Dresser Industries, Inc. of Dallas, Texas was a diversified industrial manufacturer whose divisions produced valves, flow control equipment, compressors, and instrumentation used in Navy shipboard and shore applications. Through subsidiaries including Dresser Manufacturing, Masoneilan International, and other operating divisions, Dresser products were installed in Navy steam systems, compressed air systems, and process piping aboard fleet vessels and at naval facilities. Maintenance of Dresser valves and compressors required handling asbestos-containing packing and gaskets in the high-temperature, high-pressure service conditions of Navy engineering spaces.

Dresser Valves and Asbestos Packing

Dresser valve products — including the Masoneilan line of control valves and the Dresser line of industrial valves — were installed in Navy steam and auxiliary systems. Valve maintenance in Navy service involved:

  • Asbestos valve stem packing installed in Dresser valve stuffing boxes to prevent steam leakage in high-temperature service — repacked at each maintenance cycle by engineering ratings using asbestos rope packing
  • Body and bonnet gaskets on Dresser flanged valves using asbestos spiral-wound or ring gaskets in steam service
  • Control valve actuator insulation on Masoneilan control valves installed in steam and feedwater control circuits aboard Navy vessels

Compressed Air System Applications

Dresser-manufactured compressors and compressed air system components were installed aboard Navy vessels for service air, starting air, and weapons system applications. Compressed air compressor maintenance involved asbestos-containing valve plates, packing, and high-temperature exhaust gaskets on the compressor cylinders.

Instrumentation and Process Equipment

Dresser Industries’ instrumentation division supplied pressure gauges, instruments, and monitoring equipment to the Navy. Associated piping connections and manifolds used asbestos-containing gaskets in high-pressure measurement applications aboard fleet vessels and at Navy testing facilities.

Publicly filed litigation records from Navy asbestos cases identify Dresser Industries and its subsidiaries in the chain of equipment liability for valves and compressor products aboard Navy vessels. Engineering personnel who performed routine maintenance on Dresser valve products during their shipboard service were documented as having asbestos exposure from valve packing replacement and gasket work.

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Dresser Products

VA presumptive service connection under 38 CFR § 3.309(d) covers asbestos exposure aboard Navy vessels and in Navy shore facilities. Veterans who maintained Dresser or Masoneilan valves and compressor equipment before the early 1980s and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.