CM Gun Mix

Product Description

CM Gun Mix was a spray-applied construction and industrial material manufactured by Keene Corporation. Designed for application through pneumatic spray equipment—commonly called a “gun”—this product served multiple functional roles across heavy industry and commercial construction. Its versatility made it a material of choice in settings where thermal protection, fireproofing, and surface coating were required simultaneously or in rapid succession.

The product’s name reflects its intended method of application: a pneumatic or compressed-air gun system that allowed workers to apply the mixed material to structural steel, piping systems, refractory surfaces, and other industrial substrates. This spray method was favored in large-scale industrial projects because it allowed for fast, even coverage over irregular surfaces, including overhead beams, complex pipe configurations, and the interior surfaces of industrial furnaces or boilers.

Keene Corporation, headquartered in the United States, was a diversified industrial manufacturer with operations spanning multiple product categories relevant to construction and heavy manufacturing. The company’s product lines historically intersected with several trades and industries where asbestos-containing materials were in widespread use. CM Gun Mix appears across multiple product categories in litigation and industrial records, including floor tile applications, pipe insulation, refractory installations, spray fireproofing, and valve and steam trap systems—reflecting the broad scope of environments in which the material was deployed.

Asbestos Content

CM Gun Mix has been identified in asbestos litigation as a product alleged to have contained asbestos fibers. The specific fiber types and percentage concentrations associated with CM Gun Mix are not uniformly established in publicly available regulatory documentation, and the product does not appear in AHERA sample databases with standardized test results applicable across all formulations or production periods.

However, litigation records document that plaintiffs alleged the product contained asbestos as a functional component. Given CM Gun Mix’s cross-category use—spanning refractory materials, spray fireproofing, and pipe insulation—the presence of asbestos would have been consistent with industry-standard formulations of similar spray-applied products during the mid-twentieth century. Asbestos was commonly incorporated into such materials for its heat resistance, tensile reinforcement, and fire-retardant properties, all of which were critical performance requirements for the applications in which CM Gun Mix was used.

Plaintiffs in asbestos litigation further alleged that Keene Corporation knew or should have known of the hazardous nature of asbestos-containing products within its manufacturing portfolio, including materials like CM Gun Mix, and that adequate warnings were not provided to workers who handled or were otherwise exposed to these products.

How Workers Were Exposed

The spray-application method that defined CM Gun Mix’s use created conditions particularly conducive to airborne fiber release. When dry or mixed materials containing asbestos are fed through pneumatic spray systems, the mechanical action of pressurized delivery can generate significant quantities of airborne dust. Workers operating the spray equipment—as well as those in surrounding areas—would have been exposed to this airborne material during active application.

Litigation records document that industrial workers generally were among those alleged to have experienced occupational exposure to CM Gun Mix. Because the product crossed multiple categories of industrial use, exposure was not limited to a single trade or job classification. Workers in the following operational contexts may have encountered CM Gun Mix:

  • Spray fireproofing crews applying material to structural steel members in industrial facilities, power plants, refineries, and commercial buildings
  • Pipe insulation workers using spray-applied materials on complex or hard-to-reach pipe configurations
  • Refractory workers lining furnaces, boilers, kilns, and other high-temperature industrial equipment
  • Valve and steam trap maintenance personnel working in proximity to insulated systems where CM Gun Mix had been previously applied
  • General industrial workers present in facilities where the product was being applied or where previously applied material had deteriorated

Secondary exposure was also a documented concern in asbestos litigation generally. Workers who did not directly handle spray-applied asbestos materials but labored in proximity to their application—or who worked in facilities where aged, damaged, or deteriorating applications released fibers—were also alleged to have sustained exposure.

The refractory and spray fireproofing applications are of particular concern from an exposure standpoint. High-temperature environments subject asbestos-containing surface coatings to physical stress, vibration, and thermal cycling, all of which can cause bonded materials to crack, flake, or crumble over time. Maintenance, repair, or removal work performed on surfaces previously treated with CM Gun Mix would have created additional opportunities for fiber release, often in confined or poorly ventilated spaces.

CM Gun Mix is a Tier 2 — Litigated product. No dedicated asbestos bankruptcy trust fund has been identified as specifically administering claims related to CM Gun Mix or Keene Corporation in connection with this product under an active trust structure with published eligibility criteria at this time.

Litigation records document that claims involving CM Gun Mix and Keene Corporation have been pursued through the civil court system. Plaintiffs alleged that exposure to asbestos fibers released by CM Gun Mix caused serious and life-threatening diseases, including mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and other pulmonary conditions associated with occupational asbestos exposure.

Individuals who worked with or around CM Gun Mix and have received a diagnosis of an asbestos-related disease should be aware of the following:

Consult an asbestos litigation attorney. Because this product falls under the litigated tier, legal remedies are pursued through direct civil litigation rather than trust fund claims. Experienced asbestos attorneys can evaluate individual exposure histories, identify all potentially liable parties—which may extend beyond Keene Corporation to premises owners, contractors, and other product manufacturers present at job sites—and advise on applicable statutes of limitations.

Document occupational history. Litigation outcomes in asbestos cases are often supported by detailed records of where a worker was employed, what products they handled, what trades were present at job sites, and over what time period exposure occurred. Union records, employment files, Social Security earnings records, and co-worker testimony have all served as documentation sources in asbestos litigation.

Consider the full product exposure picture. Workers who encountered CM Gun Mix in industrial settings frequently worked alongside other asbestos-containing products from multiple manufacturers. A comprehensive legal claim may involve multiple defendants and, in some cases, parallel trust fund claims for other products identified in an individual’s exposure history.

Statute of limitations awareness. Asbestos disease claims are subject to filing deadlines that vary by state and typically begin running from the date of diagnosis rather than the date of exposure. Timely legal consultation is essential to preserving the right to pursue compensation.

Litigation records document that plaintiffs have alleged significant harm resulting from exposure to CM Gun Mix and have sought compensatory damages for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and, in applicable cases, wrongful death. Workers and family members with potential claims are encouraged to seek qualified legal counsel without delay.