Asbestos Exposure at Fruit of the Loom Bowling Green Facility

What Workers and Families Need to Know

If you worked at the Fruit of the Loom manufacturing complex in Bowling Green, Kentucky—or if a family member worked there and brought contaminated clothing home—you may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials during decades of industrial production. Asbestos fibers may have been present not in the garments themselves, but in the machinery, steam systems, insulation, and building materials that kept large-scale textile manufacturing running.

If you have developed mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you have legal rights under Kentucky law. An experienced asbestos attorney can help you understand your options before time runs out. This article explains what is known about asbestos-containing materials at this facility, which workers and families faced the greatest risk, the diseases asbestos causes, and how to pursue compensation through Kentucky courts and asbestos trust funds.

⚠️ CRITICAL FILING DEADLINE: Kentucky’s One-Year Statute of Limitations

Kentucky has one of the shortest asbestos filing deadlines in the country.

Under KRS § 413.140(1)(a), Kentucky imposes a one-year statute of limitations on asbestos-related personal injury claims. You have as little as 12 months from the date of diagnosis to file a lawsuit—not from the date of first exposure, not from when symptoms appeared, but from the date of formal diagnosis.

One year. That is all Kentucky law allows.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease connected to work at the Bowling Green facility or anywhere else in Kentucky, the clock is already running. Every week of delay narrows your legal options and can bar your family from any recovery whatsoever.

Why This Deadline Is Different From Other States

Kentucky’s one-year window is dramatically shorter than statutes in neighboring states. Unlike other jurisdictions that measure time from first symptoms or disease manifestation, Kentucky’s clock begins at formal diagnosis—typically the moment a physician confirms asbestos-related disease through imaging, biopsy, or definitive clinical assessment.

Asbestos trust fund claims may be pursued simultaneously with a Kentucky civil lawsuit, and most trusts do not impose the same rigid filing deadlines. But trust fund assets are finite and actively depleting. Workers who delay may face reduced recovery amounts or exhausted funds.

Do not wait. Contact an asbestos cancer lawyer in Kentucky today.

The Bowling Green Facility: Operations and Scale

History and Regional Context

Fruit of the Loom’s Bowling Green operations were among Kentucky’s largest and most enduring industrial employers. Headquartered in Bowling Green and operating throughout Warren County, the company anchored the region’s textile and apparel manufacturing economy beginning in the post-World War II era, expanding through the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

At peak operations, the facility:

Employed thousands of workers across multiple shifts
Ran textile knitting, fabric dyeing, steam-setting, cutting, sewing, and garment finishing operations
Maintained boilers, steam pipe networks, turbines, heat exchangers, and pressure vessels throughout the plant

The Bowling Green facility operated within a broader western Kentucky industrial corridor that included heavy manufacturing at facilities such as Armco Steel in Ashland, General Electric Appliance Park in Louisville, and Louisville Gas and Electric power generating stations throughout the Commonwealth—all of which reportedly relied on similar steam systems, insulation products, and mechanical infrastructure where asbestos-containing materials may have been present.

Where Asbestos-Containing Materials May Have Been Present

The garments produced here did not contain asbestos. The mechanical systems and building infrastructure that kept the plant running are where asbestos-containing materials may allegedly have been present throughout much of the mid-twentieth century.

Industrial textile manufacturing required continuous steam and heat delivery, large mechanical systems, and substantial building infrastructure—all traditional locations for asbestos-containing materials in American manufacturing during this era.

Why Asbestos-Containing Materials Appeared in Textile Manufacturing

Asbestos-containing materials were not limited to shipyards or steel mills. They appeared across every mid-twentieth-century American industry that relied on steam, heat, pressure, and large mechanical systems. Textile facilities were no exception.

Steam and Heat Distribution Systems

Textile production—dyeing, finishing, and steam-setting—requires continuous, precise heat and steam delivery. The pipe networks carrying pressurized steam throughout the plant may have been insulated with asbestos-containing materials including:

Pipe insulation and pipe covering (products from Johns-Manville and Owens-Illinois may have been specified)
Block insulation
Fitting cement and sealants
Thermal jackets and wrapping

Johns-Manville, Owens-Illinois, and Armstrong World Industries were among the most widely distributed manufacturers of industrial insulation during this period. Asbestos-containing products from these manufacturers may allegedly have been present at the Bowling Green facility. Kentucky tradespeople who worked across the region—including at Armco Steel in Ashland, at GE Appliance Park in Louisville, and at LG&E power stations—routinely encountered these same product lines in the same steam system applications.

Industrial Boiler Systems

Industrial boilers generating steam for production may have incorporated asbestos-containing materials including:

Block insulation and refractory materials (Johns-Manville products were commonly specified in industrial boiler applications)
Boiler gaskets and rope packing
Thermal blankets (asbestos-containing products from Armstrong World Industries may have been used)
Cement and joint sealing materials

Workers who performed maintenance, repair, and inspection in mechanical rooms and boiler houses may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials during routine and emergency work.

Industrial Textile Equipment and Machinery

Large-scale industrial knitting machines of the mid-twentieth century generated friction and heat. Asbestos-containing materials were reportedly used in machinery components including:

Brake linings (products from Garlock Sealing Technologies and other manufacturers)
Gaskets and seals
Thermal insulation around mechanical housings
Clutch facings

Workers who maintained, repaired, and operated this equipment may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials when these components were disturbed or replaced.

Dyeing, Finishing, and Heat-Treatment Equipment

Dyeing vats and finishing equipment operated at high temperatures and required insulation and sealing at joints, valves, and connections. Asbestos-containing gaskets and packing from Garlock Sealing Technologies and other manufacturers may allegedly have been present throughout the facility’s dyeing and finishing operations.

Building Materials and Construction

Asbestos-containing building materials were standard in commercial and industrial construction during the facility’s operational period. Materials that may have been present include:

Floor tiles and mastic adhesive (Gold Bond and Armstrong World Industries products were widely used)
Ceiling tiles and suspended ceiling systems
Spray-applied fireproofing on structural steel (products such as Monokote were commonly applied in industrial settings through the late 1960s and 1970s)
Joint compound and wall finishing materials (asbestos-containing products from Georgia-Pacific and other manufacturers)
Roofing materials and roof coatings
Insulation batts and blankets

Workers who performed renovation, demolition, or maintenance may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials released when these building components were disturbed.

Asbestos-Containing Products: Categories Potentially Present at Bowling Green

Based on industrial processes and equipment used at large-scale textile manufacturing operations of this era, the following categories of asbestos-containing materials may have been present at the Bowling Green complex:

Insulation Products:

Pipe insulation and covering from Johns-Manville, Owens-Illinois, and Celotex
Block insulation for boilers and pressure vessels from Johns-Manville and Armstrong World Industries
Spray-applied fireproofing on structural steel (products such as Monokote)
Thermal blankets and curtains around high-temperature equipment

Sealing and Gasket Materials:

Gaskets and packing materials throughout steam and hot-water systems
Rope and woven packing for valve stems and pump shafts
Products from Garlock Sealing Technologies and other manufacturers

Building Materials:

Floor tiles and mastic adhesive from Armstrong World Industries and Georgia-Pacific
Ceiling tiles and acoustic panels
Joint compounds and plaster products
Roofing materials from Georgia-Pacific and Celotex

High-Risk Occupations at the Bowling Green Facility

Asbestos exposure at a large industrial facility is not limited to workers who directly handled asbestos-containing materials. Once released, asbestos fibers remain airborne and settle on surfaces throughout the work area—creating risk for anyone who spent time in that environment.

Trade Workers and Industrial Craftspeople

Insulators and Asbestos Workers

Insulators who installed, maintained, and removed pipe insulation and block insulation worked directly with asbestos-containing products. At the Bowling Green facility, insulators may have cut, shaped, and applied asbestos-containing pipe covering and block insulation daily, releasing substantial quantities of airborne fibers. Members of Heat and Frost Insulators locals—including Asbestos Workers Local 76, which represented insulators at Kentucky industrial facilities throughout the peak asbestos-use decades—who worked at regional industrial facilities carry some of the highest documented occupational asbestos exposure rates of any trade.

Pipefitters and Steamfitters

Pipefitters and steamfitters who installed, maintained, and repaired the facility’s steam pipe networks worked routinely around asbestos-insulated pipe. Even when not cutting or removing insulation themselves, they worked alongside insulators who were—placing them directly in the breathing zone of airborne fibers. Members of United Association plumbing and pipefitting locals who worked at Kentucky industrial plants during the 1950s through 1980s appear among the most frequently represented workers in asbestos disease claims filed in Kentucky courts.

Boilermakers

Boilermakers who constructed, maintained, and repaired boiler systems and pressure vessels worked directly with asbestos-containing block insulation, gaskets, and packing. Boilermaker work frequently required removing and replacing aged insulation—tasks that reportedly generated high concentrations of airborne asbestos fiber. Members of Boilermakers Local 40—which represented boilermakers working at Kentucky industrial facilities including manufacturing plants throughout the region—have filed asbestos disease claims in Kentucky courts based on exposures at facilities similar to the Bowling Green complex.

Electricians

Electricians working inside the facility may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials through proximity to insulated pipes and equipment. Asbestos-containing electrical insulation products and panelboard components from multiple manufacturers were common in mid-century industrial construction. Electricians who worked in ceiling spaces, mechanical rooms, and above suspended ceilings may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials from spray-applied fireproofing and insulation products from Johns-Manville and other manufacturers.

Industrial Maintenance and Operations Personnel

Maintenance Mechanics and Millwrights

Maintenance workers responsible for industrial textile machinery—knitting machines, dyeing equipment, and related systems—may have been exposed to asbestos-containing brake linings from Garlock Sealing Technologies and other manufacturers, gaskets, and insulating materials within that equipment. Workers who performed general facility upkeep also frequently disturbed asbestos-containing building materials during repair work on floors, ceilings, and walls.

Production and Facility Workers

Hourly production workers operating knitting machines, dyeing vats, and steam-finishing equipment may have been exposed to asbestos-containing materials released from insulation on nearby pipes and equipment during normal work activities. Environmental asbestos fiber levels in industrial facilities using asbestos-containing products are elevated throughout the workplace—not only in areas where active work is being performed.

Secondary Exposure: Family Members

Family members of Bowling Green facility workers—particularly spouses who laundered work clothes—may have been exposed to asbestos fibers brought home on contaminated uniforms and work clothing. Children living in these households faced secondary exposure risk as well. Mesothelioma and asbestosis documented in spouses of industrial workers demonstrate that take-home exposure is neither speculative nor rare—it is a recognized, compensable pathway to asbestos-related disease.

The Diseases Asbestos Causes

Asbestos causes mesothelioma. That is not a legal allegation—it is established medical and scientific fact, recognized by every major health authority in the world.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the lining of the lungs

Fruit of the Loom Bowling Green Facility