Asbestos Spiral Wound Gaskets (Federal-Mogul / Flexitallic)

Spiral wound gaskets were among the most widely used industrial sealing components of the twentieth century, appearing in virtually every sector that relied on pressurized piping systems. Manufactured under brand names associated with Federal-Mogul and its Flexitallic subsidiary, these gaskets were designed to provide reliable seals under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure. For much of the product’s commercial history, asbestos was a central material in that design — a choice that litigation records document has resulted in significant asbestos-related disease claims from workers across multiple industries.

Product Description

Spiral wound gaskets are a type of semi-metallic gasket constructed by winding a formed metal strip and a soft filler material together in a spiral configuration. The resulting disc-shaped component is installed between pipe flanges, valve bonnets, heat exchanger covers, pressure vessel openings, and similar connections to create a leak-proof seal.

The design originated in the early twentieth century and became a standard specification in refinery, petrochemical, power generation, shipbuilding, and heavy manufacturing environments. Flexitallic, which later became a subsidiary operating under the Federal-Mogul corporate structure, is widely recognized in industrial history as a pioneering manufacturer of the spiral wound gasket and held a dominant market position for much of the twentieth century.

Because these gaskets were engineered to withstand high-temperature steam, caustic chemicals, and extreme pressure cycling, manufacturers sought filler materials that would compress and conform to flange surfaces without degrading. Asbestos — with its heat resistance, compressibility, and chemical stability — was the filler material of choice for a substantial portion of the product’s production history.

Spiral wound gaskets were sold and distributed in enormous quantities. They appeared in oil refineries, chemical processing plants, power stations, paper mills, shipyards, and virtually any industrial facility operating pressurized pipe systems. Their ubiquity across industries and decades is directly relevant to the scope of asbestos exposure claims associated with the product.

Asbestos Content

Litigation records document that asbestos-containing spiral wound gaskets manufactured under the Flexitallic and Federal-Mogul product lines used chrysotile asbestos as the primary filler material wound between the metal strips. In some product configurations, the asbestos filler was combined with graphite or other materials, but chrysotile remained a core component for a significant period of production.

The asbestos content gave the gaskets their characteristic performance properties: resistance to steam temperatures routinely exceeding several hundred degrees Fahrenheit, chemical inertness across a wide range of industrial fluids, and the ability to compress uniformly under bolt load without extruding from the flange gap. These same physical properties — particularly the fibrous, friable nature of chrysotile — are what made the material hazardous when disturbed.

Plaintiffs alleged in various actions that the asbestos filler material within spiral wound gaskets could release respirable fibers during normal installation, removal, and replacement activities, and that the manufacturers knew or should have known of this hazard. Industry knowledge of asbestos-related disease, including asbestosis and mesothelioma, predated the widespread commercial peak of these products, and litigation records document internal awareness at major gasket manufacturers of health concerns associated with asbestos fiber release.

How Workers Were Exposed

Exposure to asbestos from spiral wound gaskets occurred primarily at the point of installation and, more significantly, at the point of removal and replacement. Workers most frequently identified in litigation records as having been exposed include pipefitters, steamfitters, boilermakers, refinery operators, maintenance mechanics, millwrights, and insulation workers who worked in proximity to pressurized pipe systems throughout their careers.

The removal process was particularly hazardous. Gaskets that had been compressed under flange bolt load and exposed to heat cycles for months or years became brittle and adhered to flange faces. Workers removing spent gaskets typically scraped, ground, or wire-brushed the mating surfaces to prepare them for reinstallation. Litigation records document that these scraping and cleaning activities generated asbestos dust directly at the worker’s breathing zone.

Installation of new asbestos-containing gaskets also carried exposure risk. Trimming gaskets to fit, handling them repeatedly during the bolting process, and working in enclosed machinery spaces or pipe galleries where ventilation was limited all contributed to cumulative fiber inhalation. Plaintiffs alleged that workers performed these tasks without adequate respiratory protection and without warnings from manufacturers that the filler material contained asbestos capable of causing serious disease.

Exposure was not limited to the pipefitter directly handling the gasket. Bystander exposure — a well-documented pathway in asbestos litigation — affected other trades working in the same areas. Electricians, painters, and laborers working nearby during gasket removal and flange cleaning operations were also identified in litigation records as having been present during fiber-releasing activities.

Industrial workers in refineries and chemical plants were often exposed repeatedly over the course of careers spanning decades, given the regular maintenance cycles required in high-pressure piping systems. Each turnaround, shutdown, or repair event potentially involved the removal and replacement of multiple asbestos-containing gaskets throughout a facility.

Litigation History

Federal-Mogul Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2001. Litigation records document that the company faced substantial asbestos liability arising from products manufactured and distributed through its various subsidiaries, including Flexitallic. The volume of asbestos bodily injury claims contributed materially to the company’s financial restructuring proceedings.

Federal-Mogul Asbestos Personal Injury Trust

As part of Federal-Mogul’s confirmed plan of reorganization, the Federal-Mogul Asbestos Personal Injury Trust was established to resolve present and future asbestos claims against the company and its affiliates, including claims arising from Flexitallic-branded gasket products.

Trust name: Federal-Mogul Asbestos Personal Injury Trust
Filing eligibility: Claimants who can demonstrate occupational or bystander exposure to asbestos-containing products for which Federal-Mogul or its predecessors and subsidiaries bear legal responsibility, and who have been diagnosed with a qualifying asbestos-related disease
Typical claim categories: Mesothelioma, lung cancer (with qualifying exposure history), other asbestos-related cancers, asbestosis, and other nonmalignant asbestos-related conditions meeting the trust’s medical criteria

Claimants must provide medical documentation of diagnosis, exposure evidence connecting their work history to covered products, and compliance with the trust’s claims submission procedures. Mesothelioma claims are typically processed under expedited review procedures given the severity of the diagnosis.

Consulting an Asbestos Attorney

Workers or surviving family members who believe asbestos exposure from spiral wound gaskets contributed to a diagnosis of mesothelioma, lung cancer, or asbestosis should consult an attorney experienced in asbestos litigation. Legal counsel can evaluate work history records, identify applicable trust claims and any remaining litigation options against solvent defendants, and assist with the preparation of trust claim submissions. Statutes of limitations vary by state and begin running at the time of diagnosis or discovery of the disease, making timely consultation important.