Super 711 Cement

Product Description

Super 711 Cement was an industrial insulating cement manufactured by Combustion Engineering, Inc., a company that operated across a broad range of industrial and energy-sector markets throughout the mid-twentieth century. The product was produced from approximately 1964 through the early 1980s, a period during which asbestos-containing insulating cements were widely distributed and applied across heavy industry in the United States.

Insulating cements of this type were formulated as semi-plastic or trowelable materials intended for application to high-temperature surfaces, including boilers, furnaces, kilns, and the joints, fittings, and irregular surfaces of industrial pipe systems. Super 711 Cement was marketed and sold as a pipe insulation product, designed to fill gaps between preformed insulation sections, smooth outer surfaces, and provide a finished, heat-resistant coating capable of withstanding the thermal demands of industrial operations.

Combustion Engineering held a significant position in the industrial insulation market during these decades. The company supplied products to power generation facilities, chemical plants, oil refineries, shipyards, steel mills, and other heavy manufacturing environments where pipe insulation was a standard requirement. Super 711 Cement, as part of this product line, reached worksites across many industries and geographic regions before asbestos use in such products was curtailed in response to mounting evidence of its health hazards.

Asbestos Content

Super 711 Cement contained chrysotile asbestos as a primary functional component. Chrysotile, sometimes referred to as white asbestos, is the most commercially utilized form of asbestos and belongs to the serpentine mineral family. Despite its structural differences from the amphibole asbestos varieties, chrysotile has been classified as a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and regulatory agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

In insulating cement formulations, chrysotile asbestos served multiple roles. Its fibrous structure contributed tensile reinforcement to the cement matrix, helping the dried product resist cracking under mechanical stress and thermal cycling. The fibers also provided thermal resistance properties consistent with the product’s insulating purpose and helped bind the mixture to irregular pipe and fitting surfaces during application.

The incorporation of chrysotile into a cementitious binder meant that asbestos fibers were distributed throughout the product material. When the cement was mixed, applied, shaped, or later disturbed during maintenance or removal, these fibers could be released into the surrounding air. The AHERA (Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act) framework and OSHA’s asbestos standards have both established that chrysotile asbestos fibers, when airborne and inhaled, present serious risks of asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.

How Workers Were Exposed

Industrial workers employed in facilities where Super 711 Cement was used faced potential asbestos fiber exposure through several routine work activities. The product’s application as a pipe insulation cement meant that exposure pathways were common in any industrial setting where pipe systems required installation, repair, or replacement.

Mixing and Application: Workers who mixed Super 711 Cement from dry or semi-prepared states were among those at highest risk. Opening bags or containers of dry cement, combining it with water, and working the material to a consistent consistency could release chrysotile fibers into the breathing zone. Applying the cement by trowel, brush, or hand to pipe fittings and joints involved close contact with the material throughout the work shift.

Finishing and Shaping: After application, workers often shaped, smoothed, or trimmed the cement while it remained workable. This manipulation of the uncured product could disturb the fiber matrix and release additional airborne particles in enclosed or poorly ventilated industrial spaces.

Drying and Curing: As the cement dried, surface irregularities were sometimes sanded or scraped to achieve a uniform finish, generating dust laden with chrysotile fibers. This finishing work represented a particularly hazardous exposure point because the dried material released fibers readily when abraded.

Maintenance and Removal: Over the operational life of an industrial facility, pipe insulation required periodic inspection, repair, and eventual replacement. Workers who disturbed or removed aged Super 711 Cement during maintenance activities—whether or not they were the original installers—faced secondary exposure to fibers that had been locked into the hardened cement matrix. Demolition of pipe systems or facility upgrades were common scenarios in which this type of disturbed-material exposure occurred.

Bystander Exposure: Industrial workers generally, including those not directly handling the cement, could be exposed through proximity to application or removal work in shared spaces. In enclosed industrial environments such as boiler rooms, pump houses, and pipe chases, airborne fibers generated by nearby work could travel and be inhaled by individuals working in adjacent areas.

OSHA’s permissible exposure limit (PEL) for asbestos is 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter as an eight-hour time-weighted average, with an excursion limit of 1.0 fibers per cubic centimeter over a thirty-minute period. Regulatory guidance has consistently recognized that trowelable asbestos-containing products, particularly during dry mixing and disturbance of hardened material, can generate fiber concentrations that exceed these thresholds without proper engineering controls and respiratory protection.

Combustion Engineering, Inc. established a trust fund—the Combustion Engineering 524(g) Asbestos PI Trust—as part of its bankruptcy reorganization under Chapter 11. However, the trust’s claims criteria are specific to particular product categories and claimant qualifications, and individuals who believe they were exposed to Super 711 Cement should have their eligibility independently assessed by a qualified asbestos attorney, as direct trust fund coverage for this specific product may not apply.

For many claimants, Super 711 Cement exposure is addressed through civil litigation rather than trust fund claims. Litigation records document cases in which plaintiffs alleged occupational exposure to asbestos-containing products manufactured or distributed by Combustion Engineering, including insulating cements used in industrial pipe applications. Plaintiffs alleged that prolonged inhalation of chrysotile fibers released from these products contributed to the development of serious asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer.

In litigation involving insulating cements of this type, plaintiffs alleged that manufacturers were aware, or should have been aware, of the hazards of asbestos-containing products during the years of production and distribution, and that adequate warnings were not provided to workers who handled them. Litigation records document claims brought by industrial workers, tradespeople, and in some instances the survivors of deceased claimants who developed latent diseases decades after initial exposure.

Individuals who worked in industrial settings between the mid-1960s and early 1980s where Super 711 Cement was applied or disturbed, and who have subsequently been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, or other asbestos-related conditions, are encouraged to consult an attorney experienced in asbestos litigation. The latency period for asbestos-related diseases—often spanning twenty to fifty years from initial exposure—means that workers exposed during this product’s manufacturing period may only now be receiving diagnoses. Statutes of limitations vary by state and by disease diagnosis date, making timely legal consultation essential to preserving a potential claim.