How Pipefitters Were Exposed to Asbestos
Pipefitters worked in systems where asbestos was pervasive — not just as insulation on the outside of pipes, but as internal components within flanges, valves, and pumps. Their exposure came from multiple sources simultaneously:
- Asbestos pipe insulation (lagging): Cutting, removing, or working near asbestos-covered pipe systems released fibers with every cut. Even undamaged lagging shed fibers when vibrated by nearby work.
- Asbestos gaskets: Cutting sheet asbestos gasket material to fit flanges, and removing old compressed gaskets, released fiber clouds. Spiral-wound and ring gaskets containing asbestos were standard through the 1980s in refineries and power plants.
- Valve packing & rope: Asbestos packing rope used to seal valve stems was compressed, cut, and replaced routinely throughout a pipefitter’s career. The braided asbestos packing released fibers when manipulated.
- Insulating cement: Pipefitters often mixed and applied insulating cement around fittings and irregular pipe sections, exposing them to the same fiber clouds as the insulation trade.
- Bystander exposure: In refineries and power plants, insulators and pipefitters worked in the same areas simultaneously. Fiber released by insulation work settled on and was inhaled by every worker in the vicinity.
Highest-Exposure Work Sites
| Industry | Why Exposure Was High | Key Companies & Sites |
|---|---|---|
| Oil refineries & petrochemical | Miles of high-temperature, high-pressure pipe; constant maintenance and turnaround work with gasket replacement | ExxonMobil Baytown, Shell Deer Park, Valero, Lyondell |
| Power plants | Steam turbines and boiler systems required pervasive asbestos insulation and packing throughout plant life | TVA plants, Pacific Gas & Electric, Con Edison facilities |
| Naval shipyards | Every naval vessel had miles of pipe in confined, poorly-ventilated spaces; overhaul work disturbed decades of accumulated asbestos | Newport News, Puget Sound, Philadelphia, Portsmouth NNSY |
| Steel mills | High-temperature blast furnace and rolling mill pipe systems heavily insulated; constant maintenance exposure | Bethlehem Steel, U.S. Steel, Republic Steel plants |
| Paper & pulp mills | Steam-intensive processes with extensive pipe systems; mills operated continuously requiring constant pipefitter presence | Georgia-Pacific, Weyerhaeuser, International Paper facilities |
Asbestos Products Pipefitters Handled
- Flexitallic / spiral-wound gaskets: Contained chrysotile asbestos filler between metal windings; cutting to size released fibers
- Ring gaskets: Compressed asbestos fiber sheet gaskets used in flanges throughout industrial piping systems
- Valve packing rope: Braided asbestos rope (Palmetto packing, asbestos wicking) used as valve stem seals
- Johns-Manville and Owens Corning pipe covering
- Crane Co. and Garlock asbestos gasket sheet
Legal Rights for Pipefitters
Pipefitters are among the most commonly represented workers in asbestos personal injury claims because they used products from dozens of manufacturers throughout their careers. Key trusts with claims relevant to pipefitters include:
- Garlock Sealing Technologies Asbestos Trust — gaskets and packing
- Crane Co. — subject to ongoing litigation for asbestos gaskets
- Johns-Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust — pipe insulation
- Owens Corning / Fibreboard Trust — Kaylo pipe covering
- Flexitallic Asbestos Personal Injury Trust — spiral-wound gaskets
Pipefitter or Family Member?
Gasket and insulation product trusts may provide compensation. A mesothelioma attorney can match your work history to applicable trust funds at no cost to you.