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Did you work with SandPIPER Air-Operated Double-Diaphragm (AODD) Pumps, Metallic and Non-Metallic Bolted and Clamped AODD Pumps? According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records, it allegedly contained asbestos. Here is what it was, who was exposed, and who is responsible. SandPIPER Air-Operated Double-Diaphragm (AODD) Pumps, Metallic and Non-Metallic Bolted and Clamped AODD Pumps, made by Warren Rupp, sold from the 1960s until the 1980s (asbestos era). Plaintiffs alleged that Warren Rupp / SandPIPER air-operated double-diaphragm pumps installed at chemical plants, refineries, paint shops, and wastewater facilities contained asbestos flange gaskets and packing that released respirable fibers during maintenance. According to publicly filed asbestos litigation records, this product allegedly contained the following: asbestos-containing flange gaskets between pump body sections and at inlet/outlet manifolds; asbestos sheet gasket material cut and installed by maintenance mechanics; asbestos-containing packing at valve seats on earlier models — released during gasket replacement, diaphragm change-outs, and manifold breakdown. Workers allegedly exposed around this product included Millwrights, Pipefitters, Maintenance Mechanics, and Chemical Plant Operators. Asbestos claims are brought against the companies that made the products. If you worked with or around SandPIPER Air-Operated Double-Diaphragm (AODD) Pumps, Metallic and Non-Metallic Bolted and Clamped AODD Pumps and were later diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim against the manufacturer. This is educational information from an independent publisher — not a law firm — and is not legal advice.
Product Description
Warren Rupp, Inc., headquartered in Mansfield, Ohio, manufactured the SandPIPER line of air-operated double-diaphragm (AODD) pumps used for transferring slurries, corrosive chemicals, paints, adhesives, wastewater, and abrasive fluids at industrial facilities across the United States. SandPIPER metallic and non-metallic AODD pumps were installed at chemical plants, refineries, paper mills, mining operations, paint and coatings plants, and municipal wastewater treatment facilities.
Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that Warren Rupp / SandPIPER AODD pumps used during the asbestos era incorporated asbestos-containing flange gaskets between the pump body halves, at the inlet and outlet manifolds, and at air-valve interface plates. Sheet gasket material was allegedly cut to shape by plant maintenance crews from asbestos gasket stock supplied by Garlock, John Crane, and Anchor Packing.
Workers Exposed
Plaintiffs alleged that workers exposed to asbestos through Warren Rupp / SandPIPER pumps included:
- Chemical-plant and refinery millwrights who disassembled AODD pumps for diaphragm replacement and manifold cleaning
- Pipefitters and maintenance mechanics who scraped, replaced, and cut asbestos flange gaskets during pump rebuilds
- Paint-plant and coatings-plant operators who serviced SandPIPER transfer pumps in solvent and pigment lines
- Wastewater and mining maintenance crews who broke down AODD pumps handling abrasive slurries