85% Magnesia Pipe Covering / ALLTEMP / Carey Pipe Covering / Careytemp — Celotex Corporation

Product Names: 85% Magnesia Pipe Covering, ALLTEMP Pipe Covering, Carey Pipe Covering, Careytemp Manufacturer: Celotex Corporation Category: Pipe Insulation Asbestos Type: Chrysotile Years Produced: 1906–1961 Legal Tier: Tier 1 — Trust Fund Available

Product Description

For more than five decades, Celotex Corporation manufactured a line of pipe insulation products sold under several brand names: 85% Magnesia Pipe Covering, ALLTEMP Pipe Covering, Carey Pipe Covering, and Careytemp. These products were engineered for high-temperature industrial applications, designed to insulate steam lines, hot water systems, boiler feed lines, and process piping found in power plants, refineries, shipyards, chemical facilities, and heavy manufacturing operations.

The “85% magnesia” designation was an industry-standard formulation widely used in thermal pipe insulation from the early twentieth century onward. Magnesia (magnesium carbonate or magnesium oxide) provided the bulk of the insulating material, while asbestos fibers served as a binder and reinforcing agent, giving the product its structural integrity and resistance to cracking under thermal stress. The finished product was typically formed into rigid half-round sections, or “shells,” that were fitted around pipe exteriors and secured with wire or canvas jacketing.

Celotex Corporation’s roots in asbestos-based building and insulation products trace back to the early 1900s. The Carey line of products, which included Carey Pipe Covering and the later Careytemp brand, had an established reputation across industrial sectors before Celotex acquired and continued their production. These products were sold and installed across the United States throughout the first half of the twentieth century, reaching peak distribution during the industrial expansion surrounding World War II and the postwar manufacturing boom.

Asbestos Content

The asbestos fiber incorporated into Celotex Corporation’s 85% Magnesia Pipe Covering and related products was chrysotile, also known as white asbestos. Chrysotile is the most commercially prevalent form of asbestos and was the dominant fiber type used in magnesia-based pipe insulation throughout the industry.

In the standard 85% magnesia formulation, chrysotile fibers typically comprised approximately 15% of the product’s composition by weight, with the remaining material consisting primarily of magnesium compounds and binders. Despite the seemingly small proportion, the chrysotile fibers were thoroughly distributed throughout the product matrix. This dispersion was essential to the product’s structural function: the fibers held the magnesia matrix together during thermal cycling and mechanical handling.

Because the asbestos was integrated throughout the hardened insulation material rather than applied as a surface coating, the product could release chrysotile fibers during any activity that disturbed, cut, broke, or abraded the material. The fibers present in 85% magnesia pipe insulation are documented in AHERA-related records and occupational health literature as being capable of becoming airborne under common handling and work conditions associated with installation and removal.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers who installed, maintained, repaired, or removed Celotex Corporation’s 85% Magnesia Pipe Covering, ALLTEMP, Carey Pipe Covering, or Careytemp products faced potential asbestos fiber exposure through several distinct pathways.

Installation work required workers to cut the rigid insulation shells to length using handsaws or knives, fit sections around pipes, and smooth or shape material at joints and transitions. Cutting and fitting operations generated visible dust that contained chrysotile fibers. Workers typically performed this work in enclosed mechanical rooms, pipe chases, and other confined spaces with limited ventilation, which allowed airborne fiber concentrations to accumulate.

Repair and maintenance activities were equally significant sources of exposure. Because pipe systems required periodic maintenance, insulation covering valves, flanges, and fittings was routinely removed and replaced. Removing hardened magnesia insulation by breaking it apart or chipping it away released fibers that had been locked in the matrix, often in greater concentrations than during original installation.

Demolition and removal of aging pipe insulation represented some of the highest-exposure scenarios. As the product aged, it became brittle and more prone to crumbling, releasing fibers with minimal disturbance. Workers involved in plant upgrades, pipe re-routing, or equipment decommissioning could disturb large quantities of old insulation during the course of a single work shift.

Bystander exposure was also common in industrial settings. Pipefitters, steamfitters, and insulators frequently worked in the same areas as millwrights, boilermakers, electricians, and laborers. Workers in adjacent trades who were not directly handling insulation materials were nonetheless present in environments where asbestos dust was airborne.

OSHA’s permissible exposure limits for asbestos were not established until the 1970s, and effective engineering controls and respiratory protection were largely absent from industrial workplaces during the decades when these products were most widely installed. Workers employed in power generation, petrochemical refining, shipbuilding, and general manufacturing between the 1920s and 1970s faced repeated exposures over the course of their careers.

Diseases associated with occupational chrysotile asbestos exposure—including mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and other asbestos-related conditions—can have latency periods of 20 to 50 years, meaning workers exposed to these products during their working years may not receive a diagnosis until decades later.

Celotex Corporation filed for bankruptcy protection as a result of mass asbestos litigation and subsequently established the Celotex Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust to resolve personal injury and wrongful death claims arising from its asbestos-containing products.

The Celotex Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust is a Tier 1 trust fund, meaning that individuals who were exposed to Celotex products—including 85% Magnesia Pipe Covering, ALLTEMP Pipe Covering, Carey Pipe Covering, and Careytemp—and who subsequently developed qualifying asbestos-related diseases may be eligible to file a claim directly against the trust.

Filing eligibility generally requires documentation of:

  • Confirmed diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease (such as mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease recognized under trust criteria)
  • Evidence of occupational or secondary exposure to a Celotex Corporation asbestos-containing product
  • Medical records and, where available, employment or product identification records supporting the exposure claim

Typical claim categories recognized by asbestos settlement trusts include:

  • Mesothelioma — typically the highest-value claim category
  • Lung cancer — generally requires additional evidence of asbestos exposure combined with other qualifying factors
  • Asbestosis — documented through pulmonary function testing and imaging
  • Other asbestos-related conditions — including pleural plaques and diffuse pleural thickening, subject to trust-specific criteria

Claimants may also have rights against other responsible parties if exposure occurred in workplaces where multiple asbestos-containing products were present, which was common in industrial environments where these pipe covering products were installed.

Individuals or surviving family members who believe they have a claim related to Celotex Corporation’s 85% Magnesia Pipe Covering, ALLTEMP, Carey Pipe Covering, or Careytemp products should consult with a qualified asbestos attorney experienced in trust fund claims to evaluate their eligibility and pursue recovery through the appropriate channels.