Ruberoid Air Cell Pipe Covering

Manufacturer: GAF Corporation Product Category: Pipe Covering / Thermal Insulation Years Produced: 1928–1981 Asbestos Content: Chrysotile asbestos in cellular insulation matrix Legal Status: GAF Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust (Tier 1 — Trust Fund Available)

Product Description

Ruberoid Air Cell Pipe Covering was a thermal insulation product manufactured by GAF Corporation and sold under the Ruberoid brand name for more than five decades, from 1928 through 1981. The product was designed to insulate pipes in industrial, commercial, and maritime settings, providing thermal resistance to reduce heat loss and protect personnel from contact with high-temperature piping systems.

The “air cell” construction referenced in the product name referred to a corrugated or segmented structure engineered to trap pockets of air within the insulation matrix, enhancing its thermal performance. This design made the product well suited for high-temperature applications in steam distribution systems, shipboard piping, and industrial process lines where durability and sustained insulating performance were critical requirements.

GAF Corporation — which acquired the Ruberoid Company in 1967 — continued manufacturing and marketing products under the Ruberoid name throughout the remainder of the product’s production life. The Ruberoid brand had been a well-established name in building and industrial materials since the early twentieth century, and pipe covering products bearing the Ruberoid name were specified by engineers and purchased by industrial contractors across a wide range of industries and settings throughout the mid-twentieth century.

Ruberoid Air Cell Pipe Covering was sold to contractors, shipyards, industrial facilities, power plants, refineries, and military installations. Its broad distribution across these high-risk occupational environments contributed to widespread worker exposure over the product’s more than fifty-year production history.

Asbestos Content

Ruberoid Air Cell Pipe Covering contained chrysotile asbestos incorporated into its cellular insulation matrix. Chrysotile, sometimes referred to as white asbestos, is a serpentine form of asbestos fiber that was the most widely used variety in insulation products throughout the twentieth century. Its properties — including heat resistance, tensile strength, and resistance to chemical degradation — made it a practical and economical additive for manufacturers producing thermal insulation for industrial applications.

In pipe covering products like Ruberoid Air Cell, chrysotile asbestos was typically bound within a cement or calcium silicate matrix or integrated into fibrous wrapping layers designed to hold the corrugated air cell structure together and protect it from physical damage during installation and service. This construction meant that asbestos fibers were distributed throughout the product material and could be released during any activity that disturbed, cut, shaped, or removed the insulation.

AHERA (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act) regulations and subsequent regulatory documentation have established chrysotile as a recognized human carcinogen capable of causing mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer when fibers are inhaled. The latency period for asbestos-related disease — typically ranging from ten to fifty years after initial exposure — means that workers exposed to Ruberoid Air Cell Pipe Covering during its peak production and installation years may only now be receiving diagnoses of asbestos-related illness.

How Workers Were Exposed

Workers in several trades experienced direct and repeated exposure to Ruberoid Air Cell Pipe Covering as part of their ordinary job duties. Exposure occurred primarily during the installation, removal, and replacement of pipe insulation in industrial and maritime environments.

Insulators (AWIU) were among those most heavily exposed. Members of the Asbestos Workers International Union handled products like Ruberoid Air Cell Pipe Covering as a core part of their daily work. Fitting pipe covering sections to industrial piping required cutting, shaping, and securing the insulation material — all activities that released chrysotile fibers into the air in confined or poorly ventilated workspaces.

Pipefitters worked alongside insulators in power plants, refineries, and shipyards and were exposed to airborne fibers generated when insulation was applied or disturbed in proximity to their work areas. Even when pipefitters were not directly handling insulation, nearby cutting and fitting activities created fiber-laden dust that settled on surfaces and remained suspended in the air.

Plumbers installing or maintaining piping systems in commercial and industrial buildings frequently encountered existing pipe covering that required removal before plumbing work could proceed. Stripping old Ruberoid insulation from pipes — particularly in renovation or repair contexts — was among the most hazardous exposure scenarios, as aged insulation is more likely to crumble and release fibers.

Navy shipyard workers represent one of the most significant exposure groups associated with Ruberoid Air Cell Pipe Covering. U.S. Navy vessels were extensively insulated with asbestos-containing pipe covering throughout the mid-twentieth century, and shipyard workers who built, overhauled, and repaired naval ships worked in the confined, poorly ventilated spaces of engine rooms, boiler rooms, and below-deck compartments where asbestos fiber concentrations could reach extreme levels. Litigation records and Navy occupational exposure documentation have consistently identified pipe insulators and associated trades working in shipyards as among the highest-risk populations for asbestos-related disease.

OSHA’s permissible exposure limits for asbestos, established and revised beginning in the 1970s, were not in place for most of the working lives of people exposed to this product during its peak production years. In the absence of enforceable standards and adequate respiratory protection, workers in all of these trades faced uncontrolled fiber exposures over the course of careers that could span decades.

The GAF Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust was established to compensate individuals who developed asbestos-related diseases as a result of exposure to products manufactured or sold by GAF Corporation, including products sold under the Ruberoid brand name.

Ruberoid Air Cell Pipe Covering is a named, eligible product for claims submitted to the GAF Corporation Asbestos Settlement Trust.

Individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or other asbestos-related conditions who can document occupational exposure to this product may be eligible to file a claim against the trust. Typical claim categories recognized by asbestos settlement trusts of this type include:

  • Mesothelioma (pleural, peritoneal, or pericardial)
  • Lung cancer with documented asbestos exposure history
  • Asbestosis and related non-malignant asbestos disease
  • Other asbestos-related cancers recognized under applicable trust distribution procedures

Eligibility generally requires documentation of exposure to GAF Corporation or Ruberoid-branded products, a qualifying diagnosis, and satisfaction of the trust’s exposure criteria as outlined in its Trust Distribution Procedures (TDP).

Workers in the identified trades — insulators, pipefitters, plumbers, and Navy shipyard workers — who were present during the installation, maintenance, or removal of Ruberoid Air Cell Pipe Covering during the product’s production years should consult with an attorney experienced in asbestos trust fund claims. Work history records, union records, co-worker affidavits, and employment documentation from shipyards and industrial facilities can all serve as supporting evidence in the claims process.

Trust fund claims are separate from personal injury litigation and can often be pursued concurrently with claims against other responsible parties. An asbestos attorney can evaluate full exposure history to identify all applicable trusts and litigation avenues available to a claimant.