Buffalo Forge Company, headquartered in Buffalo, New York, was a major American manufacturer of centrifugal fans, forced draft blowers, reciprocating air compressors, and industrial air handling equipment serving industrial, marine, and military markets. Buffalo Forge supplied the United States Navy with centrifugal fans for engineering space forced ventilation, forced draft blowers for boiler combustion air systems, and reciprocating air compressors for high-pressure and low-pressure air systems throughout naval vessels. Buffalo Forge ventilation fans provided forced air supply and exhaust ventilation for boiler rooms, engine rooms, and machinery spaces aboard naval surface combatants and auxiliary vessels, and Buffalo Forge high-pressure air compressors supplied compressed air for torpedo tube operations, submarine ballast tank operations, and general ship’s service air systems. Buffalo Forge equipment housings and casing joints incorporated asbestos-containing gasket materials, and Buffalo Forge air compressor valve assemblies used asbestos-containing packing materials in compressor valve stems and piston rod glands. Machinist’s Mates and Boiler Tenders maintaining Buffalo Forge equipment in naval engineering spaces encountered asbestos gasket and packing materials during routine equipment maintenance operations.

Forced Draft Blower and Fan Gasket Asbestos

Buffalo Forge fan and blower equipment incorporated asbestos gaskets:

  • Fan and blower casing flange gaskets — Buffalo Forge centrifugal fans and forced draft blowers used asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials in fan casing joint flanges, inlet connection flanges, and outlet duct connection flanges throughout the fan and blower casing assembly. Boiler Tenders and Machinist’s Mates performing fan maintenance requiring casing access or duct connection separation encountered and disturbed asbestos gasket materials at the casing and duct flange joints during maintenance operations
  • Forced draft blower discharge duct insulation — the pressurized discharge ducting from Buffalo Forge forced draft blowers to naval boiler furnace air inlets incorporated asbestos-containing insulation on high-velocity discharge duct surfaces in some ship installations. Boiler Tenders working with the forced draft blower discharge duct systems in ship boiler rooms accumulated background asbestos exposure from the duct insulation in the blower discharge systems

Air Compressor Packing and Valve Gasket Asbestos

Buffalo Forge reciprocating air compressors incorporated asbestos throughout:

  • Compressor piston rod packing — Buffalo Forge reciprocating air compressors used asbestos-containing braided packing in compressor piston rod stuffing box glands. Machinist’s Mates repacking Buffalo Forge air compressor piston rod glands removed and replaced asbestos packing materials in the stuffing box assemblies during routine compressor maintenance, with the packing removal and installation disturbing asbestos braided packing
  • Compressor valve cover and cylinder head gaskets — Buffalo Forge compressor suction and discharge valve cover joints and cylinder head joints used asbestos-containing compressed gasket materials. Machinist’s Mates removing valve covers and cylinder heads for valve plate replacement and cylinder inspection encountered and replaced asbestos gasket materials throughout the compressor overhaul work
  • High-pressure air system compressor maintenance — Navy high-pressure air compressors provided air for torpedo operations, diving operations, and starting air — critical ship’s systems requiring reliable high-pressure air supply maintained by regular compressor maintenance. Machinist’s Mates performing this compressor maintenance on Buffalo Forge HP air compressors repeatedly encountered asbestos gasket and packing materials throughout the compressor maintenance work

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Buffalo Forge Products

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure from Navy engineering space equipment maintenance. Machinist’s Mates and Boiler Tenders who maintained Buffalo Forge fans, blowers, and compressors in naval vessel engineering spaces and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.