Narcogun P-340 Spray Fireproofing

Product Description

Narcogun P-340 was a spray-applied fireproofing material manufactured by Narco and used across a range of commercial and industrial construction projects from approximately 1965 through the early 1980s. The product belonged to a category of spray fireproofing compounds that became widespread in the postwar construction boom, when building codes and insurance requirements increasingly demanded passive fire protection for structural steel components. Applied through specialized spray equipment, Narcogun P-340 was designed to coat steel beams, columns, and decking with an insulating layer that would slow the transfer of heat during a fire event, preserving structural integrity long enough for occupants to evacuate and for fire suppression efforts to take effect.

Spray-applied fireproofing products of this era were favored by contractors and building owners for their speed of installation and their ability to conform to irregular structural shapes that rigid fireproofing materials could not easily accommodate. Narcogun P-340 was marketed to industrial facilities, manufacturing plants, warehouses, and other heavy-use settings where fire protection of structural components was essential. The product’s use continued through the late 1970s and into the early 1980s, spanning a period during which the health hazards of asbestos-containing construction materials were becoming increasingly documented in occupational medicine literature and regulatory rulemaking.

Production of Narcogun P-340 is documented within the span of 1965 through the early 1980s, a period that brackets the gradual regulatory phase-out of asbestos in spray-applied fireproofing. The United States Environmental Protection Agency moved to restrict spray-applied asbestos products during the early 1970s, and the broader regulatory framework surrounding asbestos in construction materials tightened considerably throughout that decade. Products such as Narcogun P-340 represent a transitional generation of industrial fireproofing compounds that were produced and installed before asbestos-free formulations became standard across the industry.

Asbestos Content

Narcogun P-340 contained chrysotile asbestos as a principal functional component. Chrysotile, sometimes referred to as white asbestos, is the most commercially prevalent form of asbestos and was incorporated into spray fireproofing formulations because of its exceptional thermal resistance, its ability to bind with cementitious or mineral wool carrier materials, and its capacity to form a cohesive, adherent coating when applied under pressure. In spray fireproofing applications, chrysotile fibers were distributed throughout the product matrix, providing both the fire-resistant properties the product was designed to deliver and the structural integrity that allowed the dried coating to remain adhered to steel substrates under normal building conditions.

Chrysotile asbestos has been classified as a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and is regulated as a hazardous material under multiple federal frameworks, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s asbestos standards and the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act. While chrysotile’s advocates historically argued that its curled fiber geometry made it less biopersistent than amphibole asbestos varieties, the current scientific and regulatory consensus holds that chrysotile exposure carries documented risks of asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

In spray-applied products such as Narcogun P-340, the hazard potential of chrysotile is compounded by the application method itself. Spraying asbestos-containing materials produces airborne fiber concentrations that can exceed those associated with most other construction activities involving asbestos. The dried coating, once in place, can also release fibers if disturbed by subsequent trades, renovation work, or mechanical damage.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers represent the primary population documented in connection with Narcogun P-340 exposure. Exposure occurred across several distinct phases of the product’s life cycle, beginning with manufacture and extending through installation, building occupancy, and eventual disturbance during renovation or demolition.

During application, workers operating spray equipment directed pressurized streams of the asbestos-containing mixture onto structural steel surfaces. This process generated substantial quantities of airborne dust, a significant fraction of which consisted of respirable asbestos fibers. Workers directly handling and applying Narcogun P-340 faced the highest fiber concentrations, but bystander exposure was also significant. Other trades operating in the same areas during or immediately after application—including pipefitters, electricians, ironworkers, and general laborers—inhaled fibers that remained suspended in the work environment or settled on surfaces from which they could be re-entrained.

Beyond the installation phase, industrial workers employed in facilities where Narcogun P-340 had been applied faced ongoing exposure whenever the fireproofing coating was disturbed. Maintenance operations, equipment installations, overhead work, and the routine vibration and mechanical stresses inherent in industrial environments could all dislodge dried fireproofing material and release asbestos fibers into occupied spaces. Workers who repaired, removed, or worked in proximity to deteriorating Narcogun P-340 coatings during the 1970s, 1980s, and beyond faced exposure conditions that could be substantial, particularly in enclosed or poorly ventilated industrial settings.

The latency characteristics of asbestos-related diseases mean that workers exposed to Narcogun P-340 during its production years may not have received a diagnosis until decades after the exposure occurred. Mesothelioma, in particular, carries a latency period typically measured in decades, meaning that workers exposed during the 1960s and 1970s may be receiving diagnoses today.

Documented Trust Fund / Legal Options

Narcogun P-340 is a Tier 2 product for purposes of asbestos litigation classification. No dedicated asbestos bankruptcy trust fund associated with Narco has been identified in connection with this product. Individuals seeking compensation for asbestos-related diseases linked to Narcogun P-340 exposure have pursued remedies through the civil litigation system.

Litigation records document claims brought by industrial workers and their survivors alleging that exposure to Narcogun P-340 caused asbestos-related diseases including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer. Plaintiffs alleged that Narco and, in many cases, co-defendants including building owners, contractors, and other product manufacturers, knew or should have known of the health hazards associated with asbestos-containing spray fireproofing and failed to provide adequate warnings or protective measures to workers in the field.

Plaintiffs alleged that the absence of adequate hazard communication left workers without the information necessary to take protective precautions, and that this failure contributed directly to harmful exposures. Litigation records document claims involving both primary applicators and bystander workers who were present in facilities where Narcogun P-340 was being applied or had been previously installed.

Individuals who believe they may have been exposed to Narcogun P-340 and who have received a diagnosis of mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related condition should consult with an attorney experienced in asbestos litigation. Legal counsel can evaluate the specific exposure history, identify all potentially liable parties, and assess whether civil litigation or claims against trust funds associated with other products or companies involved in the same worksites may provide a path to compensation. Because statutes of limitations apply to asbestos claims and vary by jurisdiction, prompt legal consultation is advisable following any qualifying diagnosis.