Narcogun CR-346

Product Description

The Narcogun CR-346 was an industrial product manufactured by Keene Corporation, a company whose operations spanned a wide range of building materials and industrial products throughout much of the twentieth century. The CR-346 designation placed this product within a broader line of industrial materials associated with Keene’s manufacturing portfolio, which included products used in construction, insulation, refractory applications, and mechanical systems.

Keene Corporation was a significant commercial and industrial manufacturer whose product lines touched multiple trades and industries during the decades when asbestos was widely regarded as an indispensable industrial material. The company’s association with asbestos-containing products across numerous categories—including floor tile, pipe insulation, refractory materials, spray-applied fireproofing, and valves and steam traps—reflects the broad industrial reliance on asbestos during the mid-twentieth century.

The Narcogun CR-346 was used in industrial settings where its physical or chemical properties were suited to heavy-duty applications. As with many products in Keene’s catalog, the CR-346 was deployed in environments where durability, heat resistance, or adhesion characteristics were primary concerns. These environments included manufacturing facilities, power generation plants, refineries, shipyards, and commercial construction sites where industrial workers regularly handled, installed, or worked in proximity to such materials.

Specific production years for the Narcogun CR-346 have not been independently verified in publicly available documentation; however, Keene Corporation’s manufacturing activity with asbestos-containing products is generally associated with the broader mid-to-late twentieth century period during which asbestos use in industrial products was prevalent and, for much of that time, commercially unrestricted.

Asbestos Content

Litigation records document that plaintiffs alleged the Narcogun CR-346 contained asbestos as a component material. The precise fiber type and percentage composition alleged in litigation have varied across individual claims, as is common with products from manufacturers whose lines included multiple formulations over time.

Asbestos was commonly incorporated into products serving similar industrial functions during the period associated with Keene Corporation’s manufacturing activity. In floor tile applications, asbestos provided dimensional stability and resistance to wear. In pipe insulation, it contributed thermal resistance and fire protection. In refractory products, asbestos fibers helped materials withstand extreme heat conditions. In spray-applied fireproofing materials, asbestos was used to bind insulating material to structural surfaces. In valve and steam trap assemblies, asbestos appeared in gaskets, packing materials, and insulating jackets designed to withstand high-pressure, high-temperature conditions.

Plaintiffs alleged that the Narcogun CR-346 incorporated asbestos in a manner consistent with these industrial applications and that the product was capable of releasing respirable asbestos fibers under conditions of normal use, disturbance, cutting, grinding, or removal.

Keene Corporation’s broader history with asbestos-containing products has been extensively documented in asbestos litigation, and the company’s product lines have been subjects of legal proceedings addressing asbestos-related disease claims for several decades.

How Workers Were Exposed

Litigation records document that industrial workers alleged exposure to asbestos fibers through direct contact with the Narcogun CR-346 during the course of their occupational duties. The CR-346’s association with multiple product categories meant that workers in a variety of trades and job functions could have encountered this material.

Workers involved in the installation of floor tile products alleged exposure during cutting, trimming, and fitting operations that disturbed the tile material and released airborne fibers. In pipe insulation applications, workers alleged that sawing, sanding, and fitting insulation to pipe systems generated dust containing respirable asbestos fibers. Those engaged in refractory work alleged exposure during the mixing, application, and removal of heat-resistant materials in furnaces, kilns, boilers, and other high-temperature industrial equipment.

In spray-applied fireproofing operations, litigation records document that plaintiffs alleged exposure was particularly acute. Spray application of fireproofing materials disperses fine particulate matter into the surrounding work environment, and workers directly applying the material, as well as bystanders working in adjacent areas, alleged inhalation of asbestos-laden dust. This mode of application has been recognized in occupational health literature as one of the higher-exposure scenarios associated with asbestos-containing products.

Workers servicing valves, steam traps, and related mechanical systems alleged exposure during the removal and replacement of asbestos-containing gaskets and packing materials. This type of maintenance work frequently required breaking apart old, deteriorated asbestos components, a process that can release substantial concentrations of airborne fibers in confined or poorly ventilated spaces.

Industrial workers generally—including laborers, maintenance personnel, pipefitters, insulators, tile installers, boilermakers, and plant operators—alleged that they worked with or around the Narcogun CR-346 in industrial facilities without adequate warning of the hazards associated with asbestos exposure and without appropriate respiratory protection.

Secondary or bystander exposure has also been alleged in litigation, reflecting the recognized phenomenon in which workers not directly handling asbestos-containing products nonetheless inhale fibers disturbed by nearby operations.

Documented Trust Fund / Legal Options

The Narcogun CR-346 is a Tier 2 product for purposes of this reference article. There is no active Keene Corporation asbestos bankruptcy trust fund identified in publicly available trust fund documentation that directly covers claims related to Keene-manufactured products under the structure established by the federal Bankruptcy Code’s trust provisions (11 U.S.C. § 524(g)).

Individuals who believe they were exposed to asbestos through the Narcogun CR-346 or other Keene Corporation products and who have been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease—including mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or pleural disease—should consult with a qualified asbestos litigation attorney to evaluate available legal options.

Litigation records document that claims related to Keene Corporation products have been pursued through the civil court system. Plaintiffs alleged personal injury arising from occupational exposure to Keene’s asbestos-containing products, and cases have proceeded through various state and federal jurisdictions over multiple decades. An experienced asbestos attorney can assess whether civil litigation against responsible parties, claims through other manufacturers’ trust funds where co-exposure is documented, or other legal remedies may be available depending on the specific circumstances of an individual’s work history and diagnosis.

Because asbestos-related diseases often have long latency periods—sometimes decades between initial exposure and diagnosis—statutes of limitations applicable to asbestos claims vary by state and begin running at different points depending on the jurisdiction. Individuals and their families are encouraged to seek legal counsel promptly following a diagnosis to preserve their rights.

This article is provided for informational reference purposes. It documents product history and litigation records as they pertain to potential asbestos exposure. It does not constitute legal advice. Individuals with potential asbestos-related claims should consult a licensed attorney.