Garlock Spiral-Wound Gaskets with Asbestos Filler

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 spiral-wound gaskets—a category of high-performance sealing components engineered for demanding industrial environments where conventional flat gaskets could not reliably contain extreme pressures, temperatures, or chemically aggressive process fluids.

Spiral-wound gaskets are constructed by winding a thin metal strip and a filler material together in an alternating spiral pattern. The result is a semi-metallic gasket capable of recovering under compression, creating a tight seal against flanged pipe connections, heat exchangers, pressure vessels, pumps, valves, and other process equipment. The filler material sits between the metal windings and provides the compressible, sealing element of the assembly. For decades, asbestos was the filler material of choice in Garlock’s spiral-wound gasket products.

These gaskets were sold under the Garlock brand and distributed widely throughout heavy industry. They appeared in oil refineries, petrochemical plants, power generation facilities, pulp and paper mills, chemical processing plants, marine vessels, and industrial manufacturing facilities across the country. Because Garlock was a recognized industry standard, its spiral-wound gaskets were specified by engineers and purchased in large quantities for maintenance, repair, and new construction projects throughout the mid-twentieth century.

Asbestos Content

The filler material used in Garlock’s spiral-wound gaskets was composed of asbestos fiber, most commonly chrysotile (white asbestos) and in some formulations amphibole varieties. Asbestos was selected for this application because of its exceptional heat resistance, chemical stability, and compressibility—properties that made it well-suited as a sealing filler in high-temperature, high-pressure industrial piping systems.

The asbestos filler was integrated directly into the wound structure of the gasket, alternating with thin metal strips—typically stainless steel or carbon steel—throughout the body of the component. This construction meant that asbestos fiber was present throughout the gasket and was not merely a surface coating or incidental additive.

Garlock manufactured asbestos-containing spiral-wound gaskets for much of the twentieth century, continuing production through periods when industrial use of asbestos remained widespread and before regulatory restrictions under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) drove manufacturers toward substitute materials. Non-asbestos filler alternatives, including flexible graphite and PTFE, were eventually adopted as industry-standard replacements, but large quantities of asbestos-filled Garlock spiral-wound gaskets remained in service at industrial facilities long after their manufacture had ceased.

How Workers Were Exposed

Workers encountered asbestos from Garlock spiral-wound gaskets in several distinct ways across the lifecycle of these products—during installation, routine maintenance, and removal.

Installation and handling. Industrial pipefitters, steamfitters, boilermakers, and millwrights installed spiral-wound gaskets as part of assembling and commissioning piping systems and pressure equipment. Handling new gaskets, trimming them to fit, and seating them against flanges could disturb asbestos filler material and release respirable fibers into the breathing zone.

Removal of spent gaskets. When piping systems required maintenance or overhaul, workers removed old gaskets that had been compressed under operating conditions for months or years. Prying, scraping, wire-brushing, or grinding deteriorated gaskets from metal flange faces was a common task that generated significant quantities of airborne asbestos dust. Industrial workers generally—including maintenance mechanics, insulators, and laborers working nearby—could be exposed during these operations even if they were not personally handling the gaskets.

Flange cleaning and surface preparation. After gasket removal, flange faces required cleaning to remove residue and ensure a new seal. Wire brushing and scraping asbestos gasket remnants from metal surfaces was a particularly dusty operation documented in industrial hygiene records and occupational exposure assessments. Workers performing these tasks without adequate respiratory protection were exposed to elevated fiber concentrations.

Proximity exposure. In industrial facilities, multiple trades worked simultaneously in confined spaces and equipment rooms. Workers in adjacent areas—welders, electricians, painters, and general laborers—could be exposed to asbestos fibers released during nearby gasket work without performing gasket-related tasks themselves.

OSHA’s permissible exposure limits for asbestos, established and revised over subsequent decades, reflect the agency’s recognition that gasket work is a recognized source of occupational asbestos exposure. Industrial hygiene literature documents that disturbing asbestos-containing gaskets, particularly through scraping and wire brushing, can generate airborne fiber concentrations well above safe thresholds when performed without engineering controls and respiratory protection.

Documented Trust Fund / Legal Options

Garlock Sealing Technologies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June 2010, in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of North Carolina, as a result of the substantial volume of asbestos personal injury claims the company faced. Following bankruptcy proceedings, the Garlock Settlement Trust was established to compensate individuals injured by exposure to Garlock asbestos-containing products, including spiral-wound gaskets with asbestos filler.

Trust eligibility. The Garlock Settlement Trust accepts claims from individuals who were exposed to asbestos from Garlock products and subsequently developed an asbestos-related disease. Eligible claimants include workers who handled or worked in proximity to Garlock asbestos-containing gaskets, as well as certain secondary exposure claimants in appropriate circumstances. Claims may be filed by injured individuals or, in cases of death, by eligible family members or estate representatives.

Covered disease categories. The trust processes claims across the principal asbestos-related disease categories, including:

• Mesothelioma — malignant mesothelioma of the pleura, peritoneum, or pericardium
• Lung cancer — primary lung cancer with documented asbestos exposure history
• Other asbestos-related cancers — including laryngeal and certain other qualifying malignancies
• Asbestosis and severe asbestos disease — documented non-malignant asbestos-related pulmonary disease meeting diagnostic criteria
• Other asbestos disease — pleural disease and related non-malignant conditions

Filing process. Claims are submitted through the trust’s established claim review procedures, which require documentation of product exposure, medical diagnosis, and, where applicable, occupational history linking the claimant to Garlock products. An asbestos litigation attorney experienced with trust fund submissions can assist claimants in identifying and organizing the necessary records.

Important note on other potentially responsible parties. Workers exposed to Garlock spiral-wound gaskets often worked in facilities where multiple asbestos-containing products from other manufacturers were also present. A comprehensive legal evaluation may identify eligibility for claims against additional asbestos trusts or through litigation against other product manufacturers. Individuals with diagnosed asbestos-related disease are encouraged to consult a qualified asbestos attorney to identify all applicable avenues for compensation.

The Garlock Settlement Trust represents one of the primary legal remedies available to industrial workers and others harmed by exposure to Garlock asbestos-containing spiral-wound gaskets.