Accobest Compressed Sheet Gasketing / Armaflex Foam — Armstrong World Industries

Product Description

Accobest Compressed Sheet Gasketing and Armaflex Foam were industrial sealing and insulation products manufactured by Armstrong World Industries during a production period that spanned from approximately 1945 to 1978. Armstrong World Industries, headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was one of the largest and most diversified building materials and industrial products companies in the United States throughout the twentieth century. The company produced a broad range of flooring, ceiling, and specialty industrial products, and its Accobest and Armaflex lines represented its presence in the gasket and flexible foam insulation markets.

Compressed sheet gasketing under the Accobest name was engineered for use in demanding industrial environments where reliable sealing performance was required. These sheets were manufactured to withstand elevated temperatures, chemical exposure, and mechanical stress — conditions commonly found in refineries, power generation plants, chemical processing facilities, shipyards, and heavy manufacturing operations. The sheets could be cut to custom shapes and sizes on-site or prefabricated into specific gasket configurations, making them widely adaptable across many industrial applications.

Armaflex Foam, a flexible cellular insulation product also produced under the Armstrong umbrella, was designed for thermal insulation applications including pipe and equipment insulation. These products were distributed widely across industrial sectors in the United States and were considered standard-grade materials for their respective applications throughout much of the mid-twentieth century.

Asbestos Content

Accobest Compressed Sheet Gasketing was manufactured with chrysotile asbestos as a primary component of its compressed fiber matrix. Chrysotile, the most commercially prevalent form of asbestos, was valued in gasket manufacturing for its thermal stability, resistance to chemical degradation, compressibility, and ability to maintain a reliable seal under fluctuating pressure and temperature conditions. In compressed sheet gasket products, chrysotile fibers were bound together with rubber binders or other bonding agents and subjected to compression processes to produce sheets of consistent density and thickness.

The use of chrysotile asbestos in compressed sheet gasketing was consistent with widespread industry practice during this era. Asbestos-reinforced gasket materials were considered superior to many alternative materials of the time because of their resistance to steam, acids, hydrocarbons, and extreme temperatures. The AHERA (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act) framework and subsequent regulatory documentation have recognized asbestos-containing gasket and packing products as a defined category of hazardous legacy materials requiring specific abatement and handling protocols.

Armstrong World Industries produced the Accobest line during the period from 1945 through 1978, meaning workers encountered these materials throughout the post-World War II industrial expansion period and into the era when asbestos regulation was only beginning to be formalized under OSHA and the EPA.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers across multiple trades encountered Accobest Compressed Sheet Gasketing and related Armstrong products in ways that generated significant asbestos fiber release. The route and intensity of exposure varied depending on the specific tasks performed, but several work processes were consistently associated with elevated fiber release.

Cutting and fabricating gaskets from compressed sheet stock was one of the primary exposure activities. Workers who cut Accobest sheets using knives, saws, or die-cutting tools generated visible dust laden with chrysotile fibers. This activity was performed routinely in maintenance shops, boiler rooms, and field service settings where custom gasket shapes were needed quickly.

Removing and replacing spent gaskets was another high-exposure task. Old compressed asbestos gaskets frequently bonded tightly to flange faces during service, requiring workers to scrape, grind, or wire-brush residual material from pipe flanges, valve bodies, and heat exchanger faces. These removal operations could generate intense, concentrated asbestos dust in enclosed or semi-enclosed spaces with limited ventilation.

Handling and storing sheet stock also contributed to cumulative exposure. Workers who regularly handled Accobest sheets, even without active cutting, were exposed to surface fibers and edge dust released during routine stacking, transport, and inventory management.

Industrial workers generally — including pipefitters, boilermakers, millwrights, maintenance mechanics, insulation workers, and general plant workers — were among those who worked with or near Armstrong’s Accobest products in refineries, chemical plants, paper mills, power stations, shipyards, and manufacturing facilities. Workers in these environments frequently performed gasket-related tasks as part of routine maintenance cycles, meaning repeated and sustained exposure was common across careers spanning the full production period of these products.

OSHA’s permissible exposure limits for asbestos, first established in the early 1970s and subsequently tightened, reflect the regulatory recognition that occupational asbestos exposure in industrial settings posed serious health risks. Diseases documented in connection with occupational chrysotile asbestos exposure include mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related conditions, with latency periods that can span decades between initial exposure and clinical diagnosis.

Documented Trust Fund / Legal Options

Armstrong World Industries filed for bankruptcy reorganization in 2000, in significant part as a result of the volume of asbestos personal injury claims brought against the company relating to its asbestos-containing product lines, including Accobest Compressed Sheet Gasketing. As part of Armstrong World Industries’ confirmed bankruptcy reorganization plan, the Armstrong World Industries Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust was established to receive, evaluate, and compensate eligible asbestos personal injury claimants.

This is a Tier 1 trust fund claim, meaning claimants can file directly with the Armstrong World Industries Asbestos Personal Injury Settlement Trust and name both the product (Accobest Compressed Sheet Gasketing) and the manufacturer (Armstrong World Industries) directly in their claim documentation.

Filing Eligibility: Individuals who can demonstrate occupational or secondary exposure to Armstrong World Industries asbestos-containing products, including Accobest Compressed Sheet Gasketing, during the relevant production and distribution period, and who have received a qualifying asbestos-related disease diagnosis, may be eligible to submit a claim to the trust.

Typical Claim Categories processed by asbestos personal injury trusts of this type generally include:

  • Mesothelioma (malignant pleural or peritoneal)
  • Lung cancer (with documented asbestos exposure history)
  • Asbestosis (radiologically or pathologically confirmed)
  • Other asbestos-related conditions as defined by the trust’s claims processing procedures

Claimants typically must provide medical documentation confirming an eligible diagnosis, employment or exposure history establishing contact with covered Armstrong World Industries products, and product identification evidence linking specific work activities to Accobest or other Armstrong asbestos product lines.

Individuals who believe they may have been exposed to Accobest Compressed Sheet Gasketing or other Armstrong World Industries asbestos-containing products and who have received a related disease diagnosis should consult with a qualified asbestos litigation attorney to evaluate their eligibility and ensure that claims are filed in accordance with the trust’s established procedures and deadlines.