Buffalo Pumps Inc. — Asbestos Product Reference

Manufacturer: Buffalo Pumps Inc. Headquarters: North Tonawanda, New York Founded: 1893 Documented Asbestos Use: 1940s–1980 Product Categories: Industrial and naval centrifugal pumps, fire pump systems

Company History

Buffalo Pumps Inc. was founded in 1893 in North Tonawanda, New York, a manufacturing hub situated near the Erie Canal corridor that gave the company access to major industrial and commercial markets throughout the eastern United States. Over the following decades, Buffalo Pumps grew into a recognized manufacturer of centrifugal pumps serving a broad range of industries, including chemical processing, power generation, municipal water systems, and heavy manufacturing.

The company’s most significant and enduring market relationship, however, was with the United States Navy. Beginning in the years surrounding World War II, Buffalo Pumps secured contracts to supply Navy-specification centrifugal pumps for use aboard warships and auxiliary vessels. These contracts continued through the Cold War era, making Buffalo Pumps equipment a common fixture in the engineering spaces of destroyers, aircraft carriers, submarines, cruisers, and other naval platforms. The company’s pumps were designed to meet strict military performance standards and were used in critical shipboard systems, including cooling, bilge, ballast, fuel transfer, and firefighting applications.

On the industrial side, Buffalo Pumps supplied process pumps to refineries, chemical plants, paper mills, and power stations across the United States. The company maintained its manufacturing operations in North Tonawanda through the latter half of the twentieth century, and according to available records, the company ceased incorporating asbestos-containing materials into its products and documentation by 1980, roughly coinciding with tightening federal regulations on asbestos use in manufactured goods.

Asbestos-Containing Products

According to asbestos litigation records, Buffalo Pumps equipment was associated with asbestos-containing components and materials throughout the period spanning the 1940s to approximately 1980. Plaintiffs alleged that asbestos was present in several forms within and around Buffalo Pumps products, including internal packing materials, gaskets, and external thermal insulation specified for use on pump casings and associated piping.

Buffalo Navy-Specification Centrifugal Pumps (1940s–1980) Court filings document that Navy-specification centrifugal pumps manufactured by Buffalo Pumps were among the products at issue in numerous asbestos exposure claims. Plaintiffs alleged that these pumps required asbestos-containing braided packing — typically composed of compressed chrysotile or other asbestos fiber types — to seal rotating shaft assemblies and prevent fluid leakage. This packing required periodic removal and replacement during routine maintenance operations, a process that litigation records allege generated respirable asbestos dust in confined shipboard spaces.

Additionally, plaintiffs alleged that asbestos-containing gaskets were used at pump flanges, covers, and connection points, and that some Buffalo Pumps service manuals and parts documentation specified asbestos-compatible replacement components for field maintenance.

Buffalo Industrial Process Pumps According to asbestos litigation records, industrial process pumps manufactured by Buffalo Pumps were alleged to contain similar asbestos-based packing and gasket materials. These pumps were used in high-temperature, high-pressure process environments where asbestos was considered the industry-standard sealing material through much of the mid-twentieth century. Court filings document that maintenance workers in refineries, chemical plants, and power facilities who serviced these pumps were among those who brought exposure claims related to Buffalo Pumps equipment.

Buffalo Fire Pump Systems Plaintiffs alleged that Buffalo fire pump systems installed in industrial facilities and aboard naval vessels incorporated asbestos-containing components consistent with broader industry practice during the relevant period. According to litigation records, insulation on associated piping and pump housings was sometimes composed of asbestos-containing materials, and sealing components within the pump assemblies themselves were alleged to contain asbestos in various fiber forms.

It is important to note that in many documented cases, the asbestos-containing packing and gasket materials installed in Buffalo Pumps equipment were manufactured by third-party suppliers rather than Buffalo Pumps itself. However, plaintiffs alleged that Buffalo Pumps’ own technical documentation and service specifications directed workers to use asbestos-containing replacement parts during maintenance — an allegation that has been central to a significant volume of litigation involving the company.

Occupational Exposure

According to asbestos litigation records, the workers most frequently identified as having potential asbestos exposure related to Buffalo Pumps equipment fall into two primary categories: Navy veterans and industrial maintenance workers.

U.S. Navy Veterans and Shipyard Workers Buffalo Pumps is a common defendant in Navy shipyard asbestos cases. Court filings document that Buffalo Pumps Navy-specification centrifugal pumps were installed throughout engineering compartments on American warships from the 1940s onward. Machinists, enginemen, boilermen, pipefitters, and other engineering-rate sailors who worked in these spaces were alleged to have encountered asbestos dust during routine pump maintenance, shaft repacking operations, and gasket replacement. The confined and often poorly ventilated nature of shipboard engine rooms and pump rooms is frequently cited in litigation records as a factor that concentrated airborne fibers during maintenance tasks.

Shipyard workers who constructed, repaired, or overhauled naval vessels also encountered Buffalo Pumps equipment in dry dock and shipyard environments. According to litigation records, pipefitters, insulators, boilermakers, and marine mechanics who worked in proximity to pump installation and maintenance operations have alleged asbestos exposure linked to Buffalo Pumps products.

Industrial Workers Plaintiffs alleged that workers in refineries, chemical processing facilities, paper mills, and electrical generating stations who maintained Buffalo industrial process pumps were similarly exposed to asbestos during packing and gasket removal and replacement procedures. Court filings document claims from millwrights, pipefitters, maintenance mechanics, and stationary engineers who identified Buffalo Pumps equipment as part of their occupational asbestos exposure history.

Bystander and Secondary Exposure In some litigation, workers who were not directly performing maintenance on Buffalo Pumps equipment — but who worked in the same areas where such maintenance was ongoing — have alleged bystander exposure to asbestos dust. Litigation records reflect claims from individuals in these circumstances, particularly in the shipboard and industrial plant contexts where multiple trades worked in overlapping spaces simultaneously.

Buffalo Pumps Inc. has not established a dedicated asbestos bankruptcy trust fund. Unlike manufacturers that resolved their asbestos liability through Chapter 11 reorganization and the creation of a Section 524(g) trust, Buffalo Pumps has remained a going-concern defendant in asbestos litigation and has addressed claims through direct litigation and settlement in the civil court system.

According to asbestos litigation records, Buffalo Pumps has been named as a defendant in a substantial volume of asbestos personal injury cases, with a significant concentration of those cases involving Navy veterans and shipyard workers. The company’s Navy pump contracts and the long service life of its equipment — which remained in operation on vessels and in facilities well beyond the point at which the company ceased asbestos use — have contributed to the sustained volume of litigation involving Buffalo Pumps products.

Because there is no Buffalo Pumps asbestos trust fund, individuals pursuing claims related to Buffalo Pumps equipment must do so through active civil litigation against the company directly. This is a procedurally different pathway than filing a claim with an established asbestos trust, which typically involves a documented submission process outside of court.

Individuals who believe they have asbestos-related injuries connected to Buffalo Pumps equipment may also have claims against other parties involved in the manufacturing, supply, or installation of asbestos-containing components used in conjunction with Buffalo Pumps products. Third-party gasket and packing manufacturers, insulation contractors, and other parties in the supply chain have been named alongside Buffalo Pumps in numerous cases documented in litigation records.

If you or a family member worked with or near Buffalo Pumps centrifugal pumps, fire pumps, or industrial process pumps — particularly in U.S. Navy service, shipyard work, or industrial plant maintenance — and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-caused disease, the following points are relevant to understanding your legal options:

  • No dedicated trust fund exists for Buffalo Pumps. Claims must be pursued through civil litigation filed directly against the company.
  • Additional trust fund claims may be available. Asbestos-containing packing and gasket products used in Buffalo Pumps equipment were often manufactured by companies that have since established asbestos bankruptcy trusts. An experienced asbestos attorney can identify applicable trusts based on the specific products and worksites involved in your exposure history.
  • Navy veteran claims involving Buffalo Pumps equipment have been extensively litigated and are well-documented in the historical record, which can support the development of an exposure case.
  • Statutes of limitations apply. The time permitted to file an asbestos claim varies by state and begins running from the date of diagnosis in most jurisdictions. Prompt consultation with an asbestos litigation attorney is advisable.
  • Documentation of exposure — including discharge papers (DD-214 for veterans), employment records, coworker testimony, and ship or facility assignment records — can strengthen a claim involving Buffalo Pumps products.

This reference article is provided for informational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Individuals with asbestos-related diagnoses should consult a qualified attorney to evaluate their specific circumstances.