Buffalo Forge Company, headquartered in Buffalo, New York, was a major manufacturer of industrial fans, centrifugal blowers, and forced-draft fans for boiler combustion air and industrial ventilation applications — including the forced-draft fans and blower equipment used in US Navy steam plant boiler rooms to supply combustion air to the boilers. Navy destroyer, cruiser, and carrier steam plants used forced-draft blowers to force combustion air into the boiler burner registers, and Buffalo Forge supplied centrifugal forced-draft fans for these Navy steam plant applications. The connections between forced-draft fan ducting and boiler combustion air registers used asbestos-containing gasket and packing materials, and the fan housing and internal components used asbestos-containing seals and gasket materials for high-temperature applications.

Asbestos in Buffalo Forge Fan and Blower Products

Buffalo Forge’s naval fan and blower products used asbestos-containing sealing materials:

  • Forced-draft fan housing gaskets — the gaskets and seals at the connections between Buffalo Forge forced-draft fan discharge ducting and boiler forced-draft air registers used asbestos-containing compressed fiber gasket materials to seal these high-temperature, high-velocity air connections. Boiler Technicians performing maintenance on the forced-draft fan installations removed and replaced these asbestos-containing connection gaskets during regular maintenance operations
  • Fan packing and shaft seals — the packing seals around Buffalo Forge blower shafts and the access cover seals on fan housings used asbestos rope packing and asbestos-containing gasket materials. Fan maintenance involving repacking shaft seals or opening access covers released asbestos fiber from the packing and gasket materials
  • Boiler fan room construction — the fan rooms housing Buffalo Forge forced-draft fan equipment in Navy boiler room auxiliary spaces were constructed with industrial materials consistent with the era of the ship’s construction, with asbestos-containing pipe insulation and equipment insulation throughout the boiler auxiliary machinery spaces where fan equipment was located

Buffalo Forge fans and blowers appeared in Navy steam plant boiler room systems:

  • Destroyer forced-draft systems — the forced-draft blower systems supplying combustion air to the boilers in Gearing class, Fletcher class, and other destroyer steam plants used Buffalo Forge and competitor centrifugal blowers in the fire room forced-draft installations
  • Carrier boiler room forced-draft — the large boiler rooms aboard Essex class and Midway class carriers used multiple Buffalo Forge forced-draft fans supplying combustion air to the ships’ main propulsion boilers in the carrier engineering spaces

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Buffalo Forge Products

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from boiler room equipment maintenance in Navy steam plant engineering spaces. Boiler Technicians and engineering ratings who performed maintenance on Buffalo Forge forced-draft fan equipment and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.