Armstrong International Inc. — Asbestos Product Reference

Manufacturer: Armstrong International Inc. Headquarters: Three Rivers, Michigan Founded: 1900 Reported Cessation of Asbestos Use: 1974 Product Categories: Steam traps and steam system components

Important: Armstrong International Inc. (Three Rivers, MI) is a separate and distinct company from Armstrong World Industries (Lancaster, PA), the flooring and ceiling tile manufacturer. Workers and attorneys researching exposure history should confirm the correct corporate entity before pursuing any legal action or filing any claim.

Company History

Armstrong International Inc. is a Michigan-based industrial manufacturer founded in 1900 in Three Rivers, Michigan, where the company has remained headquartered for more than a century. The company built its reputation as a specialist in steam system management, developing a focused product line centered on steam traps — mechanical devices that remove condensate and non-condensable gases from steam systems while preventing live steam from escaping.

Throughout the mid-twentieth century, Armstrong International supplied industrial steam traps and related components to some of the most demanding process environments in American industry, including petroleum refineries, paper and pulp mills, chemical processing plants, power generation facilities, and large institutional buildings. Steam management was a critical operational concern in these environments, and Armstrong International became a recognized name among pipefitters, steamfitters, millwrights, and maintenance workers who installed and serviced steam distribution systems.

During the period roughly spanning the 1940s through the early 1970s, asbestos was widely used in industrial thermal insulation applications, including materials applied to or packaged with steam system components. According to asbestos litigation records, Armstrong International manufactured and sold steam trap products during this era that incorporated or were associated with asbestos-containing insulation materials. The company is reported to have ceased use of asbestos in its products by approximately 1974, a period during which many industrial manufacturers began transitioning away from asbestos in response to emerging occupational health research and early regulatory action by agencies including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Armstrong International continues to operate today as a privately held manufacturer of steam, air, and hot water system products. Its long operational history means that legacy products manufactured prior to 1974 may still be present in older industrial facilities that have not undergone full system modernization.

Asbestos-Containing Products

According to asbestos litigation records, Armstrong International manufactured and distributed the following categories of steam system products that plaintiffs have alleged contained asbestos or were sold with asbestos-containing components:

Inverted Bucket Steam Traps Inverted bucket traps are among the most mechanically durable steam trap designs, commonly specified for high-pressure industrial steam lines. Court filings document allegations that inverted bucket steam traps manufactured by Armstrong International prior to 1974 were associated with asbestos-containing gasket materials and insulating components. These traps were widely installed in refinery and heavy industrial piping systems, where they were subject to routine maintenance, inspection, and replacement by pipefitters and plant maintenance workers.

Float-and-Thermostatic (F&T) Steam Traps Float-and-thermostatic traps combine a float mechanism with a thermostatic air vent and are commonly used in heating systems, process heating applications, and steam tracer lines. Plaintiffs have alleged in asbestos litigation that F&T traps manufactured by Armstrong International during the relevant period incorporated asbestos-containing insulation or were routinely installed alongside asbestos pipe covering and block insulation in a manner that created occupational exposure during installation and maintenance work.

Steam Trap Stations with Asbestos Insulation Armstrong International marketed pre-assembled steam trap stations — engineered assemblies that combined the steam trap with isolation valves, strainers, and connecting pipework. According to asbestos litigation records, certain steam trap station assemblies sold by Armstrong International during the asbestos era included factory-applied or field-specified asbestos insulation intended to conserve thermal energy and protect components from ambient temperature fluctuations. These assemblies were installed as complete units, meaning maintenance workers who later serviced, repaired, or replaced station components may have encountered asbestos insulation as an integral part of the assembly rather than as a separately identifiable third-party product.

It is important to note that steam traps and associated components were often insulated in the field using materials supplied by other manufacturers. Court filings in asbestos cases involving Armstrong International products frequently involve questions about whether asbestos exposure arose from the trap itself, from companion insulation products, or from both sources simultaneously — a distinction that can be significant in litigation but does not diminish the documented occupational exposure that occurred in these environments.

Occupational Exposure

The industrial settings where Armstrong International steam traps were most heavily concentrated — petroleum refineries, paper and pulp mills, chemical plants, and power stations — are among the worksites most frequently identified in asbestos exposure litigation nationally. Steam trap maintenance in these environments was a routine task assigned to pipefitters, steamfitters, and maintenance mechanics throughout the mid-twentieth century.

Plaintiffs have alleged in asbestos litigation that occupational exposure associated with Armstrong International products occurred through several work activities:

  • Trap replacement and inspection: Removing and installing steam traps required physical handling of the trap body and associated gaskets. When asbestos gasket materials were involved, cutting, scraping, or disturbing degraded gaskets could release asbestos fibers into the breathing zone of the worker performing the task.

  • Insulation removal and reinstallation: Steam traps installed in insulated piping systems required workers to remove and replace surrounding asbestos pipe insulation, block insulation, or finishing cements to gain access to the trap. This work, described in court filings as “rip-out” activity, is associated with high short-duration fiber release.

  • Steam trap station servicing: Workers who serviced pre-assembled steam trap stations with integral insulation would have encountered asbestos materials as part of routine maintenance, regardless of whether they identified the insulation as asbestos-containing.

  • Bystander exposure: In refinery and mill environments, workers in adjacent trades — welders, operators, laborers — were present in the same work areas during steam trap maintenance and may have been exposed to airborne asbestos fibers without directly handling the products involved.

Paper mill and refinery environments present particular exposure complexity because steam distribution systems in these facilities were extensive, with hundreds or thousands of individual traps installed throughout a single plant. Maintenance workers assigned to steam trap rounds in these facilities could encounter Armstrong International products repeatedly over the course of a career.

Armstrong International Inc. (Three Rivers, MI) has been named as a defendant in asbestos personal injury litigation. According to asbestos litigation records, cases involving Armstrong International products have been filed in connection with occupational exposure at refineries, paper mills, and other heavy industrial facilities across multiple states. Plaintiffs have alleged that the company’s steam trap products exposed workers to asbestos during installation, maintenance, and replacement activities performed from the 1940s through the mid-1970s.

There is no established asbestos bankruptcy trust fund associated with Armstrong International Inc. (Three Rivers, MI). The company has not filed for bankruptcy protection related to asbestos liabilities, and no court-approved trust has been created to process asbestos claims against this manufacturer. This distinguishes Armstrong International from Armstrong World Industries, which did establish a bankruptcy trust — the Armstrong World Industries Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust — following its Chapter 11 reorganization. Workers and attorneys must confirm they are identifying the correct corporate entity before pursuing any legal strategy.

Because no trust fund exists for Armstrong International Inc., individuals with potential claims arising from exposure to the company’s products would need to pursue compensation through the civil litigation system. Asbestos personal injury claims against solvent, non-bankrupt defendants are typically resolved through negotiated settlements or jury verdicts rather than through administrative claims processes.

Summary: Your Options If You Were Exposed

If you worked as a pipefitter, steamfitter, millwright, or maintenance mechanic at a refinery, paper mill, or chemical plant and handled Armstrong International steam traps or worked around their installation and maintenance prior to 1974, you may have been exposed to asbestos associated with these products.

Key points to understand:

  • Armstrong International Inc. (Three Rivers, MI) is not affiliated with Armstrong World Industries and has no associated asbestos bankruptcy trust fund.
  • Compensation for exposure to Armstrong International products, if pursued, would be sought through civil asbestos litigation against the company directly.
  • An experienced asbestos attorney can review your work history, identify all potentially responsible parties — including manufacturers of companion insulation products present in the same work environment — and advise you on the appropriate legal strategy.
  • Diseases associated with asbestos exposure, including mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and asbestosis, typically have long latency periods and may not appear until decades after the original exposure.

Workers and families researching exposure history should gather employment records, union records, and any available documentation of the specific facilities and equipment involved. This information is essential for attorneys evaluating potential claims.