Halliburton and Asbestos-Containing Pump Equipment: Occupational Exposure History

Company History

Halliburton is one of the largest and most diversified energy services companies in the United States, with operations spanning oilfield services, industrial construction, and equipment manufacturing. Over the course of the twentieth century, Halliburton grew through a series of acquisitions and subsidiary operations that extended its reach across multiple industrial sectors, including the manufacture and distribution of pumping equipment used in refineries, power plants, shipyards, and industrial facilities throughout the country.

Among the most significant of these acquisitions was Halliburton’s connection to the Worthington Pump product line. Worthington Pump had a long industrial history as a manufacturer of high-capacity pumps used in demanding environments where heat resistance and mechanical durability were critical. These environments — including steam systems, chemical processing lines, and marine engine rooms — were precisely the settings where asbestos-containing components were considered standard engineering practice during the mid-twentieth century. According to asbestos litigation records, Halliburton’s involvement with Worthington Pump placed the company at the center of significant occupational asbestos exposure claims filed by industrial and maritime workers.

Halliburton is understood to have continued involvement with asbestos-containing pump products through approximately the early 1980s, at which point regulatory pressure, evolving occupational health standards, and mounting litigation contributed to the broader industry shift away from asbestos-containing materials.

Asbestos-Containing Products

The primary product category associated with Halliburton in the context of asbestos litigation is industrial pump equipment, specifically the Worthington Pump, documented in use from approximately 1942 through 1982.

Court filings document that Worthington Pump units were manufactured or distributed with asbestos-containing components during this period. Plaintiffs alleged that asbestos was incorporated into multiple parts of these pumps, including:

  • Gaskets — flat sealing components installed between pump flanges, valve bodies, and mating surfaces, commonly manufactured using compressed asbestos fiber during this era
  • Packing materials — braided or molded asbestos rope and sheet packing used to create dynamic seals around pump shafts and valve stems
  • Insulation blankets and wraps — applied to pump housings and associated piping to manage extreme temperatures in steam and process systems
  • Internal sealing components — according to plaintiffs’ allegations in asbestos litigation, internal components on high-temperature pump models were designed to interface with asbestos-containing materials during installation and service

The use of asbestos in these components was not incidental. During the 1940s through the 1970s, asbestos was considered the industry-standard material for high-heat, high-pressure sealing applications. Worthington Pump equipment was designed for service conditions — including steam pressures exceeding several hundred pounds per square inch — where asbestos materials were regarded as functionally essential.

According to asbestos litigation records, the asbestos content of gaskets and packing used in or with Worthington Pump equipment posed a documented exposure risk during routine maintenance activities. When workers cut gaskets to fit, removed old packing material, or broke flange seals to service pump components, asbestos fibers were released into the surrounding air.

Occupational Exposure

Workers across several major industrial sectors encountered Worthington Pump equipment associated with Halliburton during the documented exposure period. Court filings identify the following occupational settings as relevant exposure environments:

Industrial and Manufacturing Worksites

Worthington Pump units were widely used in heavy industrial plants, including chemical processing facilities, refineries, and power generation stations. Pipefitters, millwrights, boilermakers, and maintenance mechanics working in these environments regularly serviced pump equipment as part of scheduled maintenance and emergency repair cycles. Plaintiffs alleged that the routine removal and replacement of asbestos-containing gaskets and packing on Worthington Pump units exposed workers to airborne asbestos fibers repeatedly over the course of their careers.

Shipyard and Maritime Environments

According to asbestos litigation records, Worthington Pump equipment was present aboard naval and commercial vessels and in the shipyard environments where those vessels were built, repaired, and overhauled. Machinists, pipefitters, and shipfitters working in engine rooms and machinery spaces encountered pump systems requiring regular maintenance. The confined spaces typical of shipboard environments meant that asbestos dust generated during gasket or packing work had limited ability to disperse, potentially increasing the concentration of airborne fibers in the breathing zone of workers performing these tasks. Court filings document that maritime workers named Worthington Pump equipment among the asbestos-containing products they encountered during their service.

School and Institutional Facilities

The presence of Worthington Pump equipment in school heating and mechanical systems is also documented in asbestos litigation records. Boiler rooms and mechanical spaces in older school buildings commonly relied on industrial-grade pump equipment to circulate steam or hot water through building heating systems. Custodial staff, building engineers, and maintenance contractors who serviced this equipment — particularly in schools constructed or renovated between the 1940s and 1970s — may have encountered asbestos-containing gaskets and packing materials associated with this equipment. Under the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA), enacted in 1986, schools were required to inspect for and manage asbestos-containing materials in their buildings, including within mechanical systems where pump equipment and associated insulation materials were installed.

Secondary and Bystander Exposure

Workers in proximity to pump maintenance activities — including laborers, helpers, and workers in adjacent trades — may also have been exposed to asbestos fibers released during the servicing of Worthington Pump components. Additionally, household members of workers who carried asbestos-contaminated clothing home from industrial or shipyard worksites may have experienced secondary exposure, a pathway recognized in occupational health literature and addressed in litigation involving this class of asbestos-containing equipment.

Halliburton is classified as a Tier 2 manufacturer for purposes of asbestos exposure research on this site. This means that while the company has been named as a defendant in asbestos-related personal injury litigation in connection with Worthington Pump equipment, Halliburton has not established a dedicated asbestos bankruptcy trust fund. There is no Halliburton asbestos trust from which claims can be filed directly.

According to asbestos litigation records, Halliburton and related entities have been defendants in civil asbestos cases brought by workers in industrial, maritime, and institutional settings. Plaintiffs in these cases alleged exposure to asbestos-containing components associated with Worthington Pump products during the documented manufacturing and distribution period of approximately 1942 to 1982.

Because no bankruptcy trust exists for Halliburton asbestos claims, individuals who believe they were exposed to asbestos through Worthington Pump equipment or other Halliburton-affiliated products do not have a trust fund claims process available to them. Legal options in this context generally involve pursuing civil litigation against responsible parties.

It is worth noting that asbestos claims arising from pump equipment exposure frequently involve multiple defendants, because a single pump installation may have incorporated components from several manufacturers — including gasket suppliers, insulation contractors, and valve manufacturers — each of whom may bear some responsibility under applicable law. An experienced asbestos attorney can review employment history, work site records, and medical documentation to identify the full range of potentially responsible parties.

If you or a family member worked with or around Worthington Pump equipment at an industrial facility, shipyard, or institutional building between approximately 1942 and 1982, and have received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, the following steps are generally relevant:

  • Halliburton has not established an asbestos bankruptcy trust fund. Claims arising from Worthington Pump exposure cannot be filed through a trust claims process at this time.
  • Civil litigation remains a potential avenue. According to asbestos litigation records, claims involving Worthington Pump equipment have been brought in civil courts by workers in industrial, maritime, and school maintenance settings.
  • Employment and exposure documentation matters. Records showing where you worked, what equipment you serviced, and what products you handled are valuable in establishing an exposure history.
  • Multiple companies may be involved. Because asbestos-containing gaskets, packing, and insulation associated with pump systems often came from multiple manufacturers, claims may extend beyond any single defendant.
  • Consult an attorney with asbestos litigation experience. A qualified attorney can assess your specific exposure history, identify applicable defendants, and determine whether civil litigation or claims against other available trusts are appropriate based on your circumstances.

Individuals diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases are encouraged to act promptly, as legal claims are subject to statutes of limitations that vary by jurisdiction and by the date of diagnosis or discovery of disease.