Garlock Sealing Technologies: Asbestos-Containing Gaskets and Industrial Sealing Products

Garlock Sealing Technologies manufactured asbestos-containing gaskets and industrial sealing products for nearly a century, supplying refineries, chemical plants, power stations, and heavy industrial facilities across the United States. Workers who handled, cut, or installed Garlock gaskets between the 1940s and 1985 may have experienced significant asbestos fiber exposure. The company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization resulted in the establishment of the Garlock Settlement Trust, which continues to process asbestos personal injury claims today.

Company History

Garlock was founded in 1887 in Palmyra, New York, initially producing packings and sealing products for the steam-driven machinery of the industrial era. As American manufacturing expanded through the early twentieth century, Garlock grew into one of the nation’s leading suppliers of industrial gaskets and sealing systems. The company’s products were engineered to withstand extreme heat, pressure, and chemical exposure — applications for which asbestos-reinforced materials were widely considered the industry standard.

Throughout the mid-twentieth century, Garlock supplied gaskets and packing materials to virtually every sector of heavy American industry. Refineries, chemical processing plants, paper mills, shipyards, and power generation facilities all relied on Garlock products to seal flanges, valves, pumps, and piping systems. The company held numerous product lines, each designed for specific temperature ranges, pressure tolerances, and chemical environments.

Garlock continued manufacturing asbestos-containing sealing products until 1985, when it transitioned to non-asbestos alternatives. Decades of asbestos-related personal injury litigation followed, and in 2010, Garlock Sealing Technologies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The bankruptcy process ultimately produced the Garlock Settlement Trust, a dedicated compensation fund established to resolve asbestos personal injury claims arising from the company’s products.

Asbestos-Containing Products

Garlock manufactured a documented range of asbestos-containing products that were distributed and installed nationwide from the 1940s through 1985.

Compressed Asbestos Sheet Gaskets — Style 900 and Style 8500

Garlock’s compressed asbestos sheet gaskets were among the most widely distributed asbestos-containing gasket materials sold to American industry. The Style 900 and Style 8500 product lines consisted of sheets made from chrysotile asbestos fiber bound with rubber compounds and reinforcing materials. These sheets were commonly cut on-site by pipefitters, boilermakers, and maintenance workers into custom gasket shapes to fit specific flange dimensions.

The cutting, trimming, and fitting of compressed asbestos sheet gaskets generated respirable asbestos dust. Workers using knives, shears, or power cutting tools to fabricate gaskets from Garlock sheets were directly exposed to released fibers. Bystanders — including other tradesmen working nearby — could also inhale airborne asbestos without directly handling the material.

Compressed asbestos sheet gaskets were used in high-temperature, high-pressure applications throughout refineries, chemical plants, and steam systems. They were installed in flanged pipe connections, heat exchangers, pressure vessels, and process equipment of every description.

Asbestos Rope Packing

Garlock manufactured asbestos rope packing used to seal valve stems, pump shafts, and other rotating or reciprocating equipment. Asbestos rope packing was braided or twisted from asbestos fiber, sometimes combined with graphite or other materials to improve lubrication and chemical resistance.

Installation and removal of asbestos rope packing involved direct manual handling of asbestos-containing material. Workers cutting packing to length, pressing it into stuffing boxes, or removing deteriorated packing from in-service equipment were exposed to asbestos fibers at close range. Valve maintenance in particular — a routine task in any industrial facility — repeatedly exposed pipefitters and millwrights to Garlock packing materials over the course of entire careers.

Spiral-Wound Gaskets with Asbestos Filler

Garlock also produced spiral-wound gaskets in which asbestos served as the filler material between the wound metal strips. These gaskets were designed for demanding service conditions in high-temperature and high-pressure piping systems. Spiral-wound gaskets with asbestos filler were commonly specified for refinery process lines, petrochemical plants, and steam generation systems.

While spiral-wound gaskets presented lower dust-generation risk during installation than compressed sheet gaskets, the removal of aged or damaged gaskets could release asbestos fibers as the filler material deteriorated. Maintenance workers performing turnarounds and overhauls at industrial facilities regularly encountered and removed spiral-wound gaskets that had been in service for years or decades.

Occupational Exposure

Garlock gaskets and sealing products were used extensively across American industry from the post-World War II era through the mid-1980s. The occupational groups most likely to have encountered these products include:

  • Pipefitters and steamfitters who installed and removed flanged gaskets throughout industrial piping systems
  • Boilermakers who worked on boiler systems and pressure vessels requiring asbestos sheet gaskets
  • Millwrights and maintenance mechanics who serviced valves and pumps packed with asbestos rope packing
  • Refinery workers at petroleum refineries where Garlock products were specified throughout process units
  • Chemical plant workers at facilities where Garlock gaskets sealed process lines handling corrosive or high-temperature substances
  • Shipyard workers who installed and maintained Garlock products in marine piping systems
  • Power plant workers at coal-fired, nuclear, and industrial steam generation facilities
  • Insulators who worked near gasket installation and removal activities

Exposure was not limited to primary installers. Any worker present when compressed asbestos sheet gaskets were cut to shape, or when deteriorated asbestos packing was removed from valve stuffing boxes, could inhale airborne asbestos fibers. In the confined spaces common to refineries and chemical plants — pipe chases, equipment rooms, vessel interiors — fiber concentrations could be substantially elevated.

Garlock products were sold through industrial supply distributors and installed by contractors and in-house maintenance crews. This broad distribution means that exposure histories involving Garlock gaskets are documented across dozens of industries and hundreds of individual facilities throughout the country.

Workers who handled Garlock gaskets and packing without adequate respiratory protection over the course of careers spanning the 1950s through 1980s may have accumulated substantial cumulative asbestos exposure. Diseases including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and asbestos-related lung cancer have latency periods of 20 to 50 years, meaning workers exposed during this era may only now be receiving diagnoses.

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and Trust Establishment

Garlock Sealing Technologies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2010 in response to the volume of asbestos personal injury claims it faced. The bankruptcy proceeding was conducted in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of North Carolina. Following the reorganization process, the Garlock Settlement Trust was established as the exclusive vehicle for compensating individuals with asbestos-related claims against Garlock.

The Garlock Settlement Trust is an active, funded trust that continues to accept and pay claims. Filing a claim with the Trust is the primary legal avenue available to individuals injured by Garlock asbestos products.

Who May Be Eligible to File a Claim

Individuals who may be eligible to file a claim with the Garlock Settlement Trust include:

  • Workers diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer, or other asbestos-related diseases who can document occupational exposure to Garlock products
  • Surviving family members of deceased workers who experienced qualifying exposure and died of an asbestos-related disease
  • Workers with documented bystander or secondary exposure to Garlock gasket materials in industrial settings

Eligibility generally requires medical documentation of an asbestos-related diagnosis and evidence of exposure to Garlock-specific products. Exposure evidence can take many forms, including work history records, co-worker affidavits, facility maintenance records, and product identification documentation.

How to File a Claim

Claims against the Garlock Settlement Trust are processed through the Trust’s established claims facility. The Trust has published claims payment procedures that govern how different disease categories are valued and paid. An attorney experienced in asbestos trust fund claims can assist with:

  • Gathering and organizing medical records documenting an asbestos-related diagnosis
  • Compiling occupational history evidence linking the claimant to Garlock products
  • Completing and submitting the Trust’s required claim forms
  • Understanding how the Trust’s payment percentages and disease category values apply to a specific claim

Because the Garlock Settlement Trust is one of many asbestos trusts currently paying claims, workers exposed to Garlock products may also have compensable claims against other trusts if they were exposed to asbestos-containing products from additional manufacturers. An asbestos claims attorney can evaluate the full scope of potential trust fund and litigation options.

Summary

Garlock Sealing Technologies manufactured asbestos-containing gaskets and sealing products — including the Style 900 and Style 8500 compressed sheet gaskets, asbestos rope packing, and spiral-wound gaskets with asbestos filler — from the 1940s until 1985. These products were installed throughout American refineries, chemical plants, power stations, and industrial facilities by pipefitters, boilermakers, millwrights, and maintenance workers.

Following its 2010 Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Garlock established the Garlock Settlement Trust, which remains active and continues to pay asbestos personal injury claims. Workers diagnosed with mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases who handled Garlock gaskets or packing materials during their careers, as well as the families of deceased workers, may be eligible to file a trust fund claim. Consulting an attorney who specializes in asbestos trust fund claims is the most effective way to determine eligibility, gather required documentation, and pursue available compensation.