Armatemp Cement No. 166

Product Description

Armatemp Cement No. 166 was an industrial insulating cement manufactured by Armstrong Contracting and Supply Corporation (AC&S) from approximately 1962 through 1971. AC&S was a prominent insulation contractor and materials supplier that operated across a wide range of industrial sectors during the mid-twentieth century, providing thermal insulation products to power plants, refineries, chemical processing facilities, shipyards, and heavy manufacturing operations throughout the United States.

Armatemp Cement No. 166 was formulated as a high-temperature insulating cement, a category of product designed to be mixed with water and applied in a trowelable or moldable state onto pipes, fittings, vessels, and equipment surfaces exposed to extreme heat. Once cured, these cements formed a rigid, load-bearing insulation layer capable of withstanding sustained elevated temperatures encountered in industrial process environments. Products in this category were commonly used to insulate steam lines, boiler systems, heat exchangers, and other components where conventional pre-formed insulation could not achieve a complete or uniform fit.

The Armatemp product line was part of AC&S’s broader catalog of industrial insulation materials. The company marketed Armatemp Cement No. 166 specifically for commercial and industrial pipe insulation applications during its production window. AC&S, later involved in significant asbestos litigation, was a subsidiary of Armstrong World Industries, and its products have been the subject of extensive legal proceedings related to asbestos-related disease.

Asbestos Content

Armatemp Cement No. 166 contained chrysotile asbestos as a functional component of its formulation. Chrysotile, also known as white asbestos, is a serpentine mineral fiber that was widely incorporated into insulating cements during this era because of its heat resistance, binding characteristics, and reinforcing properties. When blended into a cement matrix, chrysotile fibers helped stabilize the product at high temperatures, improved tensile strength after curing, and contributed to the material’s overall insulating performance.

Chrysotile was the predominant asbestos fiber type used in the American industrial insulation industry throughout the 1960s and into the early 1970s. Manufacturers including AC&S sourced chrysotile from North American mines, particularly from Canadian producers, and incorporated it into a range of field-applied products. Although chrysotile has at times been characterized as less hazardous than amphibole asbestos varieties such as amosite or crocidolite, regulatory and scientific consensus—including positions adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency under AHERA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer—classifies all forms of asbestos, including chrysotile, as confirmed human carcinogens. No safe threshold of exposure to chrysotile asbestos fibers has been established.

How Workers Were Exposed

Workers who mixed, applied, finished, or disturbed Armatemp Cement No. 166 during its production years faced potential exposure to airborne chrysotile asbestos fibers. The nature of insulating cement work created multiple exposure pathways that were characteristic of the broader insulation trades during the mid-twentieth century.

Industrial workers generally who handled Armatemp Cement No. 166 encountered asbestos in several ways. Dry mixing was among the most hazardous steps: workers who combined the powdered cement with water in open containers could generate substantial airborne dust concentrations, as the dry product released fiber-laden particulates before water was added to bind the material. Bagged cement products of this type were documented in occupational health literature as significant dust sources during the mixing phase.

Application of the wet cement involved troweling, packing, or hand-forming the material around pipe fittings, flanges, valve bodies, and irregular surface geometries. Workers who shaped and smoothed the applied cement had direct skin and inhalation contact with the material throughout the working process. Once cured, the rigid cement layer could be disrupted during maintenance, repair, or renovation activities—work that required cutting, chipping, or grinding hardened insulation away from pipe surfaces. These disturbance activities could release previously bound fibers back into the breathing zone of workers performing or working near the task.

Because insulating cements were applied in industrial environments alongside other asbestos-containing products—pipe covering, block insulation, gaskets, and packing—workers in these settings often experienced exposures from multiple simultaneous sources. AC&S operated as both a contractor and a materials supplier, meaning company workers and employees at client facilities frequently handled Armatemp Cement No. 166 as part of integrated insulation projects where cumulative asbestos exposure was a documented concern.

The latency period for asbestos-related diseases, which can range from ten to fifty years between initial exposure and clinical diagnosis, means that individuals exposed to Armatemp Cement No. 166 during its production window of 1962 through 1971 may have received diagnoses of mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or related conditions in subsequent decades.

Armatemp Cement No. 166 is a Tier 2 product with no dedicated asbestos bankruptcy trust fund established specifically for claims involving this product. Legal accountability for harm associated with this product has been pursued through the civil litigation system.

Litigation records document that AC&S and its parent company Armstrong World Industries faced substantial asbestos personal injury and wrongful death litigation arising from the company’s insulation contracting operations and the products it manufactured and distributed. Plaintiffs alleged that AC&S knew or should have known of the hazards associated with asbestos-containing products including insulating cements, and that the company failed to provide adequate warnings to workers who used those products in the field.

Plaintiffs alleged that exposure to chrysotile fibers from products including Armatemp Cement No. 166 contributed to the development of mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis, and that the failure to warn of those risks constituted negligence and product liability. Litigation records document claims brought by industrial workers and their surviving family members asserting that occupational contact with AC&S insulating products was a contributing cause of asbestos-related disease.

Armstrong World Industries entered bankruptcy proceedings related in part to its asbestos liability, and the Armstrong World Industries Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust was established to address certain categories of claims. Individuals seeking to determine whether their specific exposure history and diagnosed condition qualifies for consideration under any available trust or litigation avenue should consult with an attorney experienced in asbestos personal injury law.

Because AC&S products were used across many industrial sectors and jobsites, documentation of work history—including employer records, union records, Social Security earnings histories, and co-worker testimony—can be important in establishing the evidentiary foundation for a claim. Individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease who have a history of industrial work during the 1960s and 1970s are encouraged to seek legal consultation to evaluate available options.