WR Grace Lays Off Undisclosed Number

Chemical manufacturer WR Grace has laid off an undisclosed number of employees firmwide.

The company employs 6,500 globally, with about 1,000 at its headquarters in Columbia, Maryland.

WR Grace declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2001. While Grace no longer makes asbestos-related products, they have faced more than 270,000 asbestos-related lawsuits.

The company has a history of environmental crimes, which were the basis for the bestselling non-fiction book and popular motion picture, A Civil Action, which concerned the pollution-destruction of neighborhoods in Massachusetts.

Founded in 1854, WR Grace & Company is a Columbia, Maryland-based chemical conglomerate with two main divisions, Davison Chemicals and Performance Chemicals.