Selas Corporation of America: Asbestos Exposure and Industrial Furnace Products

Company History

Selas Corporation of America was an American industrial manufacturer best known for producing high-temperature combustion equipment, industrial furnaces, and heat-processing systems. The company developed a reputation in the mid-twentieth century as a supplier of thermal processing equipment to heavy industries including steel, glass, petrochemical refining, and metalworking. Selas furnaces and combustion systems were engineered for demanding production environments that required precise, sustained high temperatures — conditions that, during the postwar industrial era, made asbestos-containing insulation and components a standard feature of equipment design.

Throughout the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Selas equipment was installed across American manufacturing plants, refineries, foundries, and processing facilities. The company’s products were integrated into production lines where workers and maintenance crews operated in close, repeated proximity to the equipment. According to asbestos litigation records, this industrial footprint placed a significant number of workers at potential risk of asbestos exposure over the course of several decades.

Selas continued manufacturing and servicing industrial heating equipment through much of the twentieth century. The company’s use of asbestos-containing materials in its furnace products is believed to have continued through approximately the early 1980s, consistent with the broader industry shift away from asbestos that followed mounting regulatory pressure from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) during that period.

Asbestos-Containing Products

Selas Corporation of America manufactured industrial furnaces and combustion systems that, according to asbestos litigation records, incorporated asbestos-containing materials as standard components during the mid-twentieth century.

Industrial furnaces of the type manufactured by Selas routinely required high-temperature insulation capable of withstanding extreme thermal conditions. During the decades in question, asbestos was widely used by equipment manufacturers for this purpose because of its heat resistance, durability, and relative low cost. Court filings document that Selas furnaces were alleged to have contained asbestos in multiple components, which may have included:

  • Furnace insulation linings — Refractory and insulating materials used to line furnace interiors and retain heat were frequently composed of asbestos-containing products during this era. These linings could release asbestos fibers when the furnace was installed, modified, or serviced.
  • Gaskets and sealing materials — High-temperature gaskets used at furnace joints, access doors, and combustion chamber connections were commonly manufactured with asbestos fiber reinforcement during this period.
  • Insulating blankets and packing materials — Flexible asbestos insulation was used around pipes, burner assemblies, and other components subject to elevated heat.
  • External insulation wraps and jacketing — Outer insulation applied to furnace housings and associated ductwork or piping may have incorporated asbestos-containing materials.

Plaintiffs alleged in litigation that Selas-branded furnaces and heating systems contained these and related asbestos-containing materials through much of the company’s productive period. According to asbestos litigation records, workers who installed, operated, repaired, or decommissioned Selas furnaces were potentially exposed to asbestos fibers released from these components — particularly when insulating materials were cut, abraded, disturbed, or removed during maintenance procedures.

It should be noted that the specific product models identified in litigation records, and the precise asbestos content of individual components, may vary. Individuals researching exposure history are encouraged to consult litigation records and, where available, historical product documentation for the specific equipment involved.

Occupational Exposure

Workers across a range of industrial trades encountered Selas furnaces and combustion equipment as a regular part of their professional duties. According to asbestos litigation records, the occupations most commonly associated with potential asbestos exposure from Selas industrial furnace equipment include:

  • Industrial furnace operators and technicians — Workers who operated and monitored Selas furnaces on a day-to-day basis were in sustained proximity to equipment whose insulating components may have deteriorated over time, releasing asbestos fibers into the surrounding air.
  • Maintenance and repair workers — Routine and emergency maintenance on industrial furnaces frequently required direct handling of insulated components. Court filings document allegations that this work disturbed asbestos-containing materials, generating respirable dust.
  • Millwrights and boilermakers — Skilled tradespeople involved in the installation, alignment, and assembly of industrial heating equipment would have encountered asbestos-containing furnace components during initial installation and subsequent overhauls.
  • Pipefitters and insulators — Workers connecting piping and applying or removing insulation from furnace-associated systems may have worked directly with asbestos-containing materials integrated into the Selas equipment or installed alongside it.
  • Ironworkers and steelworkers — In steel production environments where Selas furnaces were used for heat treating and metalworking processes, production workers may have been in the general proximity of these systems for extended portions of their working lives.
  • Refinery and chemical plant workers — Selas combustion equipment was used in petrochemical and refining facilities, where process workers and equipment operators could be exposed to airborne asbestos released from aging or disturbed furnace insulation.

Plaintiffs alleged that asbestos exposure from Selas furnace equipment occurred both through direct handling of components and through bystander exposure in shared workspaces where insulation disturbance created airborne contamination. Court filings document that in many industrial settings, multiple trades worked in proximity, and asbestos fibers released by one activity could affect workers in adjacent areas who were not directly involved in furnace work.

The latency period between asbestos exposure and the development of related diseases — including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and asbestos-related lung cancer — is well established in medical literature as commonly ranging from ten to fifty years. This means that workers exposed to Selas furnace equipment during the 1940s through the early 1980s may only have received diagnoses in recent decades, or may still be at risk of future diagnosis.

Secondary exposure is also documented in the historical record. Family members of industrial workers, particularly those who laundered work clothing contaminated with asbestos dust, have been identified in litigation records as potentially exposed individuals.

Selas Corporation of America does not have an established asbestos bankruptcy trust fund. The company has been named as a defendant in asbestos-related personal injury and wrongful death litigation in the United States civil court system. According to asbestos litigation records, plaintiffs who worked with or around Selas industrial furnaces have brought claims alleging that asbestos-containing materials in the company’s equipment caused or contributed to the development of serious and life-threatening diseases.

Because no bankruptcy trust has been established, individuals seeking legal recourse related to Selas equipment must pursue claims through the civil litigation process rather than through a trust fund claims process. Court filings document that Selas has been identified as a defendant in asbestos dockets, though the specific procedural history of individual cases varies.

Workers and families should be aware that asbestos litigation involving industrial equipment manufacturers can be complex. Claims may involve multiple defendants, including the manufacturers of component materials installed in Selas furnaces, employers who maintained the equipment, and other entities in the chain of distribution. An experienced asbestos attorney can help identify all potentially responsible parties and determine the most appropriate legal strategy based on the specific facts of an individual’s exposure history.

If you or a family member worked with or around Selas industrial furnaces and has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or another asbestos-related disease, the following points summarize your general legal options:

  • No bankruptcy trust exists for Selas Corporation of America. Claims must be filed through the civil court system rather than through a trust fund claims process.
  • Civil litigation remains an option. According to asbestos litigation records, individuals alleging exposure from Selas equipment have pursued personal injury and wrongful death claims in civil court.
  • Multiple defendants may apply. Industrial furnace exposure cases often involve component manufacturers, employers, distributors, and other parties in addition to the equipment manufacturer.
  • Documentation of exposure matters. Employment records, union records, facility histories, and co-worker testimony are all potentially relevant to establishing a history of contact with Selas furnace equipment.
  • Statutes of limitations apply. Time limits for filing asbestos-related claims vary and are generally tied to the date of diagnosis or the date a claimant knew or should have known of the connection between a diagnosis and asbestos exposure. Consulting an attorney promptly after diagnosis is advisable.

Workers in the steel, refining, metalworking, and chemical processing industries — and their families — who have reason to believe Selas furnace equipment was present at their jobsites are encouraged to document their employment history in as much detail as possible and to consult with legal counsel experienced in asbestos-related claims.