BWIP-Byron Jackson: Asbestos Exposure from Industrial Pump Equipment

Company History

Byron Jackson Company was an American manufacturer with deep roots in the industrial pump and fluid-handling equipment industry. Over the course of the twentieth century, the company became a significant supplier to some of the nation’s most demanding industrial sectors, including oil and gas refining, chemical processing, power generation, and heavy manufacturing. The company eventually became part of BW/IP International, Inc. (commonly referred to as BWIP), a larger industrial conglomerate that consolidated several pump and rotating equipment manufacturers under one corporate umbrella.

Byron Jackson’s pumps were engineered for high-performance, high-temperature, and high-pressure applications — conditions that made asbestos-containing materials a standard component in the design and maintenance of this type of equipment through much of the mid-twentieth century. Industrial pumps operating in refineries, power plants, and chemical facilities routinely required insulation, packing, gaskets, and sealing materials capable of withstanding extreme thermal and mechanical stress. Asbestos, prized for its heat resistance, compressibility, and durability, was a common solution to these engineering demands throughout the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

The company’s products were distributed broadly across American industry, placing Byron Jackson pump equipment — and the workers who installed, operated, and maintained it — on job sites nationwide during the decades when asbestos use was at its peak.

Asbestos-Containing Products

According to asbestos litigation records, Byron Jackson and BWIP manufactured and supplied industrial pump equipment that incorporated asbestos-containing components either as original manufactured parts or as specified replacement materials. Court filings document that the types of asbestos-containing materials associated with industrial pump equipment of this era typically included:

Pump Packing Materials Braided asbestos packing was widely used in the stuffing boxes of centrifugal and turbine-style pumps to create a dynamic seal around rotating shafts. Plaintiffs alleged that Byron Jackson pumps were designed to accommodate and, in many cases, specified asbestos-based packing as the appropriate sealing material for high-temperature fluid service.

Gaskets and Sealing Components Flat sheet asbestos gaskets were standard components at flange connections, valve interfaces, and casing joints on industrial pump assemblies. According to asbestos litigation records, compressed asbestos fiber (CAF) sheet gaskets were commonly used throughout pump systems of the type manufactured by Byron Jackson, and these gaskets were frequently disturbed during routine maintenance and overhaul work.

Thermal Insulation In many industrial applications, Byron Jackson pumps and their associated piping systems were covered with asbestos block insulation, asbestos cloth, or asbestos-cement materials to reduce heat loss and protect workers from contact with high-temperature surfaces. Court filings document that this insulation work was closely associated with pump installation and maintenance activities.

Internal Wear Components Certain internal components, including wear rings and sealing surfaces in pumps operating at elevated temperatures, were alleged in litigation to have incorporated asbestos-containing materials as part of their original design specifications.

It is important to note that asbestos-containing replacement parts sourced from third-party suppliers were also commonly installed in Byron Jackson pumps during routine maintenance — a practice that plaintiffs alleged exposed workers to asbestos independent of, or in addition to, original equipment components. Courts have examined the question of equipment manufacturer responsibility for asbestos-containing replacement parts in numerous cases involving industrial pump manufacturers.

Occupational Exposure

Workers who encountered Byron Jackson and BWIP pump equipment during installation, routine maintenance, overhaul, or decommissioning faced potential asbestos exposure through a variety of tasks that were common to industrial worksites of the era.

Industries and Work Settings According to asbestos litigation records, occupational exposure associated with Byron Jackson equipment occurred across a wide range of industries and facilities, including:

  • Petroleum refineries, where large centrifugal and multistage pumps were used extensively to move crude oil, refined products, and process chemicals
  • Chemical and petrochemical plants, where pumps handling corrosive or high-temperature fluids required frequent inspection and packing replacement
  • Power generation facilities, including both fossil fuel and nuclear power plants, where boiler feed pumps and cooling water pumps were subject to rigorous maintenance schedules
  • Marine and shipboard applications, where Byron Jackson pumps were used aboard Navy vessels and commercial ships for bilge, fuel, and ballast service
  • Pulp and paper mills, steel mills, and other heavy manufacturing environments

High-Risk Job Trades Court filings document that the following trades and occupations were most frequently associated with exposure to asbestos from industrial pump equipment:

  • Pipefitters and steamfitters, who made and broke flange connections sealed with asbestos gaskets
  • Millwrights and pump mechanics, who performed stuffing box repacking — a task that required removing old asbestos packing with picks or chisels and cutting new packing rings from bulk asbestos cord or braid
  • Insulators and laggers, who applied and removed asbestos insulation from pump bodies and associated piping
  • Boilermakers, who worked in close proximity to pump equipment during power plant construction and overhaul
  • U.S. Navy machinists and enginemen, who maintained shipboard pumps in confined engine room spaces with limited ventilation

Nature of Exposure Repacking a pump stuffing box was a routine and frequent task — often performed on a quarterly or annual basis — that generated substantial airborne dust when old asbestos packing was excavated from the gland. Cutting replacement packing rings from bulk asbestos braid similarly released fibers. Plaintiffs alleged that these tasks, performed repeatedly over careers spanning decades, resulted in cumulative asbestos exposures that contributed to the development of asbestos-related disease. According to asbestos litigation records, gasket removal — whether performed by scraping, wire brushing, or grinding — was identified as another significant source of asbestos fiber release during pump maintenance work.

Workers who performed these tasks typically did so without respiratory protection, as the health hazards of asbestos were not widely communicated to industrial workers during the primary period of exposure.

Trust Fund / Legal Status

BWIP-Byron Jackson is a Tier 2 manufacturer — the company has been named as a defendant in asbestos personal injury litigation but has not established a dedicated asbestos bankruptcy trust fund.

According to asbestos litigation records, Byron Jackson and its successor entity BWIP-Byron Jackson have been named as defendants in asbestos-related personal injury lawsuits filed by workers and their families across the United States. Plaintiffs alleged that the company manufactured, sold, and supplied pump equipment containing asbestos-bearing components, and that the company knew or should have known of the health hazards associated with asbestos exposure.

Court filings document claims involving a range of asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease, brought by workers who alleged occupational exposure to asbestos during the installation and maintenance of Byron Jackson pump equipment.

Because BWIP-Byron Jackson does not appear to have reorganized through Chapter 11 bankruptcy and established a Section 524(g) asbestos trust fund, claims against the company must be pursued through civil litigation rather than through a trust fund claims process.

If you or a family member worked with or around Byron Jackson or BWIP pump equipment and has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, the following options may be available:

  • Civil litigation: Because no Byron Jackson / BWIP asbestos trust fund has been established, compensation claims are generally pursued through the civil court system against the responsible corporate entities.
  • Third-party trust fund claims: If exposure occurred in conjunction with asbestos-containing products from other manufacturers — such as gasket manufacturers, insulation suppliers, or packing material producers — separate asbestos trust fund claims may be available through those companies’ established trusts.
  • Veterans’ benefits: Workers who encountered Byron Jackson pump equipment during U.S. Navy service may be eligible for VA disability benefits and health care related to asbestos-related disease.
  • Documentation of exposure: An experienced asbestos attorney can help identify the full history of asbestos-containing products present at a given worksite and assess which manufacturers and trust funds may be relevant to a claim.

The statute of limitations for asbestos claims varies by state and by disease type. Workers and families are encouraged to consult with an attorney experienced in asbestos litigation as promptly as possible following a diagnosis.