The acronym ASARCO stands the American Smelting and Refining Company. ASARCO is a mining, smelting, and refining company based in Tucson, Arizona, mainly mines and processes copper.

ASARCO's Windsor Avenue facility operated in Columbus from 1971 until 1986 http://www.epa.ohio.gov/portals/47/nr/2010/january/asarco.pdf

ASARCO Incorporated of New York, and Doe Run Company of St. Louis are the major players.

In the end, two mergers were inked: Phelps/Dodge with Cyprus Amax, and Asarco with Grupo Mexico.

In the United States, only ASARCO, Incorporated produces primary bismuth, while a number of smaller firms produce secondary bismuth product mainly from scrap.