Kerr-McGee / Tronox in Mississippi — Hamilton TiO2 Plant

Kerr-McGee Corporation (Oklahoma City OK; founded 1929 as Anderson-Kerr Drilling) built its Hamilton Mississippi titanium dioxide pigment plant in Monroe County MS in 1979, running the chloride-route TiO2 process to produce paint, plastics, and paper-grade titanium dioxide pigment. The plant allegedly employed several hundred workers at peak and integrated with rutile and ilmenite ore handling, chlorine generation, and pigment finishing operations. Kerr-McGee spun off its chemical operations — including Hamilton — into Tronox Incorporated in 2005-2006; Tronox continues to operate the Hamilton plant today. Although the plant came online at the tail end of the peak asbestos era, plaintiffs alleged that pre-1980 construction and early-operations equipment and infrastructure allegedly contained asbestos materials disturbed during subsequent maintenance, turnaround, and expansion work into the 1980s.

Premises ACM Narrative

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that the Kerr-McGee / Tronox Hamilton MS premises allegedly involved:

  • Asbestos pipe covering on chlorine, TiCl4, and process piping installed during original 1978-1980 plant construction
  • Asbestos-block and asbestos-blanket insulation on chloride-process reactors, oxidation columns, and heat exchangers
  • Asbestos-sheet gaskets and rope packing at high-temperature process flanges, valve stems, and pump seals — critical in the highly corrosive chloride-route service
  • Asbestos refractory on plant powerhouse boilers, chlorinator vessels, and high-temperature process heaters
  • Asbestos-cement transite panels on plant utility structures
  • Asbestos-containing brake friction on plant vehicles and material-handling equipment
  • Asbestos-fabric welding blankets and protective gear used during turnaround work

Workers Exposed

Plaintiffs allegedly included:

  • USW / OCAW chemical operators and TiO2 process workers at Kerr-McGee / Tronox Hamilton
  • HFIAW insulators dispatched to Hamilton construction, expansion, and turnaround crews
  • UA pipefitters on chlorine, TiCl4, and process-piping systems
  • IBB boilermakers on plant powerhouse and reactor work
  • IBEW electricians on plant motor-control centers and switchgear
  • Millwrights on process pumps, compressors, and rotating-equipment rebuilds
  • Outside contractor trades on Kerr-McGee / Tronox Hamilton EPC and turnaround projects

If You Worked at Kerr-McGee / Tronox Hamilton MS

If you or a family member worked at the Kerr-McGee / Tronox Hamilton Mississippi titanium dioxide plant and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 237-3332

Mesothelioma Resources for Mississippi Workers

Occupational and premises asbestos exposure like this is a leading cause of mesothelioma, often diagnosed decades later. If you or a family member worked here: