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A Brookhaven man has been awarded $322 million in what his attorneys say is the largest single verdict in an asbestos case in the United States.

But the legal fight isn’t over.

A Smith County jury returned the verdict this week in favor of Thomas “Tony” Brown Jr., 48, in his 5-year-old lawsuit against Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. and Union Carbide Corp. The lawsuit didn’t seek a specific amount when it was filed.

The companies vow to appeal to the Mississippi Supreme Court.

CP Chemical “believes that the verdict is not supported by the evidence or the law and that it has solid grounds for such an appeal,” said company spokeswoman Linda Koening.

Marcy Croft, an attorney for Union Carbide, could not be reached. But the company issued a statement criticizing the verdict as outrageous, according to The Associated Press.

“The credible medical evidence introduced at trial clearly demonstrates that, while Mr. Brown suffers from shortness of breath, such condition is not attributable to asbestos exposure,” the statement said.

Brown’s attorney, Allen Hossley of Dallas, said many industrial companies like CP Chemical and Union Carbide put innocent workers at an extreme health risk for greater profits.

Brown worked in the oil fields from 1979 to the mid ’80s as a roughneck, mixing drilling mud on rigs in Mississippi and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, Hossley said.

As a result of inhaling asbestos dust, Brown was diagnosed with asbestosis at age 30 and is on oxygen 24 hours a day, Hossley said.

Asbestosis is a lung disease caused by asbestos exposure that can cause lung scarring and shortness of breath.

“CP Chem and Union Carbide continued to market these almost 100 percent pure asbestos products long after they knew the dangers,” Hossley said.

“Despite stronger regulations, many people are still suffering the lasting effects from asbestos exposure,” Hossley said.

Asbestos is a mineral fiber that has been used in manufacturing everything from roofing shingles and ceiling and floor tiles to automobile clutch, brake and transmission parts, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website. When asbestos materials are damaged or disturbed, microscopic fibers become airborne and can be inhaled.