Houston and its Ship Channel form the largest petrochemical complex in the country — refineries, chemical plants, and the port strung along the channel from the East End through Pasadena, Deer Park, Baytown, and out to Galveston Bay. For most of the twentieth century these operations ran on asbestos insulation, gaskets, and refractory, and the trades who built and maintained them were reportedly exposed for full careers.
Every Texas asbestos case follows the same path: it is filed in the county of proper venue, transferred to the statewide Texas Asbestos MDL pretrial court (the 281st District Court in Harris County) for pretrial proceedings, and then remanded to the county for trial. Texas allows two years from a mesothelioma or asbestos-cancer diagnosis to file (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003).