NARCO Aerogun — Asbestos-Containing Spray Refractory Product
Manufacturer: North American Refractories Company (NARCO) Product Category: Refractory / Spray-Applied Fireproofing Years Produced: 1971–1979 Asbestos Type: Chrysotile
Product Description
The NARCO Aerogun was a spray-applied refractory product manufactured by North American Refractories Company (NARCO), a major producer of industrial refractory materials throughout the twentieth century. Designed for high-temperature industrial environments, the Aerogun product was formulated as a wet mix intended to be applied directly to furnace walls, linings, and related refractory surfaces using spray equipment — the application method suggested by the product’s name.
NARCO developed a broad catalog of refractory products serving the steel, glass, and coke industries, where furnaces and kilns operate under extreme and sustained heat conditions. The Aerogun was positioned within this catalog as a spray-application solution, offering industrial facilities a method of applying protective refractory coatings quickly and with coverage over large or irregular interior surfaces. Spray-applied refractories of this type were widely used across heavy industry during the 1970s, a period when asbestos remained a common ingredient in products requiring heat resistance, durability, and fire suppression properties.
NARCO operated facilities and distributed products nationally, supplying steel mills, glass manufacturing plants, and coke production facilities. The company’s refractory products, including the Aerogun, were integral to the maintenance and construction of industrial furnaces during the years of the product’s production.
Asbestos Content
The NARCO Aerogun wet mix incorporated chrysotile asbestos as a functional component of its refractory formulation. Chrysotile, also known as white asbestos, is a serpentine-form asbestos mineral that was widely used in industrial and construction products throughout the twentieth century. Its fibrous structure contributed tensile strength, heat resistance, and binding properties to refractory mixtures, making it a commercially attractive additive in products designed to withstand furnace-level temperatures.
In spray-applied refractory products such as the Aerogun, chrysotile asbestos was blended into a wet mix that could be pumped through spray equipment and applied to substrate surfaces. When mixed and applied in this wet state, the asbestos fibers were bound within the material. However, the process of mixing, loading, and spraying the material — as well as any subsequent drying, curing, or disturbance of the applied coat — presented significant opportunities for fiber release into the surrounding air.
The presence of chrysotile asbestos in NARCO Aerogun is documented through the product’s listing in asbestos trust fund claim materials and through records associated with North American Refractories Company’s history of asbestos-containing product manufacturing.
How Workers Were Exposed
Workers across several industrial trades encountered the NARCO Aerogun during the product’s production years of 1971 through 1979. Exposure pathways varied depending on each worker’s role, but all involved proximity to a product containing respirable chrysotile asbestos fibers.
Refractory Workers were among those most directly exposed. Refractory installers and mechanics were responsible for mixing, loading, and operating spray equipment used to apply the Aerogun wet mix to furnace interiors and related structures. Handling dry or wet asbestos-containing mix during preparation and operating spray nozzles in enclosed or semi-enclosed furnace environments created conditions for sustained fiber inhalation.
Steel Furnace Maintenance Workers encountered the Aerogun product during the maintenance and repair of furnace linings in steelmaking facilities. When applied refractory coatings were disturbed, chipped, repaired, or removed — as part of routine relining work — dried chrysotile-containing material could release airborne fibers in concentrations that posed an inhalation risk.
Glass Plant Workers were exposed through similar mechanisms. Glass manufacturing relies on continuous-operation furnaces that require regular inspection and maintenance. Workers in these environments came into contact with spray-applied refractory coatings during both installation and the ongoing upkeep of furnace structures.
Coke Oven Workers represented another significant exposure group. Coke ovens in metallurgical operations run at extremely high temperatures and require regular refractory maintenance. Workers involved in lining, relining, or repairing coke oven structures where Aerogun or similar products had been applied faced potential fiber exposure during disturbance of the installed material.
Across all of these trades, secondary or bystander exposure was also possible. Workers in adjacent areas of a plant or facility — pipefitters, ironworkers, laborers, or supervisors present during spray application or maintenance activities — could inhale airborne fibers generated by others working directly with the product.
Inhalation of chrysotile asbestos fibers has been associated with serious and often fatal diseases including mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural disease. These conditions typically have latency periods of twenty to fifty years, meaning workers exposed to NARCO Aerogun during the 1970s may only now be receiving diagnoses.
Documented Trust Fund / Legal Options
North American Refractories Company filed for bankruptcy protection as a result of mounting asbestos liability, leading to the establishment of the North American Refractories Company Asbestos Personal Injury Trust (commonly referenced as the NARCO Asbestos PI Trust). This trust was created to compensate individuals harmed by asbestos-containing products manufactured and distributed by NARCO, including the Aerogun spray refractory.
The NARCO Aerogun is a named product eligible for claims through the North American Refractories Company Asbestos PI Trust.
Individuals who were exposed to NARCO Aerogun in occupational settings and who have received a qualifying diagnosis may be eligible to file a claim with the Trust. The Trust’s claim process is governed by its Trust Distribution Procedures (TDP), which establish eligibility criteria, documentation requirements, and payment levels for different categories of asbestos-related disease.
Typical claim categories recognized by asbestos personal injury trusts of this type include:
- Mesothelioma (pleural, peritoneal, or pericardial)
- Lung Cancer (with qualifying asbestos exposure history)
- Other Cancer (laryngeal, esophageal, and other asbestos-associated malignancies, per TDP criteria)
- Severe Asbestosis and related nonmalignant conditions
- Asbestosis / Pleural Disease categories (subject to specific medical and exposure criteria)
Claimants are generally required to provide medical documentation of diagnosis, evidence of occupational exposure to NARCO products, and employment history establishing the nature and duration of contact with the product. Exposure to NARCO Aerogun at a steel mill, glass plant, coke facility, or during refractory installation or maintenance work would be relevant supporting documentation.
Trust claims may be pursued independently of or alongside litigation against other solvent defendants, such as additional product manufacturers whose materials were also present in the same work environments.
Individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos-related disease following exposure to NARCO Aerogun or other NARCO refractory products should consult a qualified asbestos attorney to evaluate their eligibility for Trust compensation and any additional legal remedies.
This article is provided for informational and reference purposes. It documents a specific asbestos-containing product based on available trust fund, regulatory, and litigation records. It does not constitute legal or medical advice.