Garlock Compressed Asbestos Sheet Gaskets (Style 900 and Style 8500)

Product Description

Garlock Sealing Technologies, headquartered in Palmyra, New York, was one of the most prominent manufacturers of industrial sealing products in the United States throughout the twentieth century. Among its extensive product line, Garlock produced compressed asbestos sheet gaskets marketed under several style designations, including Style 900 and Style 8500. These products were sold widely to industrial facilities, refineries, chemical plants, power generation stations, and manufacturing operations across the country.

Compressed asbestos sheet gaskets served a critical function in industrial piping and equipment systems. They were designed to create pressure-tight seals between flanged pipe connections, valve bodies, pump housings, heat exchangers, and other process equipment. Because many industrial systems operate under extreme heat, pressure, and exposure to corrosive chemicals, gasket materials needed to withstand demanding service conditions. Asbestos was considered an ideal component for this purpose due to its heat resistance, compressibility, chemical stability, and mechanical durability.

Style 900 and Style 8500 were sheet gasket products manufactured in large rolls or flat sheets that could be cut to custom dimensions on-site or fabricated in advance to fit standard flange configurations. Industrial facilities typically maintained supplies of these sheet materials in maintenance shops, where workers would cut gaskets as needed using knives, scissors, or mechanical cutting tools. The products were available in various thicknesses to accommodate different pressure ratings and flange specifications.

Garlock’s compressed asbestos sheet gaskets were distributed through industrial supply distributors, contractors, and directly to large industrial customers over a period spanning several decades during the mid-to-late twentieth century. They appeared in industries including petrochemical refining, pulp and paper production, food processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and utilities.

Asbestos Content

Compressed asbestos sheet gaskets such as Garlock Style 900 and Style 8500 were manufactured using asbestos fibers as a primary component of their composition. The manufacturing process for compressed asbestos sheet products typically involved blending asbestos fibers with rubber binders and other additives, then calendering or pressing the mixture into uniform sheets. Asbestos fibers provided the structural integrity and heat-resistant properties that made these gaskets suitable for high-temperature, high-pressure industrial applications.

Trust fund documentation and litigation records associated with Garlock products confirm that asbestos was a principal raw material in the compressed sheet gasket line. The asbestos fibers used in these products were capable of becoming airborne during the handling, cutting, and removal of the gaskets, creating a hazard for workers who came into regular contact with them.

Asbestos-containing compressed sheet gaskets remained a standard industrial product category for decades. Garlock and similar manufacturers continued producing asbestos-containing gasket materials until regulatory pressure, shifting liability exposure, and the development of non-asbestos alternative materials prompted the industry to transition away from asbestos content. The Garlock Settlement Trust, established as part of Garlock’s bankruptcy proceedings, reflects the company’s acknowledged role in the manufacture and distribution of asbestos-containing products across this extended period.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers across a wide range of trades and facility types encountered Garlock compressed asbestos sheet gaskets in the course of routine work. Exposure occurred through several distinct pathways during normal industrial maintenance and operations.

Cutting and fabricating gaskets represented one of the most significant exposure activities. Workers assigned to pipefitting, millwright, or maintenance roles frequently cut gasket blanks from sheet stock using hand tools or mechanical punch presses. Cutting asbestos-containing sheet material released fibers into the surrounding air, and workers performing this task without respiratory protection inhaled those fibers directly.

Removing old or degraded gaskets during equipment maintenance was another high-exposure task. When flanged connections were broken apart for inspection, repair, or valve replacement, workers scraped and chipped deteriorated asbestos gasket material from metal flange faces. Wire brushes, scrapers, and grinding tools were commonly used for this purpose, all of which could release significant quantities of asbestos fibers. Work of this nature was performed routinely by pipefitters, boilermakers, maintenance mechanics, and chemical plant operators.

Handling and storing sheet stock in maintenance shops also contributed to background fiber levels. Workers who cut, sorted, or moved rolls and sheets of asbestos gasket material disturbed fibers during ordinary handling, and shop environments where gasket fabrication occurred regularly could accumulate elevated ambient asbestos levels over time.

Bystander exposure was also documented in industrial settings. Workers in adjacent areas of a facility — including operators, supervisors, laborers, and other tradespeople — could inhale fibers released during cutting and removal work performed nearby without necessarily participating directly in that work.

Occupational health research and litigation records have linked repeated inhalation of asbestos fibers to serious diseases including mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease. These conditions typically have long latency periods, meaning that workers exposed to Garlock asbestos gasket products decades ago may only now be receiving diagnoses.

Garlock Sealing Technologies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2010, citing the mounting costs of asbestos-related personal injury litigation. As part of the bankruptcy reorganization process, the Garlock Settlement Trust was established to compensate individuals who suffered harm from exposure to Garlock asbestos-containing products, including compressed asbestos sheet gaskets such as Style 900 and Style 8500.

The Garlock Settlement Trust accepts claims from individuals diagnosed with qualifying asbestos-related diseases who can demonstrate exposure to Garlock products. Eligible claimants include workers who cut, handled, installed, or removed Garlock compressed asbestos sheet gaskets in industrial settings, as well as individuals with qualifying bystander exposure histories.

Claim categories recognized by the Garlock Settlement Trust typically include:

  • Mesothelioma — the highest-priority and most severe disease category, associated with the longest benefit levels under most asbestos trust payment structures
  • Lung cancer — eligible when combined with documented asbestos exposure history meeting trust criteria
  • Asbestosis — a progressive scarring lung disease linked to heavy or prolonged asbestos fiber inhalation
  • Other asbestos-related conditions — including pleural plaques, pleural thickening, and diffuse pleural disease, subject to trust eligibility review

To file a claim, claimants or their legal representatives must typically provide medical documentation of diagnosis, exposure evidence connecting the claimant to Garlock products specifically, and occupational or work history records supporting the nature and duration of contact with asbestos-containing materials.

Individuals who were exposed to Garlock Style 900 or Style 8500 gaskets and have since been diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness are encouraged to consult with an attorney experienced in asbestos trust fund claims. Statutes of limitations vary by state and begin running at the time of diagnosis or discovery of the asbestos-related condition, making timely legal consultation important.

Additional civil litigation options may exist depending on the claimant’s exposure history and the involvement of other asbestos product manufacturers. An experienced asbestos attorney can evaluate whether trust fund claims, civil litigation, or a combination of remedies is most appropriate given the specific circumstances of each case.