Overview
Pipefitters, skilled tradespeople who install, repair, and maintain piping systems, faced extensive asbestos exposure throughout the 20th century. Working alongside insulators and handling asbestos-containing gaskets, valves, and packing materials put pipefitters at very high risk for mesothelioma.
Pipefitters faced asbestos exposure from two sources: the asbestos products they directly handled (gaskets, packing, valve components) and proximity to insulators applying asbestos insulation to the pipes they installed.
Primary Exposure Sources
| Product | Application | Exposure Level |
|---|---|---|
| Pipe gaskets | Sealed pipe connections | Very High |
| Valve packing | Sealed valve stems | Very High |
| Flange gaskets | Sealed flange joints | High |
| Pump packing | Sealed pump shafts | High |
| Pipe insulation | Bystander exposure | High |
| Pipe joint compound | Thread sealing | Moderate |
How Pipefitters Were Exposed
Gasket Work
Pipefitters commonly cut gaskets from sheet gasket material containing 60-90% asbestos. This required:
- Measuring and marking gasket material
- Cutting with utility knives or punches
- Scraping old gaskets off flange faces
- Wire brushing mating surfaces
Each step released asbestos fibers into the breathing zone.
Valve Maintenance
Valve packing, braided asbestos rope used to seal valve stems, required regular replacement. Pipefitters removed old packing and installed new material, handling asbestos directly.
Industries Where Pipefitters Worked
Pipefitters were essential everywhere piping ran under pressure. Between 1940 and 1980 they built and serviced steam and water systems in power plants across Pennsylvania and Ohio, process piping in oil refineries along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast, corrosive-fluid piping in chemical plants, ship piping systems in shipyards, and commercial HVAC heating and cooling loops. Johns Manville and Owens Corning insulation covered most of this pipe.
Related Occupations
These trades faced similar asbestos exposure:
- Steamfitters, High-pressure steam systems
- Plumbers, Water and drainage systems
- Boilermakers, Boiler piping connections
- Insulators, Pipe insulation installation
- Millwrights, Industrial machinery piping
Health Risks
Pipefitters with asbestos exposure face elevated risk of mesothelioma, a cancer of the chest or abdominal lining; asbestosis, a progressive scarring of the lungs; lung cancer, with risk multiplied among smokers; and pleural plaques, calcified scarring on the lung lining.
Mesothelioma typically develops 20 to 50 years after asbestos exposure. Pipefitters who worked in the 1960s through 1980s are now in the peak diagnosis period.
Legal Options
Pipefitters diagnosed with mesothelioma typically pursue several tracks in parallel. Gasket and packing manufacturers including Garlock Sealing Technologies and John Crane, plus insulation manufacturers like Johns Manville and Owens Corning, established asbestos trust funds through bankruptcy reorganization. Trust claims often run alongside product-liability suits against solvent gasket and packing makers, premises-liability claims against facility owners, VA benefits for military-related exposure, and workers’ compensation through a former employer. A trial lawyer can help identify compensation sources based on specific work history and product exposure.