Zurn Industries Asbestos Products & Trust Fund Claims

Zurn Industries — headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, and operating under the name Erie City Iron Works through much of its early history — manufactured utility and industrial boilers, steam traps, and heat recovery equipment that were installed throughout American power plants and manufacturing facilities from the early twentieth century through the late 1970s. Documentation from the Powerhouse Database NAMERICA identifies at least 90 Zurn boiler units still on record in U.S. industrial plants, reflecting the scale at which this equipment was distributed across the country’s energy and manufacturing infrastructure. Workers who installed, operated, and maintained Zurn equipment during the peak decades of asbestos use — roughly the 1940s through 1979 — may have faced significant asbestos exposure and may be eligible to file a claim with the Zurn Industries Asbestos Settlement Trust.

Company History

Erie City Iron Works was founded in 1900 in Erie, Pennsylvania, establishing itself as a regional manufacturer of industrial boilers and steam equipment. Over the following decades, the company grew into a nationally recognized supplier of utility-grade and industrial steam generation systems, building a customer base that included electric power utilities, steel mills, chemical plants, paper mills, and large-scale manufacturing operations across the United States.

The company was reorganized and expanded under the Zurn Industries name as it diversified its product lines and expanded its manufacturing reach. Zurn continued producing boilers and steam system components through the 1970s, incorporating asbestos-containing materials into its products in line with the standard engineering and insulation practices of the era. Asbestos was widely specified in high-temperature industrial applications for its thermal resistance, durability, and fire-resistant properties — characteristics that made it the default insulation material in boiler manufacturing until regulatory and health concerns prompted the industry to move away from asbestos by the end of the 1970s.

Zurn Industries ceased asbestos use in 1979, consistent with growing federal regulation under the Clean Air Act and the emerging body of occupational health research linking asbestos to mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. The company’s legacy asbestos liability has since been addressed through the establishment of a dedicated asbestos settlement trust.

Asbestos-Containing Products

Zurn Industries manufactured several categories of products documented to have contained asbestos:

Zurn Erie City Boilers (Utility and Industrial Steam Generators)

The Erie City line of utility and industrial boilers was Zurn’s flagship product category. These units — installed in power generation stations, industrial process plants, and large institutional facilities — were constructed with asbestos-containing insulation throughout their fireboxes, steam drums, headers, and external casing. Asbestos rope gaskets, asbestos block insulation, and asbestos-reinforced refractory materials were standard components in the assembly of these boilers. The Powerhouse Database NAMERICA records 90 Zurn boiler units in U.S. plants, a figure that reflects only surviving or documented installations and underrepresents the total number of units placed in service over Zurn’s decades of production.

Workers who built, erected, operated, and repaired these boilers — including boilermakers, pipefitters, insulators, and power plant operators — routinely worked in proximity to asbestos-containing insulation materials that could release airborne fibers during normal operation, maintenance, and especially during repair and reinsulation work.

Zurn Steam Traps and Specialties

Zurn manufactured a line of steam traps and steam system specialties used to manage condensate and steam flow throughout industrial piping networks. Steam traps are installed at low points in steam lines, at the ends of heating coils, and throughout distribution systems to discharge condensate while retaining live steam. These components were assembled with asbestos-containing packing, gaskets, and valve seat materials capable of withstanding the pressures and temperatures of industrial steam systems. Pipefitters and steamfitters who installed and maintained Zurn steam traps in power plants and manufacturing facilities worked directly with these asbestos-containing components when replacing packing material, reseating valves, or disassembling traps for inspection.

Zurn Heat Recovery Equipment

Zurn’s heat recovery equipment — including economizers and related waste heat systems designed to capture and reuse thermal energy from boiler exhaust — was similarly constructed with asbestos-containing insulation and sealing materials. This equipment was typically installed in close proximity to the main boiler units in power plant configurations, meaning workers who serviced the boilers also encountered asbestos materials associated with Zurn’s heat recovery systems.

Occupational Exposure

Exposure to asbestos from Zurn equipment was concentrated in specific occupational settings and trades:

Boilermakers are among the primary claimant occupations identified in connection with Zurn products. Boilermakers who erected, maintained, and repaired Erie City boilers in power plants and industrial facilities regularly disturbed asbestos block insulation and asbestos rope gaskets during the course of their work. Reinsulation of boiler fireboxes and drum surfaces, replacement of manhole gaskets, and repair of refractory linings were tasks that generated substantial quantities of airborne asbestos dust.

Power plant workers, including operators, maintenance mechanics, and utility tradespeople, worked in environments where Zurn boilers and steam system components were permanently installed. Ambient asbestos fiber levels in boiler rooms and turbine halls where insulated equipment was present could be elevated even during routine operations, not only during active maintenance.

Pipefitters and steamfitters who installed and serviced Zurn steam traps and piping specialties handled asbestos-containing valve packing, cut and fitted asbestos gasket material, and worked alongside other trades conducting insulation work on connected steam lines.

Insulators (asbestos workers) directly applied and removed the block insulation and pipe covering used on Zurn boilers and associated equipment. Insulation removal and replacement — particularly in older plants where original Zurn equipment remained in service through the 1970s and into the 1980s — produced some of the highest documented fiber exposures in industrial settings.

Facilities where Zurn Erie City boilers were documented in service included electric utility generating stations, steel production facilities, pulp and paper mills, chemical plants, and large institutional buildings with central steam plants. Workers employed at any of these facility types during the period from roughly the 1940s through the late 1970s may have had direct or bystander exposure to asbestos from Zurn equipment.

Zurn Industries has an active asbestos personal injury trust: the Zurn Industries Asbestos Settlement Trust. This trust was established to compensate individuals who developed asbestos-related diseases as a result of exposure to Zurn-manufactured products, and it continues to accept and process claims.

Who May Be Eligible

Workers who were diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease — including mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or other asbestos-caused conditions — and who can document exposure to Zurn boilers, steam traps, or related equipment may be eligible to submit a claim to the Zurn Industries Asbestos Settlement Trust. Family members of deceased workers who died from asbestos-related disease may file wrongful death claims on behalf of the decedent’s estate.

Claimants are generally required to provide:

  • A qualifying medical diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease
  • Evidence of exposure to Zurn-manufactured products, which may include employment records, union records, coworker affidavits, or facility documentation confirming the presence of Zurn equipment
  • Documentation of the time period and location of exposure

How to File a Claim

Claims against the Zurn Industries Asbestos Settlement Trust are processed through the trust’s established claims procedures. Most claimants work with an attorney experienced in asbestos litigation to prepare and submit the required documentation. Trust claims are separate from — and can sometimes be filed alongside — lawsuits against other solvent defendants whose products may also have contributed to a claimant’s exposure.

Because trust claim deadlines (statutes of limitations) and payment schedules can vary, individuals who believe they may have a valid claim are encouraged to consult with an asbestos attorney promptly following diagnosis.

Summary

Zurn Industries, formerly Erie City Iron Works of Erie, Pennsylvania, manufactured asbestos-containing boilers, steam traps, and heat recovery equipment from the early 1900s through 1979. These products were installed in power plants and industrial facilities throughout the United States, and the workers who built, operated, and maintained them — particularly boilermakers, power plant workers, pipefitters, and insulators — faced documented asbestos exposure risks.

The Zurn Industries Asbestos Settlement Trust is active and accepting claims from individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or other asbestos-related diseases who can document exposure to Zurn products. Workers who handled or worked near Erie City boilers, Zurn steam traps, or Zurn heat recovery equipment at any point from the 1940s through the late 1970s — as well as their surviving family members — should speak with a qualified asbestos attorney to evaluate their eligibility and begin the claims process.