Durabla Manufacturing Company, headquartered in Deer Park, New York, manufactured compressed asbestos sheet gasket materials and finished gasket products for industrial and marine applications — including asbestos compressed sheet products used in US Navy steam plant maintenance. Durabla asbestos compressed sheet gasket material was used by Machinist’s Mates and Hull Technicians aboard Navy surface ships and submarines to fabricate custom-cut gaskets for flanged pipe joints, pump covers, heat exchanger headers, and valve body joints throughout routine engineering plant maintenance throughout the WWII and Cold War era.

Asbestos in Durabla Gasket Products

Durabla manufactured compressed asbestos sheet gasket material in multiple grades:

  • Compressed asbestos sheet material — Durabla’s primary product was compressed asbestos sheet gasket material in various thicknesses and grades. Navy engineering ratings cutting replacement gaskets from Durabla compressed asbestos sheet used hand cutters, die punches, or knife blades to cut gaskets to size, releasing asbestos fiber at each cut edge and from the cut gasket face. In the Navy, Durabla sheet was stocked in the engineering plant gasket lockers and used for any non-standard or replacement gasket need
  • Asbestos compressed sheet grades for steam service — Durabla manufactured specific grades of compressed asbestos sheet rated for the temperatures and pressures of Navy steam plant service, including grades used in main steam and feedwater system flanged joint applications
  • Asbestos full-face and ring gaskets — Durabla also manufactured finished gaskets in standard Navy pipe sizes, sold as pre-cut ring or full-face gaskets for common flange sizes, reducing but not eliminating the cutting operations in the Navy engineering space

Engineering Plant Gasket Applications

Durabla asbestos gasket material was used throughout Navy engineering plant maintenance:

  • Pump casing and cover gaskets — centrifugal pump cover and casing gaskets cut from Durabla sheet stock were used in routine pump overhaul maintenance throughout Navy engineering plants
  • Heat exchanger header gaskets — the flanged header gaskets for steam-to-water heat exchangers (distilling plant condensers, oil coolers, and auxiliary coolers) were cut from asbestos compressed sheet for the large gasket sizes used in these applications
  • Pressure vessel and equipment access cover gaskets — equipment inspection cover gaskets for machinery requiring access for scheduled internal inspection used asbestos compressed sheet stock for custom gasket sizes in engineering plant maintenance

VA Claims for Veterans Exposed to Durabla Manufacturing Products

VA evaluates asbestos-related disability claims on a case-by-case basis. Veterans generally need evidence of in-service asbestos exposure, a current asbestos-related diagnosis, and a medical link between them. Engineering ratings who cut, installed, and removed Durabla and other compressed asbestos sheet gasket materials in Navy steam plant maintenance and have since been diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, or asbestos-related lung cancer may qualify for VA disability benefits.