Longview Fibre Company Asbestos Exposure: History, Risks, and Mesothelioma

For generations, Longview Fibre provided steady work for families across Longview and Cowlitz County. However, from the 1940s through the 2000s workers encountered asbestos-containing products throughout the paper mill. Sometimes, they even carried fibers home without realizing it. Decades later, a mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diagnosis can reveal the cost of that exposure. Our experienced Longview mesothelioma lawyers can help a family begin tracing what happened.

Written by:

Brendan Little, Partner, Oslund Udo Little Last Updated: September 29, 2026

Home » Asbestos Exposure: Updated March 2026 » Asbestos Exposure at Longview Fibre Company

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From our main office in Seattle, Washington, Oslund Udo Little is the Pacific Northwest’s premier mesothelioma law firm, recovering more than $1 billion in verdicts and settlements for asbestos victims.
Multiple seven-figure recoveries in Washington, including $13.5M for a Longview paper mill worker, $11.2M for a Tacoma shipyard worker, $11M for a boilermaker, $8.3M for a Navy electrician at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and a $4.2M King County jury verdict for a shipyard electrician.
Washington Supreme Court precedent was set when OUL successfully argued Cockrum v. C.H. Murphy/Clark-Ullman, Inc. before the Washington Supreme Court, resulting in landmark changes to state mesothelioma law holding employers accountable for deliberately exposing workers to asbestos.
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Asbestos Exposure at the Longview Fibre Paper Mill

How Workers Were Exposed to Asbestos at Longview Fibre

Which Longview Fibre Workers Faced the Highest Asbestos Exposure Risk?

Mesothelioma Lawsuits and Compensation for Longview Fibre Workers

Contact a Longview Fibre Company Mesothelioma Lawyer at Oslund Udo Little

Longview Fibre Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma FAQs

Asbestos Exposure at the Longview Fibre Paper Mill

The danger of asbestos exposure at Longview Fibre was not confined to one department or job. The material was used in machinery, production materials, and parts of the mill building. Repairs or maintenance in one area could easily release fibers into shared workspaces.

Routine maintenance could create some of the dustiest conditions. Removing pipe insulation, opening pumps, replacing gaskets, or repairing boilers and paper machines could release fibers that could affect people doing the work and anyone nearby. Similar hazards existed at asbestos exposure sites across Washington. At Longview Fibre, identifying who was responsible can also mean looking beyond the mill operator to the asbestos companies that manufactured, supplied, or distributed asbestos products.

Longview Fibre Paper Mill History and Asbestos Use

Longview Fibre began production in 1927 and became one of the city’s early major industrial employers. Located near the Cowlitz and Columbia rivers, the mill used local wood waste to produce kraft paper and linerboard before expanding its paper and packaging business. Generations of families depended on that work. However, the mill’s importance to Longview does not lessen the harm former workers and their loved ones may now face because of asbestos exposure.

During the decades when asbestos was a standard industrial material, asbestos exposure at paper mills occurred through heat-resistant equipment, insulation, and papermaking materials. Longview Fibre later changed ownership, but a new corporate name does not erase potential claims against manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, or other companies responsible for earlier exposure. If you worked for a contractor at the site, a claim can be sometimes made against Longview Fibre itself. Former workers across Cowlitz County may still be living with the consequences.

How Workers Were Exposed to Asbestos at Longview Fibre

At Longview Fibre, exposure could come from a worker’s own task or from dust released elsewhere in the mill. Potential sources included:

Insulation on steam lines, boilers, and other high-heat equipment
Pipe coverings and machine hoods
Gaskets, valve packing, and seals
Asbestos-containing dryer felts
Raw asbestos, used as a pitch-control agent in papermaking
Floor, wall, ceiling, and other construction materials

The 2004 Washington Court of Appeals decision in Shellenbarger v. Longview Fibre Co. documents bagged asbestos added to paper machines, dusty equipment blowdowns, asbestos dryer felts, machine hoods, and deteriorating pipe covering. Those details can connect a worker’s duties to specific asbestos materials even when product names have faded from memory.

Which Longview Fibre Workers Faced the Highest Asbestos Exposure Risk?

After several decades, it is understandable that a worker might not remember the name on a bag, gasket, or pipe covering. However, they can often still remember what department they worked in or task they would do. Occupational asbestos exposure depended more on the work performed and the movement of the dust. Higher-risk roles included:

Millwrights, maintenance technicians, and repair crews
Boiler operators, boilermakers, pipefitters, and insulators
Electricians, engineers, and machine operators
Papermaking, finishing, and other production workers
Custodial and housekeeping staff
Construction, renovation, and demolition workers
Contractors and subcontractors working on-site

Our attorneys can compare records from known Washington and Oregon asbestos exposure sites with coworker accounts and employment files to determine where exposure occurred. Our lawyers can also rely upon information and testimony gathered from many other workers who we have represented.

Fibers could also travel home on clothing, hair, tools, or vehicles and put family members at risk. Family members diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease could have experienced secondary asbestos exposure.

Mesothelioma Lawsuits and Compensation for Longview Fibre Workers

Mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and asbestosis can develop decades after someone left the mill. Former Longview Fibre workers and family members with qualifying diagnoses may seek compensation through a mesothelioma lawsuit, an asbestos trust claim, or both.

Compensation can help pay medical bills and replace lost income. It can also account for pain and the illness’s effect on a family’s life. If the person who became ill has died, the estate may pursue a mesothelioma wrongful death claim.

A $13.5 Million Mesothelioma Verdict for a Longview Fibre Family

In October 2025, Oslund Udo Little secured a $13.5 million King County jury verdict after a former Longview Fibre electrician and yard crew worker died from mesothelioma. The jury found Union Carbide and Elementis Chemicals negligent for failing to warn about raw chrysotile asbestos supplied for papermaking. The verdict could not undo the family’s loss, but it held the product companies accountable. Every case is different, and this result does not guarantee a similar outcome.

Mesothelioma Lawsuit Deadlines in Washington and Oregon

Eligibility to file a mesothelioma lawsuit depends on the diagnosis, exposure history, available evidence, and applicable law. In Washington, the filing period is generally three years from diagnosis for a personal injury lawsuit and three years from death for a wrongful death lawsuit.

Oregon allows two years from when the disease and its cause were discovered, or reasonably should have been discovered, for personal injury claims. The Oregon wrongful death deadline is generally three years from the death. The dates involved and the states connected to the exposure can change the calculation, but an attorney can determine which mesothelioma statute of limitations applies.

Contact a Longview Fibre Company Mesothelioma Lawyer at Oslund Udo Little

Since 1995, Oslund Udo Little has recovered more than $1 billion for people harmed by asbestos. Clients choose OUL for a small-team approach that keeps them informed and prepares each case for trial if necessary.

A consultation is free and confidential, with no pressure to move forward. It provides an opportunity for us to understand your situation while you gain a clearer sense of what to expect when you work with us. There are no upfront costs, and the firm is paid only if it recovers compensation. To contact Oslund Udo Little, you can call our Seattle office at 206-957-9510.

Longview Fibre Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma FAQs

Where Was Asbestos Used at the Longview Fibre Paper Mill?

Court records identify asbestos in the papermaking process, dryer felts, machine hoods, pipe coverings, insulation, and gaskets. Boiler systems and older building materials may have created additional exposure risks.

Which Longview Fibre Jobs Had the Highest Asbestos Exposure Risk?

Maintenance workers, millwrights, pipefitters, insulators, boiler workers, electricians, and machine operators were among those most likely to work directly with or near asbestos. Production, custodial, and contract workers could also inhale fibers circulating through shared areas.

Can Former Workers Sue Longview Fibre for Asbestos Exposure?

It depends. Washington workers’ compensation law can limit claims against an employer. Manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and some premises owners may still be liable. An attorney can review the facts of your case and identify which parties could be pursued under various potential claims.

Can I File an Asbestos Claim if the Responsible Company Is Bankrupt?

Many bankrupt asbestos companies established trust funds to compensate people who later became ill. A trust claim may be available even when a lawsuit against that company is not.

Can Family Members File a Longview Fibre Asbestos Claim?

Yes. A spouse or child may have been exposed to fibers brought home from the mill and may have a claim after an asbestos-related diagnosis. Surviving family members may also be able to pursue compensation after a loved one’s death.