Yarway Corporation — Asbestos Products Reference

Company History

Yarway Corporation was a Pennsylvania-based industrial manufacturer that specialized in steam and fluid control equipment for heavy industrial applications. The company built a reputation over decades as a supplier of valves, steam traps, and related mechanical components used in power generation, chemical processing, petroleum refining, and other industries that relied on high-pressure steam systems.

Yarway’s products were widely distributed to industrial facilities across the United States throughout the mid-twentieth century, a period during which asbestos-containing materials were considered standard components in high-temperature and high-pressure equipment. The company supplied products to shipyards, power plants, oil refineries, paper mills, and industrial manufacturing sites where steam system maintenance was an ongoing part of daily operations.

According to asbestos litigation records, Yarway Corporation became a named defendant in personal injury lawsuits filed by workers who alleged exposure to asbestos-containing components associated with the company’s steam system products. Court filings document that Yarway’s equipment was present on jobsites during the period when asbestos insulation and packing materials were routinely used in the installation, operation, and maintenance of industrial valves and steam traps.

Yarway Corporation was later acquired by Tyco International, a large industrial conglomerate. Questions about successor liability and the scope of historical asbestos claims have followed the corporate lineage of the Yarway product line through subsequent ownership changes.

Asbestos-Containing Products

Yarway Corporation manufactured a range of valves, steam traps, and related steam system components that, according to asbestos litigation records, incorporated asbestos-containing materials as original components or were used in conjunction with asbestos-containing packing, gaskets, and insulation during installation and maintenance.

Valves

Plaintiffs alleged that Yarway-manufactured industrial valves contained asbestos-containing internal packing materials and gaskets as part of their original manufactured configuration. Valves used in high-temperature and high-pressure steam service during this era commonly required packing that could withstand extreme heat conditions, and asbestos was the material of choice for this application throughout much of the mid-twentieth century.

Court filings document that during routine maintenance activities — including valve repacking, bonnet removal, and seat replacement — workers would disturb asbestos-containing packing and gasket materials, releasing respirable asbestos fibers into the surrounding work environment. This type of maintenance task was performed repeatedly throughout the working lives of pipefitters, steamfitters, boilermakers, and millwrights employed at facilities where Yarway valves were installed.

Steam Traps

Yarway was recognized within industrial markets as a manufacturer of steam traps — mechanical devices designed to discharge condensate and non-condensable gases from steam systems while retaining live steam. According to asbestos litigation records, steam traps manufactured by Yarway were alleged to contain asbestos-containing materials within their internal components and were frequently insulated with asbestos-containing materials upon installation.

Plaintiffs alleged that the maintenance and replacement of Yarway steam traps exposed workers to asbestos fibers both from the internal components of the devices and from the removal and reapplication of external pipe insulation and fitting insulation that accompanied steam trap repair work.

Companion Materials

Court filings document that Yarway’s valve and steam trap products were routinely associated with asbestos-containing companion materials, including:

  • Valve stem packing: Braided or compressed asbestos packing inserted into valve stuffing boxes to prevent steam leakage
  • Flange gaskets: Asbestos sheet or spiral-wound gaskets used at pipe connection points
  • Pipe and fitting insulation: Asbestos block, cement, or wrap insulation applied to adjacent piping at installation

Even where the Yarway component itself may not have contained asbestos as an integral manufactured part, plaintiffs alleged that the foreseeability of asbestos companion materials being used with the product during installation and maintenance is central to the exposure claims associated with the company’s product line.

Occupational Exposure

Workers employed in industries that operated steam-driven systems were among those most likely to have encountered Yarway Corporation equipment over the course of their careers. According to asbestos litigation records, the trades most commonly represented in claims involving Yarway products include:

  • Pipefitters and steamfitters who installed, maintained, and replaced steam system components including valves and traps
  • Boilermakers working in power generation facilities where steam systems were central to plant operations
  • Millwrights responsible for mechanical maintenance at paper mills, chemical plants, and manufacturing facilities
  • Insulators who applied and removed asbestos insulation from piping systems that included Yarway components
  • Refinery workers at petroleum processing facilities where high-pressure steam systems were used extensively
  • Shipyard workers who maintained steam-driven propulsion and auxiliary systems on naval and commercial vessels

The exposure pattern associated with Yarway products follows what asbestos litigation records frequently describe as “bystander” and “maintenance” exposure — workers who were not directly manipulating asbestos products but who worked in proximity to others performing valve repacking, steam trap replacement, or adjacent insulation work. Asbestos fiber releases during these tasks were not contained, and airborne fibers could travel throughout enclosed machinery spaces, boiler rooms, and pipe chases.

Court filings document that exposure to Yarway products was often cumulative with exposures from other manufacturers’ valves, pumps, and insulation products present on the same jobsite. Asbestos-related disease, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis, has a long latency period — typically 20 to 50 years between first exposure and diagnosis — meaning that workers exposed to Yarway products during the 1940s through the early 1980s may be receiving diagnoses today.

Yarway Corporation ceased incorporating asbestos-containing materials into its products at approximately the time the broader industrial shift away from asbestos occurred in the early 1980s, coinciding with increased regulatory scrutiny from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Trust Fund / Legal Status

Yarway Corporation is a Tier 2 manufacturer in terms of its asbestos litigation history. There is no Yarway-specific asbestos bankruptcy trust fund established under Section 524(g) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Yarway did not file for asbestos-related bankruptcy reorganization in the manner that some other major asbestos defendants have pursued.

According to asbestos litigation records, claims against Yarway Corporation have been litigated in civil courts across the United States. Yarway has appeared as a named defendant in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits filed by workers and their families alleging asbestos-related illness connected to exposure to the company’s valve and steam trap products.

Because Yarway was subsequently acquired by Tyco International, questions regarding successor liability — whether a corporate successor inherits responsibility for a predecessor company’s asbestos liabilities — have been addressed within various litigation proceedings. Plaintiffs’ attorneys have pursued claims through this corporate succession chain in appropriate court jurisdictions.

There is no established trust fund through which eligible claimants can file administrative claims directly. Individuals with asbestos-related diagnoses linked to Yarway products would need to pursue compensation through civil litigation rather than through a structured trust fund claims process.

If you or a family member worked with or around Yarway Corporation valves, steam traps, or related steam system components and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, the following points apply to your situation:

  • No Yarway asbestos trust fund exists. Compensation is not available through an administrative trust fund filing process.
  • Civil litigation is the primary avenue. Claims against Yarway or its corporate successors must be pursued through the civil court system with the assistance of an asbestos attorney.
  • Exposure history matters. Documentation of the specific facilities, dates, and job tasks where Yarway products were encountered will be important to your claim.
  • Other trust funds may apply. Workers exposed to Yarway equipment were typically exposed to products from multiple manufacturers on the same jobsites. Asbestos trust funds established by other defendants — including manufacturers of insulation, gaskets, or other companion products present at your worksite — may offer additional avenues for compensation independent of any claim against Yarway.
  • Statutes of limitations apply. Time limits for filing asbestos claims vary and generally begin running from the date of diagnosis, not the date of exposure. Consulting with an asbestos attorney promptly after diagnosis is strongly advised.

An experienced asbestos attorney can review your work and medical history, identify all potentially responsible parties, and advise you on the most appropriate legal strategy given your specific circumstances.