Garlock Gaskets

Product Description

Garlock gaskets were industrial sealing components manufactured between 1959 and 1986 for use across a wide range of heavy industrial applications. These gaskets were designed to create pressure-resistant seals between pipe flanges, valve bodies, pump housings, and other mechanical connections where fluid or gas containment was essential. Their applications spanned refineries, chemical processing plants, power generation facilities, shipyards, and manufacturing operations throughout the United States and internationally.

Gaskets of this type were valued in industrial settings for their ability to withstand elevated temperatures, corrosive chemicals, and sustained mechanical pressure. The product line included sheet gaskets, spiral-wound gaskets, ring gaskets, and compressed fiber gaskets, each engineered for specific pressure ratings and chemical compatibility requirements. Industrial workers across numerous trades encountered these components routinely during installation, maintenance, and replacement activities as part of standard facility upkeep and equipment servicing.

The gaskets were specified by engineers and purchased by plant maintenance departments as standard components in industrial systems. Their widespread use across multiple industries meant that exposure was not limited to a single workplace environment but occurred across the full spectrum of American heavy industry during the decades of production.

Asbestos Content

Garlock gaskets in this product line were manufactured using chrysotile asbestos as a primary functional ingredient. Chrysotile, a serpentine-form asbestos mineral, was incorporated into gasket materials because of its heat resistance, tensile strength, and flexibility — properties that made it well-suited for sealing applications under demanding industrial conditions.

In compressed sheet and ring gasket constructions, chrysotile fibers were typically blended with rubber binders or other matrix materials and formed into sheets that were then cut or stamped into finished gasket shapes. The asbestos fiber content in these compressed sheet products could constitute a substantial portion of the finished product by weight, providing the thermal and chemical resistance properties that made them commercially viable.

Spiral-wound gaskets incorporated asbestos filler material wound between metal strips, creating a layered construction that relied on the asbestos component to maintain sealing integrity under thermal cycling and mechanical load. In all these constructions, chrysotile fibers were integral to the product’s performance characteristics rather than incidental additives.

Chrysotile asbestos is regulated under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s asbestos standards (29 CFR 1910.1001 for general industry and 29 CFR 1926.1101 for construction) and is classified as a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Under AHERA regulations, chrysotile-containing materials are subject to management and abatement requirements when present in certain building and facility contexts.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers who installed, maintained, or removed Garlock gaskets during the production years of 1959 through 1986 faced potential asbestos exposure through several documented mechanisms. The nature of gasket work created conditions in which chrysotile fibers could become airborne and inhaled.

Installation activities required workers to handle raw gasket sheet stock, cut gaskets to size using knives or die-cutting tools, and fit components into flanged connections. Cutting and trimming operations on compressed asbestos sheet material could release fiber-laden dust directly at the work surface, in close proximity to the worker’s breathing zone.

Removal and replacement of worn or damaged gaskets presented a significant exposure pathway. Used gaskets that had been subjected to heat and pressure were often adhered to metal flange faces and required mechanical removal using scrapers, wire brushes, grinding tools, or abrasive pads. These removal methods were capable of generating substantial quantities of fine dust containing residual asbestos fibers. Workers performing this type of maintenance work in confined equipment rooms, on vessels, or in pipe chases had limited opportunity to avoid inhaled dust.

Proximity exposure affected workers in the general industrial environment. Pipefitters, boilermakers, millwrights, and general maintenance personnel working near others who were cutting or removing asbestos-containing gasket materials were subject to secondary fiber dispersion in shared workspaces.

Because gasket replacement is a recurring maintenance task rather than a one-time installation activity, workers employed in industrial facilities over extended careers would have repeated this exposure cycle many times. The cumulative nature of asbestos-related disease means that repeated lower-level exposures across a working lifetime can contribute to the development of conditions including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and asbestos-related lung cancer.

Industrial hygiene controls that are now standard — respiratory protection, wet methods during removal, HEPA-filtered ventilation — were not consistently implemented or required during much of the production period covered by this product.

Documented Trust Fund / Legal Options

There is no active asbestos bankruptcy trust fund associated with this product. Claims arising from exposure to these gaskets are pursued through the civil litigation system rather than through a trust fund claims process.

Litigation records document that plaintiffs diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and asbestosis have filed claims alleging injury from exposure to asbestos-containing gasket products of this type. Plaintiffs alleged that manufacturers and distributors of asbestos-containing gaskets were aware of the hazards associated with asbestos fiber release during installation and removal activities, and that adequate warnings were not provided to the workers who handled these products.

Litigation records further document that plaintiffs alleged failures in product labeling, inadequate safety data communication to employers and end users, and continued manufacture and sale of asbestos-containing products beyond the point at which the health hazards were known or reasonably knowable within the industry.

For individuals diagnosed with asbestos-related disease following occupational exposure to these gasket products, legal options include:

• Personal injury litigation against product manufacturers and distributors in state or federal court
• Wrongful death claims brought by surviving family members when a diagnosed individual has died from an asbestos-related condition
• Workers’ compensation claims through the employer’s state workers’ compensation system, which may run concurrently with third-party product liability claims depending on jurisdiction

Statute of limitations rules vary significantly by state and generally begin running from the date of diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease rather than from the date of exposure. Because mesothelioma and other asbestos diseases have latency periods that can extend from 20 to 50 years, individuals exposed during the 1959–1986 production period may only recently be receiving diagnoses.

Anyone who worked in industrial settings during these years and has received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer with a documented occupational history should consult with an attorney experienced in asbestos litigation to evaluate applicable deadlines and available legal remedies.