and boiler applications
Boiler room environments — reportedly contaminated with asbestos dust from decades of insulation work involving Johns-Manville and Owens Corning products

Electricians

Electricians working at Dana Indiana facilities may have faced both direct and bystander exposure through:

Electrical panels and components with asbestos-containing arc chutes, wiring insulation, and panel components from Armstrong World Industries and similar manufacturers
Working in ceiling plenums, pipe chases, and mechanical rooms containing Johns-Manville and Owens Corning asbestos insulation
Drilling and cutting through asbestos-containing fireproofing (such as Monokote®), Gold Bond® floor tiles, and wall materials during conduit installation
Working alongside insulators, pipefitters, and other trades who disturbed asbestos-containing materials

Millwrights and Maintenance Mechanics

Millwrights and maintenance