T.H. Agriculture & Nutrition LLC Asbestos Exposure

T H Agriculture & Nutrition, L.L.C. (THAN) has a documented asbestos claims history. Its court-confirmed reorganization established a personal injury trust for qualifying claims involving asbestos-containing products or conduct for which the company has legal responsibility. For this company, the central question is whether a person encountered a THAN-connected source during the relevant period.

Workers may recall the distributor, a former company name, a supplier, a shipping label or only the product handled at a jobsite. Each detail can help trace a shipment or work activity. A company name on an employment record alone does not prove that asbestos was present, and a trust filing still requires medical and credible exposure evidence.

T.H. Agriculture & Nutrition Company History

Official trust records use the name “T H Agriculture & Nutrition, L.L.C.” and the abbreviation THAN. The company filed a Chapter 11 petition on November 24, 2008. A bankruptcy court confirmed its reorganization plan in May 2009; the personal injury trust was established when the plan became effective on November 30, 2009. These milestones matter because claims against the reorganized company follow the plan and trust procedures.

Period	Documented event	Why it matters
Before reorganization	Asbestos liabilities arose from company-connected products or conduct	Trace exposure to the correct entity and period
November 2008	THAN petitioned for Chapter 11 relief	Older lawsuit records may use the debtor name
May 2009	Bankruptcy court confirmed the plan	Claims are governed by the confirmed framework
November 2009	The asbestos personal injury trust began	Eligible claims are reviewed under trust procedures

The trust distribution procedures cover claims involving raw asbestos, asbestos fibers and materials or products containing those fibers when THAN or a covered predecessor, successor or assign bears the specified responsibility. That is a definition of claim scope; it does not show that every chemical, warehouse or pesticide facility bearing a similar name handled asbestos.

EPA also has records for T.H. Agriculture & Nutrition sites in Fresno, California, and Montgomery, Alabama. Those Superfund records describe pesticide or chemical contamination and site cleanup. They should not be read as asbestos exposure findings. A person researching one of those facilities needs separate proof that a particular asbestos-containing source was present during the work in question.

Identity question	Useful record
Which company supplied the material?	Invoice, bill of lading, purchase order or packaging
Where did handling occur?	Warehouse log, delivery receipt or jobsite file
Who employed the worker?	Payroll, union, tax or personnel record
Which name appears in old files?	Contemporaneous contract and company correspondence

Products and Materials to Investigate

The trust’s definition of a THAN exposure includes asbestos-containing products sold, distributed, marketed, handled, processed or manufactured by the company, as well as qualifying conduct for which it has legal responsibility. This is broader than a claim that the company made one particular finished product. An investigator should identify the material, supplier connection, place and date rather than assume a brand from the company’s name.

Material or record	Question to answer	Potential proof
Raw asbestos fiber	Was a shipment connected to THAN?	Bag label, distributor invoice or shipping paper
Bulk material containing fiber	What did the lot actually contain?	Specification and contemporary analysis
Finished industrial product	Is responsibility traceable to THAN?	Supply-chain and product records
Warehouse inventory	Which lots were stored during employment?	Stock ledger and receiving sheet
Returned or damaged goods	Was fiber released while handled?	Incident report and firsthand account

EPA lists many historical uses of asbestos, including insulation and other industrial materials. A general product category does not establish that a named shipment contained asbestos or that THAN supplied it. Photographs of bag markings, handwritten lot numbers, purchase dates and customer names can be more valuable than a later recollection of a broad trade name.

Records should be compared against the trust’s current claim form and distribution procedures. Product evidence may establish a THAN connection, while medical evidence and a credible account of actual contact establish different parts of the claim. A person who merely worked in the same industry may lack the required link without a specific source or documented conduct.

Proof issue	What to preserve
Asbestos content	Contemporaneous specifications, laboratory reports and labels
Distributor link	Invoices, purchase orders and delivery documents
Place and date	Work schedules, freight records and site directories
Handling method	Witness details about opening, transfer and cleanup

Workers and Jobsites

Potential exposure settings include storage, loading, receiving and manufacturing jobs that handled a confirmed THAN-connected asbestos source. The trust’s criteria also accommodate credible evidence of exposure away from a company-owned facility. A worker at a customer’s plant could have encountered a supplied material if the distribution chain and the worker’s contact are established.

Role	Activity to investigate
Warehouse worker	Stacking, moving or repairing damaged packages
Truck driver	Loading, unloading or cleaning a cargo area
Receiving clerk	Checking containers and documenting lot numbers
Production worker	Opening bags or adding material to a process
Maintenance worker	Cleaning equipment used to handle a confirmed source
Nearby coworker	Working beside repeated dusty handling

A site address matters, but the specific task is usually more informative. Someone in an office and someone unloading damaged sacks at the same complex may have very different histories. For contractors, the customer’s name, delivery bay, production line and supervisor can help locate the right purchasing and safety records.

Jobsite detail	Information to collect
Address	City, street, plant name and customer
Timing	Employment dates, shifts and shipment dates
Assignment	Dock, warehouse aisle, production unit or cleaning route
Source	Bag, pallet, container, lot or equipment identification
Witness	Coworker, driver, purchaser or supervisor

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Potential Asbestos Exposure Pathways

Handling a confirmed asbestos-containing shipment could create a direct exposure pathway if fibers became airborne. Damaged packaging, dry transfer, sweeping and equipment cleaning deserve particular attention. EPA explains that asbestos fibers can be released when containing materials are disturbed. The existence and intensity of exposure still depend on the actual material and work conditions.

Pathway	Illustrative scenario	Evidence focus
Direct handling	A worker opened or poured material	Source, duration and release method
Package damage	A torn bag was moved through a warehouse	Lot identity and visible dust
Nearby work	A coworker remained beside transfer operations	Distance, frequency and ventilation
Cleanup	Debris was swept or dry brushed	Material source and cleaning practice
Household contact	Work dust traveled on clothes	Repeated contact and laundering history

The trust’s procedures define a THAN exposure as meaningful and credible exposure before December 31, 1986, to a covered asbestos-containing product or qualifying conduct. Some disease levels require additional months of exposure and significant occupational exposure. An account should therefore specify dates and repeated activities, even when the diagnosis is clear.

Exposure factor	Question for the work history
Frequency	How often was the material handled?
Duration	How long did each task continue?
Distance	Was the worker handling material or nearby?
Controls	Were ventilation, wet methods or respirators used?
Period	Can records place contact before the trust cutoff?

Claims and Compensation

The THAN Asbestos Personal Injury Trust accepts and evaluates eligible claims under its distribution procedures. A claimant must establish the applicable medical diagnosis and THAN exposure. Expedited review uses scheduled values for qualifying disease levels; individual review considers a claim’s particular facts. Trust payment is calculated from the liquidated value using the payment percentage in effect when paid, subject to procedural limits.

Trust route	How it works
Expedited review	Checks preset medical and exposure criteria
Individual review	Examines case-specific evidence and valuation
Secondary exposure	Requires proof of contact through an exposed person
Other manufacturer trusts	Require independent eligibility for each product source
Claims outside this trust	Depend on responsible parties and applicable law

The trust’s posted April 22, 2020 notice set a 15% payment percentage beginning with April 2020 payments; its 2024 annual report says that percentage remained 15% during 2024. The 2011 published procedures list a $150,000 scheduled value for qualifying mesothelioma claims. As an illustration only, $150,000 multiplied by 15% equals $22,500 before any case-specific procedural effects. Values and percentage can change; verify the current documents before filing or estimating a payment.

Claim issue	Practical check
Diagnosis	Match medical proof to the chosen disease level
THAN exposure	Connect source, person, place and pre-1987 date
Review choice	Compare expedited and individual review requirements
Payment percentage	Confirm the rate effective at payment
Deadlines	Review trust and applicable legal filing rules promptly

Documented Records and Research Limits

The trust’s 2024 annual report confirms the bankruptcy timeline, original $900 million funding and ongoing administration. It reports 6,519 claims submitted in 2024 and 873 asbestos personal injury claims paid that year for $12,634,658.10 after the payment percentage. These aggregate figures do not establish that a particular applicant qualifies or predict the value or timing of a future payment.

Primary record	What it confirms	What it cannot prove
Trust homepage	Existence and purpose of the trust	A particular claimant’s eligibility
Distribution procedures	Disease levels and exposure standards	That a specific shipment was encountered
Payment notice	15% rate announced in April 2020	A guaranteed future rate
2024 annual report	Historical aggregate claims and payments	Individual award amount

The distribution procedures allow exposure proof through a claimant’s sworn statement, credible coworker or family testimony, invoices, employment records and similar evidence. The trust can ask for additional documentation. Its definition of responsibility covers several possible company activities, so a record that THAN distributed a product is useful only when joined to proof of the product’s asbestos content and the person’s contact.

EPA Superfund records for facilities associated with a similar company name concern particular environmental contaminants and locations. They are not a substitute for the trust’s defined asbestos exposure evidence. Nor should the reported number of claims be described as confirmed injuries caused at either EPA site: submissions may be withdrawn, deferred, disputed or still under review.

Record category	Strength	Limit
Invoice or freight bill	Links supplier, customer and date	Does not establish personal contact
Packaging photograph	May identify lot or product	Needs provenance and date
Witness statement	Describes task and conditions	Should separate observation from inference
Medical file	Documents diagnosis	Does not identify the distributor

Evidence for a T.H. Agriculture & Nutrition Exposure Claim

Start with a chronological work history. List employers, jobsite addresses, product descriptions, duties, coworkers and dates. Distinguish a direct encounter with a package or process from proximity to another worker. Record how frequently the event occurred and whether dust was generated. Seek documents that identify THAN as a supplier or otherwise connect the source to responsibility defined in the trust procedures.

Evidence category	Examples
Employment	Payroll, union files, tax statements and personnel records
Supply chain	Purchase order, invoice, freight bill and stock ledger
Material	Label, specification, lot information and analysis
Witness	Coworker, driver, purchaser and family account
Medical	Pathology, imaging, physician report and treatment file

Preserve originals and make legible copies. Witnesses should record their own memories before reviewing promotional images or suggested product lists. A former coworker may remember the loading dock and container markings while a purchasing employee remembers the vendor. Those accounts can be compared with records, but gaps should remain identified as gaps.

For secondary exposure, document the occupational source and the household contact period. The trust’s amended procedures address such claims separately. Medical records and exposure documents serve different purposes; organize them into a single timeline while retaining their separate sources. Other jobs and products should be listed as well, since overlapping exposures can affect the overall investigation.

Next action	Purpose
Collect full diagnosis records	Support the applicable medical criteria
Identify source and dates	Test the required THAN exposure connection
Request purchasing records	Trace supply to the workplace
Contact firsthand witnesses	Preserve tasks, frequency and dust observations
Check current trust forms	Follow present filing and review instructions

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a T.H. Agriculture & Nutrition asbestos trust?

Yes. Its official website states that the asbestos personal injury trust was created under the company’s confirmed Chapter 11 plan and processes qualifying claims under distribution procedures.

Does work at a facility with that name prove asbestos exposure?

No. The site, date, material and personal contact need separate evidence. EPA cleanup records about pesticides or other chemicals do not establish an asbestos exposure.

What does the trust mean by THAN exposure?

The published procedures require meaningful, credible pre-1987 exposure to a covered asbestos-containing product or conduct for which THAN has legal responsibility. Additional requirements vary by disease level.

Can someone exposed at a customer’s plant file?

Potentially. The company-connected material or conduct and personal exposure must be supported; the claimant need not simply show employment at a THAN-owned site.

What is the trust payment percentage?

An April 2020 official notice set 15%, and the 2024 annual report says it remained 15% that year. Check current trust notices because the rate may change.

Is the scheduled mesothelioma value the amount paid?

No. The published $150,000 figure is a scheduled liquidation value under the cited procedures. The applicable payment percentage and claim review determine the actual trust payment.

Can family members make secondary exposure claims?

The trust procedures address secondary exposure. The occupational source, timing, household contact, diagnosis and other applicable requirements still need support.

Which records should a diagnosed worker gather first?

Collect diagnosis records and a dated work history, then look for invoices, shipping records, labels and firsthand witnesses that identify the source and exposure conditions.

Summary

THAN’s official trust provides a documented avenue for qualifying asbestos personal injury claims. Its procedures require credible exposure to a company-connected source and disease-specific medical evidence. The most useful investigation follows material from supplier to jobsite and then connects it to a worker’s actual task and dates. Published trust values and historical payment totals provide context, not an individual award.

Core finding	Practical meaning
Trust exists	Review official filing materials and current notices
Exposure cutoff matters	Document relevant contact before December 31, 1986
Distribution chain matters	Identify supplier, material, jobsite and worker
Claims differ	Medical level and review path affect valuation
EPA sites differ	Do not equate chemical cleanup with asbestos proof

This page provides general information, not medical or legal advice. Exposure, eligibility, deadlines and compensation depend on individual facts and applicable law.

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