FMC Corporation (Peerless Pumps): Asbestos Exposure History and Legal Background

FMC Corporation, through its Peerless Pumps division, manufactured industrial pumping equipment that was widely used across American heavy industry for much of the twentieth century. According to asbestos litigation records, workers who installed, maintained, and repaired Peerless Pumps equipment on industrial jobsites may have encountered asbestos-containing components associated with these products during the period roughly spanning the 1940s through the early 1980s. This reference article is intended to assist workers, their families, and legal professionals in researching potential occupational exposure histories involving FMC and the Peerless Pumps product line.

Company History

FMC Corporation — originally Food Machinery Corporation — was incorporated in the early twentieth century and grew steadily through acquisition and diversification into one of the largest American industrial manufacturers of the mid-century era. The company’s operations came to span an unusually broad range of industrial segments, including agricultural machinery, defense systems, chemical production, and, critically for asbestos exposure purposes, fluid handling equipment.

Peerless Pumps was established as an industrial pump manufacturer and was acquired by FMC, becoming one of the corporation’s recognized divisions producing centrifugal, turbine, and other heavy-duty pumping systems. Peerless Pumps equipment was sold under both the Peerless and FMC brand names and found extensive use in the petroleum refining, petrochemical processing, power generation, water treatment, and general manufacturing industries.

FMC’s industrial divisions supplied equipment to major refineries, chemical plants, and power facilities across the United States. The company maintained manufacturing and distribution operations in multiple states, and its pump equipment was installed in facilities that were also served by other industrial product manufacturers — creating layered exposure environments for the workers who worked around them.

By the early 1980s, as federal regulatory pressure mounted and the health consequences of asbestos exposure became legally and scientifically undeniable, FMC, like most major industrial manufacturers, moved away from asbestos-containing components in its product lines.

Asbestos-Containing Products

According to asbestos litigation records, FMC’s Peerless Pumps equipment was alleged to have incorporated asbestos-containing components as part of standard industrial construction practices of the era. Plaintiffs alleged that these components were present in or associated with pump assemblies sold under the Peerless and FMC names during the decades when asbestos use was routine throughout American industry.

Court filings document that the types of asbestos-containing materials typically associated with industrial pump equipment of this period included:

  • Gaskets and packing materials: Compressed asbestos sheet gaskets were standard for sealing pump flanges, casing joints, and connections to adjacent piping. Braided asbestos packing was used in stuffing boxes and mechanical seal areas to prevent fluid leakage around pump shafts.
  • Insulating materials: Plaintiffs alleged that thermal insulation applied to pump casings, associated piping, and valve assemblies at jobsites frequently contained asbestos, particularly in high-temperature process applications common in refineries and power plants.
  • Associated valve and flange components: In many industrial installations, pumps were supplied as part of integrated systems that included valves, flanges, and fittings, some of which court filings document as containing asbestos-based materials.

It is important to note that in industrial settings, asbestos-containing components from multiple manufacturers were frequently used in proximity. Workers who serviced Peerless Pumps equipment may also have encountered asbestos from insulation, pipe covering, and other materials supplied by third-party manufacturers as part of the same installation.

Plaintiffs alleged that FMC had knowledge of the hazards associated with asbestos-containing components used with its equipment during the relevant period, though liability for specific claims remains a matter of litigation and has not been universally established as legal fact.

Occupational Exposure

According to asbestos litigation records, the populations most frequently identified as having potential occupational exposure in connection with FMC and Peerless Pumps equipment include workers in the following trades and industries:

Pipefitters and Millwrights: These workers were responsible for the installation, alignment, and connection of pump equipment to process piping systems. Installation work frequently involved cutting and fitting asbestos gasket material to flanged connections, activities that court filings document as capable of generating significant airborne asbestos fiber concentrations.

Pump Mechanics and Maintenance Workers: Routine maintenance of centrifugal and turbine pumps involved disassembling casings, removing and replacing packing materials, and re-gasketing pump covers. Plaintiffs alleged that these tasks — performed repeatedly over the course of a working career — resulted in sustained asbestos fiber exposure, particularly when deteriorated asbestos packing and gaskets were broken out and replaced.

Refinery and Petrochemical Workers: The petroleum refining and chemical processing industries were among the largest users of Peerless Pumps equipment. Workers at refineries and chemical plants encountered pump equipment in the context of broader industrial environments where asbestos was present in insulation, equipment wrapping, and process piping throughout the facility.

Power Plant Workers: Steam-generating power plants utilized pumps extensively for boiler feedwater, condensate return, and cooling water systems. Court filings document that power plant maintenance personnel frequently worked around pump equipment in environments where asbestos insulation was present on adjacent boilers, turbines, and piping.

Insulators: Insulation workers who applied or removed thermal insulation from pump equipment and adjacent piping were at particular risk in these environments, as asbestos-containing pipe covering and block insulation were standard materials in power and process industries well into the 1970s.

The latency period for asbestos-related diseases — the time between initial exposure and clinical diagnosis — typically ranges from ten to fifty years. This means that workers exposed to asbestos in connection with FMC and Peerless Pumps equipment during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s may only recently have received diagnoses of mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or related conditions. Family members who laundered the work clothing of pump mechanics and maintenance workers may also have experienced secondary asbestos exposure.

FMC Corporation — including its Peerless Pumps division — is classified as a Tier 2 manufacturer for purposes of this reference. This means that while FMC has been named as a defendant in asbestos personal injury litigation, the company has not established a dedicated asbestos bankruptcy trust fund of the type created by manufacturers that resolved their asbestos liability through Chapter 11 reorganization.

According to asbestos litigation records, claims involving FMC and Peerless Pumps equipment have been pursued through the civil court system in jurisdictions across the United States. Plaintiffs in these cases have alleged negligence, failure to warn, and product liability in connection with asbestos-containing components associated with Peerless Pumps products. Court filings document that these cases have proceeded through standard civil litigation channels rather than through a centralized trust fund claims process.

Because FMC does not maintain an asbestos trust fund, individuals seeking legal redress for asbestos-related illness connected to Peerless Pumps equipment must pursue claims through direct litigation. This process differs meaningfully from trust fund claims, which involve a structured submission process with defined medical and occupational criteria.

Individuals who believe they have an exposure history involving FMC or Peerless Pumps products should be aware that:

  • Statutes of limitations for asbestos personal injury claims vary by jurisdiction and typically begin to run from the date of diagnosis, not the date of exposure.
  • Documentation of exposure — including employment records, union records, co-worker testimony, and product identification evidence — is particularly important in direct litigation.
  • Multi-defendant litigation is common in asbestos cases, and exposure to products from multiple manufacturers is frequently documented in court filings involving pump equipment.

Summary

FMC Corporation’s Peerless Pumps division manufactured industrial pumping equipment used across American refineries, power plants, and chemical facilities from mid-century through the early 1980s. According to asbestos litigation records, workers who installed, maintained, or repaired this equipment may have encountered asbestos-containing gaskets, packing materials, and associated insulation during the course of their work. Plaintiffs alleged that these exposures created health risks that have since manifested as mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases.

FMC has not established an asbestos bankruptcy trust fund. Workers or family members with potential exposure histories involving Peerless Pumps equipment should consult with an attorney experienced in asbestos litigation to evaluate their legal options, document their exposure history, and understand the applicable deadlines for filing claims.